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Previously, most Blackberries have been oriented towards the businessperson, with the exception of the Pearl. But if you wanted a full QWERTY keyboard, you had to go with the 8800 which had no camera. Now there is a new choice for those people, it's the Blackberry Curve.

Think of it as a Pearl and an 8800 combined into one device. The Curve includes a 2 megapixel camera, a comfortable QWERTY keyboard, a bright screen, and the trackball that Blackberry users have become accustomed to. RIM has also included a full-fledged media player that isn't the best, but gets the job done.

The Curve is also one of the lightest phones we've used, weighing in at 3.9 ounces and measuring about .6" thick. The bright 320x240 screen was crisp and clear – like the Pearl and the 8800.

In terms of audio quality, it wasn't the best and neither was the Pearl or the 8800. The Curve includes something new: a noise cancellation technology to eliminate background noise, a nice touch in my opinion. The built-in 2 megapixel camera includes a flash and a self-portrait mirror, with the image quality being decent with a slight grey hue.

Want to load your favorite tunes on the Curve? Add them with a microSD card (up to 2GB) behind the battery and you're good to go. Battery life was also very good, you'll get about 8 hours of talk time and around 3-4 days of standby time on a full charge, of course – you're mileage may vary.

The Blackberry Curve is available today from AT&T for $199 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a two year contract.

Pros

• Exceptional battery life.
• Thin and light form factor.
• Decent call quality.

Cons

• Somewhat washed out camera images.
• MicroSD slot behind the battery.

Final Verdict
4 out of 5 stars.

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