RIM BlackBerry Curve 8350i Review

Introduction:

So you thought Nextel was a dying brand, eh?  Well, so did we, but Sprint CEO Dan Hesse feels otherwise and some recent life has been breathed into the iDEN lineup.  First came some sleek(er) handsets, the i576 and i776, and now we have a flagship data device, the Curve 8350i.  Sure, the Curve has been available in one form or another since May of 2007, but considering that the best Nextel had to offer was the 7100i (yes, seriously) the Curve represents a major step forward.  Of course Nextel doesn’t have a 3G network (the term ½ G comes to mind) so they’ve made up for that with Wi-Fi, a feature not found in the CDMA cousin.  It also trumps previous 83xx Curves by sporting the 4.6 OS first seen on the Bold and Storm.  Lastly, and most importantly for the target audience, it’s rocking Nextel’s lightning fast Direct Connect (DC) service.

Included in the box you’ll find:

Design:

At a quick glance the 8350i looks like any other Curve; 2.4” QVGA display above the trackball and navigational keys with a 35 key QWERTY keypad.  The left side has a convenience key, miniUSB charging/data port and a 2.5mm headphone jack with the iDEN ring for PTT headsets.  While we usually prefer 3.5mm jacks, the iDEN-compatible 2.5mm jack is more practical for this offering.  The right side has a volume rocker and convenience key.  Like all Curves before it, the back of the 8350i simply features a 2.0 megapixel camera with LED flash at the top of the battery door.  The microSD slot is still frustratingly located under the battery.



You can compare the BlackBerry Curve 8350i with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

There are some differences, however.  First off the left convenience key is not actually a convenience key, it is a DC button.  Also, the 8350i is larger in every dimension.  Though slim for an iDEN device, the Curve is portly when compared to its cousins and adds some significant height as well.  The added size is a bigger issue on paper versus in hand though, as the 8350i feels downright comfortable to hold.


The keyboard feels better, too, which is not a small feat given that the Curve is often regarded as one of if not the best keyboards on the market.   There is more of a “pop” with the 8350 and the keys feel much sturdier than on previous 83xx models.  The layout is identical to previous models, and again the number pad and speaker key are half silver, half black.

The trackball feels better too.  The Curve’s increased thickness means the trackball is more recessed into the housing, which is more comfortable.  It is not a big- or probably even intentional- difference, but because of this your thumb now rests more on the housing while using the ball making navigating easier in our opinion.

The 8350i has a piano black finish and the DC button and trackball are lined with yellow trim.  While small, these accents are not subtle and do well to indicate its Nextel heritage.  Like previous Curves, the sides are coated in a rubber finish which make the device easy to hold and less prone to slip out of your hand.  All in all we like the color scheme of the 8350i and would put it just behind Sprint’ dark red 8330 as our favorite finish.

Interface:

The 8350i runs RIM’s new 4.6 OS, first found on the Bold.  It is beautiful; with modern icons and a more refined look overall.  Functionality, however, remains basically the same as past OS versions.  There have been some minor adjustments and tweaks to the categories, but anyone who has used the BlackBerry OS before will find themselves right at home on 4.6.

The layout is for the most part straightforward, but for a new user can still be intimidating at first glance.  Since every program has its own icon the user is inundated with 25 icons on the main menu, some of which are merely folders which lead to more icons.  This can be overwhelming for someone first picking up a BlackBerry, but once you use it you realize that the OS is very customizable and on the whole RIM’s approach is much better than, say, Windows Mobile (TouchFLO 3D aside.)

The 8350i ran smoothly, maybe the smoothest we’ve ever seen.  There is no hint of the issues reported with the Bold and Storm (which runs the 4.7 OS, a touchscreen version of 4.6.)  Business users, the target audience, will be happy to see that their stable BlackBerry has returned and can go back to focusing on business instead of if their device will crash or not.

Phonebook:

There isn’t anything new about the phonebook, which is a good thing.  It’s as simple and straightforward as ever, and you can store virtually an unlimited amount of contacts.  Each contact can hold three email addresses, two work phone numbers, two home numbers, a mobile, pager, fax and “other” number as well as a space for a BlackBerry PIN number. Of course as an iDEN unit there is a DC category as well.  There is a slot for both a home and work address, as well as dates for anniversary and birthdays. Contacts can be sorted by user definable categories, each entry can have a custom ringer and picture ID, and there is a section for a webpage and notes.


Users can search directly from the main screen by typing in either the first or last name, and as you start to type a number in the phone application the Curve matches it with the contact list. When an entry is highlighted from the main contacts view the user can hit the send button to initiate a call. If the entry has multiple numbers it will bring up a popup window where you can select which one you want to call.

Organizer:

Again, nothing is really new here.  Like the phonebook, the calendar function is very robust. It can be managed either on your phone or on your PC, and when paired to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) it can be remotely managed and synced over the air. Creating an appointment is simple, and options such as reminders and recurrence are present. Appointments can also be marked as private for added security.

Other basic PIM functions are available, such as Tasks and a Memo Pad. Tasks is very basic, but reminders can be set and they can also be grouped into categories. The Memo Pad is a basic notepad, no bells and whistles. A Voice Note Recorder is present for taking notes on the go, and a basic calculator is also available.

Messaging:

Like any BlackBerry, the Curve 8350i supports a whole slew of messaging options. Standards like SMS and MMS are onboard, as is support for multiple email accounts and BlackBerry PIN messaging. Like the Sprint Curve, the 8350i includes AIM, GTalk and Yahoo Messenger clients.  PIN messaging is like a hybrid SMS/MMS/IM.  Each BlackBerry, regardless of carrier, has a unique PIN number and you add contacts to your list with this.  Like IM you have a running conversation with the contact, and like MMS you can send files such as pictures, audio and even contacts.  It is real-time communication, and a staple of most hardcore BlackBerry users.



Email setup on the BlackBerry is about as perfect as it gets, we simply put in our email and password and that was it. Even with our uncommon work email we didn’t have to enter any server information. The push email arrived nearly instantaneously in our testing. With the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) the user can have up to 10 email addresses on one device.

After our Storm debacle we were quite happy to get back to a real BlackBerry keyboard.  We were again reminded of why BlackBerries will continue to remain the standard for mobile email and messaging.

Connectivity and Data:

Nextel has never had a data network to speak of, and because of this we were surprised to hear that an iDEN Curve was in the works rather than a QChat version that would take advantage of Sprint’s EVDO Rev. A network.  RIM’s messaging service doesn’t need much of anything in terms of data speed though, and Wi-Fi has been added to improve the browsing experience.

The browser appears to be the same reworked browser first found on the Bold.  It looks similar to the BlackBerry browser of old, but has some improvements that lead to a better experience.  For starters, the standard mouse curser has been replaced with an eyeglass and a simple press of the trackball zooms in.  Rendering is better as well, and speed has increased though isn’t what we’d call fast, even over Wi-Fi.  Browsing on the iDEN network is painfully slow.


The 8350i features Bluetooth 2.0 and supports the HSP, HFP 1.5, PBA, A2DP and AVRC profiles.

BlackBerry Desktop Manager handles desktop sync as always.  It is used to manage calendar, tasks, contacts and email synchronization with your desktop.  You can also use the data cable to load media onto the memory card, and Media Sync will allow for iTunes syncing of non-DRM files, like we’ve seen with other recent BlackBerries.

Multimedia:

As with previous editions, the Curve 8350i sports a 2 megapixel camera and a centralized media player, which allows the user to play and manage music, videos, ringtones, pictures and voice notes.


The media player is good and simple to use, but not overly loaded with features. It supports folders, and will sort your music by Artist, Album and Genres. It also supports album art and playlists, which the user can create on the go, and the other options are Repeat and Shuffle. Audio formats supported are MP3, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA and WAV, while the video formats are MPEG4, H.263 and WMV. The 8350i lacks the 3.5mm headset jack found in other Curves, which is a drawback to music lovers.  iDEN units have a unique ring around the jack that, when used with a compatible headset, allows the user to PTT using headset controls, so while we lament the loss of the 3.5 we understand it and think the 2.5mm with ring fits better for this device.


The 2 megapixel again performed well, and is probably the same one we liked on previous Curves and the Pearl.  It out-performed the 3.2MP shooter found in the Storm.  Pictures were crisp and color saturation was superb. They were just a little dark, but we really had to nitpick to find something wrong with it. Options are sparse, the only real adjustment is the white balance, but the results speak for themselves. Especially since the camera is almost an ancillary feature we were pleasantly surprised with its performance on the Curve.



Video performance was more pedestrian. It records at 240x176 in normal mode or 176x144 for MMS mode, and is more on-par with what you’d expect from a cell phone. Performance isn’t bad, it’s just not good. The only option is Color Effect, and videos can only be recorded when using a memory card.

Software:

The 8350i has the most memory of any 83xx series device, with 128MB on board and microSD expansion up to 16GB.  Perhaps because of the memory bump (the 8300/10/20 all have 64MB, the 8330 has 96) performance was better.  The OS ran smoothly, and we did not experience any lockups or even momentary hangs.  This is even more impressive given that it runs the graphically richer 4.6 OS, as opposed to older versions found on previous Curves.

There are a few GPS options for the iDEN Curve.  Included out of the box is BlackBerry Maps and Telenav, the latter of which offers voice-guided turn-by-turn directions.  It is included in Sprint’s $30 BIS package and their Everything plans.  For those on older plans with the BES package Telenav is $10/month.  Third party solutions, such as Google Maps, are available as well, but curiously it requires a Bluetooth GPS receiver.


Included software is relatively sparse, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality.  DataViz’s Documents to Go Standard Edition adds Word, Excel and Power Point support.  As mentioned earlier there are several IM applications, and RIM has packaged four games with the 8350i as well: Word Mole, Texas Hold ‘Em King 2, Klondike (solitaire) and of course the ever-popular Brick Breaker.  Other third party applications can be downloaded as well, such as Opera Mini and Facebook.

Performance:

The 8350i was a mixed bag in terms of call performance.  Callers were impressed with how we sounded; they had no complaints and said we sounded loud and clear.  On our end they sounded very distant and hollow however, almost like the earpiece was recessed.  It was like talking to someone in a large room, with no echo.  Voices were thin but clear, and though they didn’t sound the greatest we still had no problems hearing and understanding them.

RIM has historically underrated battery performance, a practice we’re ok with since they’re pretty high to begin with.  iDEN has never been known for stellar battery performance, and the Curve is rated at a good but not great 4 hours or talk time.  In our testing we were able to shatter this rating and got 7h22m.  Needless to say, we were quite pleased.

Conclusion:

The Curve is a big step in the revitalization of the Nextel brand.  With the upcoming CABO it may not be the flagship device, but it is a powerful business tool and gives iDEN users a much needed refresh to the aging 7100i.  The inclusion of the 4.6 OS and increased memory shows that Sprint is serious about bringing a top-notch device to the iDEN network, rather than just slapping on a PTT button and running the same 4.3 OS their CDMA Curve sports.  Performance is noticeably improved, and while it is not a QChat smartphone the 8350i is a very solid offering and should be just what iDEN business users were looking for.