Camera Phone Reviews

BlackBerry Curve

Multimedia to Go

The BlackBerry Curve comes with a 2 megapixel camera, complete with 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. The camera can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry® Messenger and transferred over Bluetooth® or USB cable. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image.

The audio system is crisp and clear, playing music and videos through the handset's integrated speaker or through the 3.5 mm stereo jack. The Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP) is supported, and dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.

A powerful new desktop media manager is also included with the BlackBerry Curve. The Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry®, which was developed with Sonic® and based on the award-winning Roxio Easy Media Creator® 9, introduces a new level of simplicity, allowing users to easily search for media files on their computer, view and organize them, create MP3 music files from CDs, add audio tags, create playlists and automatically copy or convert pictures, music and videos for optimal playback on the BlackBerry Curve.

The media manager also includes Roxio Photosuite® 9 LE, a comprehensive tool that makes it easy to edit pictures and create photo albums. With PhotoSuite, pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast and saturation levels. Pictures can even be enhanced with color filters and special effects.

The media player on the BlackBerry Curve has been refined, allowing users to search for music by simply typing the title, genre, artist or album name. Videos can also be played in full screen mode.

More Storage for Your Tunes, Flicks and Pics

For added storage of music, videos and pictures, the BlackBerry Curve comes with a microSD expansion slot. It supports up to 2GB cards that are available today and will automatically support 4GB cards that are expected to become available later this year.

Bring the Web With You

The BlackBerry Curve features a high-performance browser that can download and display HTML web pages quickly and efficiently. Users can bookmark their favorite sites and set up RSS feeds to stay connected to the timely news and information that matters most during their day. The highly responsive browser, large and vivid screen and super-easy trackball navigation provides an exceptional mobile experience.

Full Featured Phone

The BlackBerry Curve offers many convenient phone features including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), Bluetooth® 2.0 support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals, quad-band operation for global roaming(2), dedicated 'send', 'end', and 'mute' keys, smart dialing, speed dialing, conference calling, call forwarding, noise cancellation technology to offset background noise, a low-distortion speakerphone for hands-free conversations and support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tones.

Industry Leading Email & Messaging

The BlackBerry Curve delivers all the renowned BlackBerry email and messaging capabilities and even features a new integrated spell checker with a user-customizable dictionary to help maintain spelling accuracy on the go. The BlackBerry Curve is supported on BlackBerry® Internet Service, giving users access to up to 10 work or personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts), as well as BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, enabling advanced security and IT administration within IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® environments.

Accessorize

The BlackBerry Curve also comes with a variety of accessories: a stereo headset, travel charger, carrying pouch and USB cable are all included in the box. Additional accessories for BlackBerry handsets, including premium leather holsters and totes, an automotive charger, and Bluetooth headsets are available through retail outlets or online at: www.shopblackberry.com.

Availability

The BlackBerry Curve (model number: 8300) will be available through wireless carriers around the world, including AT&T in the U.S., beginning this spring.

(1) Keyboard also available in AZERTY and QWERTZ configurations to support different language groups.

(2) Check with service provider for roaming services.

BlackBerry Curve Reviews

TechWorld reviews the BlackBerry Curve and writes, "The images I captured with the camera were adequate but (like most pictures taken with camera phones) a tad fuzzy. In my informal tests I could not assess the impact of the flash on image quality. Unfortunately, such over-the-air activities as media downloads are relatively sluggish - I wish that RIM had included true 3G or Wi-Fi support. In addition, I miss the GPS chips and navigation software that come with the 8800, a more utilitarian, business-focused device."

LaptopMag reviews the BlackBerry Curve and writes, "What separates this BlackBerry from the Pearl and the 8800 is its robust multimedia capabilities. The Curve's 2-MP camera takes pictures good enough for 4 x 6-inch prints. Everything from a photo of a fountain in Bryant Park to a portrait of two children was highly detailed and richly saturated. We like the fast shutter speed, and a built-in flash allowed the Curve to take decent close-ups in dimly lit rooms. The Curve's inability to record video is a bummer, however."

CNET reviews the BlackBerry Curve and writes, "One-upping the BlackBerry Pearl, the Curve boasts a 2-megapixel camera (vs. 1.3 megapixels) with a 5x zoom and a built-in flash, but unfortunately, still no video-recording capabilities. You do get three picture sizes (1,600x1,200; 1,024x768; and 640x480) and three quality options (superfine, fine, and normal). You can also tweak the white balance and add color effects. That said, we were pretty disappointed by the quality of the pictures. Though the images had sharp definition, the colors were off and had a gray overtone."

Pocket-lint reviews the BlackBerry 8300 Curve and writes, "More interesting however is a stronger focus on the multimedia elements within the phone. While the microSD card still isn't not swappable, RIM has turned to Roxio to power their media browser element. From one simple interface you can view music, video, images and ringtones. It's a nice touch. ... Overall ... we like it, like it a lot."

RegHardware has a review of the BlackBerry Curve 8300 and writes, "The Curve has a strong consumer feel to it. For example, it features beefed up multimedia capabilities. So, you can now play back video full screen, and RIM has helpfully thrown in some software - Roxio Media Manager - for converting video into a suitable format to play on the device. However, the results weren't fantastic, with some converted files exhibiting lip sync problems, which was annoying. ... RIM has beefed up the Curve's camera to include a two-megapixel sensor. Results in well-lit surroundings or daylight were fine, but it struggled with noise in darker environments. There's a flash to help compensate for this, although it does tend to over-saturate the subject if you take pictures too close up."

PCPro reviews the BlackBerry Curve 8300 and writes, "There's a two-megapixel camera on the back, placing the Curve alongside the BlackBerry Pearl, in terms of RIM devices that can take pictures. It's not the greatest phone camera we've seen though, and in anything other than bright daylight our images had significant amounts of noise. There's also a media player, and although RIM is unlikely ever to pose a serious threat to your iPod, it's sufficient for a couple of hours' worth of music."

Infosync reviews the BlackBerry Curve and writes, "Though we were disappointed by call quality on the Curve, in every other aspect of call handling, from the address book to Bluetooth, the device is at the top of its class. Calls suffered from static on AT&T's EDGE network in lower Manhattan, and occasionally we lost EDGE entirely. The address book features live, while-you-type searching from the standby screen, which we like, and this feature is available almost everywhere you need to type a name. Conference calling and Bluetooth were both easy to setup, with no surprises, though we'd prefer a bit less menu digging. The phone supports profiles for alerts, and can use song files from the media player as ring tones. Even the speakerphone worked well, though it, too, suffered from some static. Still, the quality wasn't bad enough to keep it from earning our highest rating in this category."

WebUser reviews the BlackBerry Curve and writes, "The camera was disappointingly average – you need to force the flash to go on in low light and even then it's no replacement for a proper camera, though it can more or less cope with bright outdoor conditions. We were impressed with the maps though, which offer a good level of detail across most places that you might end up lost in."

Brighthand reviews the BlackBerry Curve and writes, "the higher resolution means you're more likely to actually want to print the photos from the Curve. That said, the camera still suffers from the same limitations as most smartphone cameras -- weak flash, grainy images in low light, motion blur, and an almost useless digital zoom. ... Perhaps one day smartphone manufacturers will find a way to pack a powerful battery into a smartphone so it can provide power to a stronger camera flash, image stabilization, and an optical zoom lens. Until then the Curve's camera is about as good as a smartphone camera gets. I just wish the camera also offered a video function for taking short movies."

ITReviews reviews the BlackBerry Cruve 8300 and writes, "Add in a camera that shoots stills at up to 2.0 megapixels and a microSD card slot for expanding the built-in memory and the Curve is a more consumer-focussed device than ever before. With all the other stuff on board, from Web browsing to instant messaging and the aforementioned contact and calendar management, it is something of an all-rounder."

Gadgetnutz reviews the BlackBerry Curve and writes, "The Curve is much more of a "Media Centric" device that the 8800 and it has better Media features than the Pearl. There are many media icons on the Curve - some linked to specific AT& T services. A click on the main "Media" icon brings up a nice media screen with easy navigation between Music, Video, Ringtones and Pictures. Music sounded crisp through the Curve and the standard 3.5 mm jack makes plugging in your headphones a snap. You will want to think about using a combo Earphone/Microphone setup since you can take calls while listening to music."

3G reviews the BlackBerry Curve and writes, "The Pearl was the first BlackBerry to sport a camera, but its 1.3-megapixel lens felt timid in today’s camera phone climate. The Curve ups the ante to two megapixels, but again, even this falls short of our expectations. While it may lack auto-focus and a Xenon flash (it does pack a crude LED light), it still takes decent enough snaps in a 1600x1200-pixel resolution. Sadly, like the Pearl, the camera lacks a video-recording facility, which is disappointing considering it promotes video playback (MPEG4, WMV and H.263 formats are supported) in multimedia mode."

RegHardware reviews the BlackBerry Curve and writes, "If Bluetooth seems a bit too swish - or battery draining - for your liking then there's a wired headset in the box. Don't expect stunning fidelity from it, though: bass was distinctly lacking and if you push the volume too high it starts to distort. Thankfully, there's a standard 3.5mm jack on the side so you can plug in a better set of headphones, although you'll lose the ability to make hands-free calls as well if you do this. RIM has beefed up the Curve's camera to include a two-megapixel sensor. Results in well-lit surroundings or daylight were fine, but it struggled with noise in darker environments. There's a flash to help compensate for this, although it does tend to over-saturate the subject if you take pictures too close up."

MobileBurn reviews the BlackBerry Curve 8300 and writes, "The 2 megapixel camera in the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8300 is a reasonable performer for a fixed focus camera. Its photos have good color saturation, and its flash is one of the best I have come across in a phone. Its only problem is that an aggressive noise reduction algorithm can make photo details appear a bit blotchy, or painted, when viewed at full resolution. Keyboard shortcuts are provided for the flash and full screen viewfinder mode, and the trackball and volume key control digital zoom, but settings like white balance and color tone need to be set from within the menu. It is worth noting that the Curve's camera does not support video recording at this time."

Australian PC Authority reviews the BlackBerry Curve 8300 and writes, "There’s a two-megapixel camera on the back, placing the Curve alongside the BlackBerry Pearl, in terms of RIM devices that can take pictures. It’s not the greatest phone camera we’ve seen though, and in anything other than bright daylight our images had significant amounts of noise."