The first full touch screen Curve from
BlackBerry
BlackBerry Curve 9380
Price:
$380
Info:
www.blackberry.com
The BlackBerry Curve has always been
the more affordable, entry level BlackBerry smartphone in RIM’s portfolio.
However, when the terms ‘touch screen’ and ‘entry level’ appears in the same
sentence, most manufacturers get it wrong. Let’s see how the Curve 9380 fares.
In terms of design, the Curve 9360 we
had last month. The materials used and the chromed parts used are identical to
each other. Heck, from the back, the Curve 9380 looks exactly the same as the
Curve 9360.
However, when you flip it over, you’ll
see a spacious 3.2 inch touch sensitive display with four buttons and an
optical trackpad integrated to the bezel below it. The buttons below the screen
are not really touch sensitive but it looks like they are, since it’s flushed
nicely into it. On our unit, the Escape button is a little hard to press but it
might be an isolated case.
Buttons
are not touch sensitive, but looks like they are.
The display is on par with those found
on the Torch series. It’s bright and clear while text looks pretty crisp. The
touch operation is pretty straight forward and unlike the Bold 9790 we reviewed
this month, the 3.2-inch screen gives us ample amount of screen estate for
multi-touch gestures.
Typing on the virtual keyboard needs a
little getting used to as well. While there is predictive text input, us
Malaysians like to use Manglish, a language that no predictive text technology
in existence can handle. Users have the options to use a Reduced Keyboard or
SureType keyboard, which is a little like the Perl series’ keypad.
In terms of performance, the Curve
9380 is exactly the same as the Curve 9360. Playing games on this thing is a
lot better then Curve 9360 though. Camera is also similar but with the touch
screen, it’s a lot easier to configure settings on the go. Battery life is
slightly better than the Curve 9360, mainly because of the higher capacity
battery. However, don’t expect too much as the Curve 9380 requires more power
for it’s larger screen.
Chip
Conclude
Both the Curve 9380 and the Curve 9360
are priced at $380. It all boils down to personal preference. With the Curve
9380, you gain a larger, touch sensitive display but you lose the legendary
BlackBerry QWERTY keypad. It’s your call.
|
Specifications
Frequency:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA/UMTS
Screen:
3.2-inch, 480 x 360 pixels
Connectivity:
Bluetooth, USB2.0, Wi-Fi, NFC
Others:
5 megapixels camera, GPS, BlackBerry Internet Service
Dimensions:
109 x 50 x 11.2mm
Weight: 98g
|
Ratings
Performance:
2 stars
Features:
4 stars
Design:
4 stars
Value:
5 stars
Good:
full touch screen affordable
Bad:
virtual keyboard needs getting used to |
