Blackberry Curve 9220 Review

Been making "kulit" my brother and sister to get a BB just so we could BBM. Haha! So yeah, finally!!! they gave in! They got their new "babies" yesterday. Let's check it out!

BlackBerry Curve 9220 can be said, "a successor" of the BlackBerry Curve 8520. Though the Curve 8520 continues to be the top selling model for RIM, it runs on the dated OS 5, has a slow processor and an average battery backup. This is where the new BlackBerry Curve 9220 steps in. The company expects it to be as popular as the first Curve and is specifically targeting the youngsters.

The BlackBerry Curve 9220 comes with 2.44-inch TFT LCD display with 320x240 pixels resolution. BlackBerry Curve 9220 sports a 2.0-megapixels fixed focus camera. Considering that RIM is trying to catch the fancy of the young consumers through this handset, I feel that the camera should have been better. Most devices at this price point come loaded with at least 5-megapixels primary camera!

Unlike other BlackBerrys, this smartphone does not have any dedicated media keys on the top panel. This clears a lot of space at the top, which now only houses the screen lock key. The keyboard is pretty much the standard one found on any BlackBerry device and the QWERTY lovers will find it quite convenient to use.

Curve 9220 comes loaded with the latest BlackBerry OS 7.1, which makes it the first handset at this price point to do so. To put things in perspective, the more expensive BlackBerry Curve 9300 (commonly referred as Curve 3G) and BlackBerry Bold 9780 handsets are still running on the older BlackBerry OS 6. BlackBerry OS 7.1 brings mobile hotspot, universal search, BlackBerry tag and FM Radio support, which were in the earlier version.

Another addition in this handset is the FM radio. The radio app is quite basic with no frills attached. The voice quality and music playback quality on the handset, both through loudspeaker and earplugs, is good.

In terms of connectivity, this mobile handset comes with a Wi-Fi and 2G but lacks 3G support. It's a bit disappointing to find a device at this price point (10,000), that does not have 3G support. If you are not into the apps and are looking for a budget BlackBerry smartphone to connect with your BBM friends, then Curve 9220 is worth considering.

Yes! 9220 can do BBM, receiving and sending emails, plays music, sms, facebook, twitter, ym and google talk. And a radio in a BB phone is actually cool, i think. It is also be a good upgrade for users of BlackBerry Curve 8520 as it offers an updated OS and better battery at a similar price point.

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Photos: from google