A slim, stylish and affordable device which offers all the messaging and social-centric features that people love.
Neighbour?s envy, owner?s pride?remember this iconic tagline from the advertising campaign of Onida, one of the big TV players back in the 80s? I was always fascinated with this advertisement featuring a devil complete with horns and tail. The TV maker might have disappeared from the scene, but by sheer coincidence the famous caption somewhat holds true for BlackBerry phones from the Canadian smartphone maker Research In Motion (RIM). Most people who own a BlackBerry are addicted. The ease and convenience of the BlackBerry makes those who do not have one envious.
The new BlackBerry Curve 9220 is here. And its most affordable too?R10,990-a-piece. Though the device maker debuted in India in 2004 as an enterprise focused company providing smartphones and solutions targeted at this segment, of late its strong consumer focus is a part of the overall business strategy to grow here; it is working on products at various functionalities and price points to cater to the diverse of audience.
A test unit of the new BlackBerry Curve 9220 was sent to us for a product review. The first impression is the feeling you get when you hold it in your hand?it is sleek and stylish. There?s a 35-key, backlit, narrow QWERTY keyboard and an optical trackpad in the centre. Send and Menu keys are to the left of the trackpad, while ESC and End keys are to the right of the trackpad.
Designed to be easy to use and easy to own, this compact smartphone provides many conveniences and applications to help keep users connected to the people and information that matter most to them. In other words, it is designed to put consumers?the Indian youth in particular?in control of their social life. What?s more, it also offers the longest lasting battery life yet in a BlackBerry Curve model, allowing users to make the most of their day.
Probing further, it becomes evident that the new BlackBerry Curve offers all the market-leading BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features that people love. It has everything a user needs to stay socially connected throughout the day. It even features a dedicated BBM key, bringing the power of RIM?s popular mobile social network up in an instant. One touch launches the BBM app so you can chat in real time or share pictures, videos and files. The Facebook for BlackBerry and Twitter for BlackBerry apps are included as well as Social Feeds, which allows users to post updates to multiple social applications simultaneously and capture updates from news sources (RSS), social apps and instant messaging apps all in one consolidated view.
The BlackBerry 7.1 operating system (OS) supports the full complement of BlackBerry services. The next generation OS is packed with powerful new features and innovative pre-installed apps. Once switched on, I personally believe that the device delivers the smoothest and fastest BlackBerry experience to date. Plus, a user can enjoy voice-activated universal search with Bing Auto Suggest in the BlackBerry Browser to find what you?re looking for hands-free.
The smartphone?s built in Wi-Fi can provide smooth and fast internet browsing without incurring mobile data usage costs. It also includes a built-in FM radio, allowing users to tune into their favourite local stations, and listening to the FM radio does not require a data plan or use data services. The user experience with this compact and sleek device is further enhanced with a long lasting battery, giving users up to 7 hours of talk time or up to 28 hours of music playback or FM radio listening on headphones.
In a smart move, RIM is letting BlackBerry Curve 9220 customers to download a selection of apps from its renowned applications store?BlackBerry App World?worth R2,500, for free. The store, that began its existence with a little over 1,000 downloadable apps on its shelves in the year 2009, has today grown to encompass over 70,000 applications. The offer is valid until June 30, 2012 and includes a wide range of apps that will roll out in a phased manner, including utilities, games and other apps. Pencil Camera, Photo Studio Pro, Horoscope Oracle?Follow Your Lucky Stars, Drive Safely Pro and Ultimate Cricket are just a few of the popular apps that will be available through this promotional offer.
My verdict: the new BlackBerry device is slim and relatively light with a good set of features. It is also easy to use with its highly responsive software. By going for affordability, the Canadian device maker is making the right moves in the superhot Indian smartphone market.
Specs
Dimensions: 109 x 60 x 12.7 mm (H x W x D)
Display & resolution: 320 x 240 colour display, qVGA 320×240 resolution
Camera: 2.0 megapixel, 5x digital zoom
Talk time: Upto 7 hours
Standby time: Upto 18 days
Music playback time: Upto 28 hours (with headset usage)
Memory: 512 MB eMMC / 512 MB RAM
1450 mAh removable/rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (J-S1)
Estimated street price: R10,990