BlackBerry Curve review - Software
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Mark Brezinski Published on August 10, 2007 Comment on this |
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OS (8.0)
The Curve runs RIM's customary BlackBerry operating system, which is an extensible Java-based OS. The OS responds quickly enough; the only place we felt it was slow to process requests was in the Media menu, but even there it was negligible. The entire OS feels as though it was built around the track ball, as navigation feels natural and is really fast. The Curve can multitask if necessary, with a "Switch Application" option available on any screen via the menu button. This will really only be used by advanced users, though. As is typical, the experienced set can also take advantage of the ton of options for customizing, but this means novice users will get lost while spelunking through the nested depths of the Settings menu.
Home Screen Score (5.5)
The home screen will look familiar to anyone who's ever used a BlackBerry before. The top portion of the screen is where you'll find your phone's signal strength and battery life, logos, and the current time and date. The remainder of the screen is where all the Curve's icons hang out. Though a standard feature on this OS, we were happy to see you can rearrange the icons. You can also change the background of the icon display area. This is actually harder than it sounds, because the top of the picture is just cropped off to make it fit; you'll need to use the zoom/rotate features and some trial and error to get your background to look the way you want it to.
The home screen is very functional for what it is, and will allow you to browse around with the trackball quickly. We prefer home screens with a more active menu system and layout, such as what Windows Mobile and Series 60 devices have to offer.
Extensibility (7.0)
Like virtually all smart phones, the Curve is very open to third-party software, including Java programs. Though the phone ships with many third-party programs, you won't find any Windows Mobile or Palm users envying you; the selection of BlackBerry third party applications is not as broad as it is for these platforms.
Customizability (6.0)
As mentioned above, there are a ton of options for customization. There are simple things like changing the universal font size and style, wallpaper, icons, and phone profiles. There are also more advanced options like theme, which offers different icon layouts and backgrounds. The Settings menu is menu nested inside a menu, and will allow you to micromanage different areas to your heart's content.
OS Responsivness (10.0)
The BlackBerry OS is as responsive as it always has been, which will offer users an incredibly smooth smart phone experience. Again, the only area where we found any lag was in navigating the Media menu, but the Curve experienced much less lag here than on other phones. Handling thumbnails of pictures and videos will normally cause navigation to slow down while they load.
Browser Features (8.0)
The Curve's browser can handle HTML, WAP pages, frames, and cookies. It handles images well, scaling them appropriately, and allows you to save them via the menu button. You can also save the whole website. Another welcome feature is a proprietary RSS reader, which you can access or fill with subscriptions with the menu button. Given the Curve supports RSS feeds, we were surprised it still couldn't handle Javascript or Flash. There was an option in settings to enable Javascript, but we still couldn't get it to work. If the default browser leaves you wanting, you can always download Opera Mini.
Browsing Interface (7.0)
The browser reformats sites for the screen as a default, though you can opt to view pages in "Desktop View". Don't be fooled by this option, as all it does is make the text extend off the screen and give you an incredibly slow-moving cursor to control with the trackball. Navigating in the normal view is much easier. You can use space or shift+space to quickly scroll up and down pages, or Page Overview mode, which overlays a thumbnail of the site you can navigate around.
Navigating to new URLs is done through the menu button, but sadly this is only highlighted by default when you're not highlighting a link. As the cursor will jump to links when they're on the screen, we almost always had to scroll to the "Go To" option. There is a laundry list of items in the Main menu, which means if you want some of the more obscure ones, you'll have to scroll around quite a bit. Though this isn't as efficient as collapsible menus, it shouldn't annoy users too much.
You can find the history folder buried in the Main menu. The Curve is actually very good at keeping your history. Items are initially arranged by day, then site, then individual pages. You can opt to just sort your history by site, or view all the pages you've visited that day in chronological order.
Bookmarks are also handled by the Main menu. They are organized into folders, which you can rename but can't move around. We liked the shortcut to send bookmarks in MMS/SMS or e-mails, and the ability to copy your bookmarks (though this only copies the URL).
To summarize, the browser is decent, but there are better ones out there. Again, getting Opera Mini is always an option; it can be installed straight to the device from Opera's web site.
Browser Access (6.67)
This score is based on how easy it is to boot up the browser and browse to a page. We measure this process in steps, as time would factor in connection speed, which encompasses far too many variables to give accurate results. The Curve was able to get a website up in six steps. This is one more step than the average, but won't cost you noticeable time. All you have to do is select the Browser icon on the home screen, hit menu, go to "Go to," type in the address, and give one last click.
| Cell Phone | Steps | Score |
| BlackBerry Curve | 6 | 6.67 |
| BlackBerry 8800 | 8 | 5.00 |
| HTC Mogul | 5 | 8.00 |
| Motorola Q | 6 | 6.67 |
| Palm Treo 700p | 5 | 8.00 |
| Helio Ocean | 5 | 8.00 |
Gaming (5.0)
The Curve comes built in with the Breakout/Arkanoid clone, Brickbreaker. The trackball performs surprisingly well here, giving the player a good sense of control, though a d-pad would have been better. There are also myriad third-party games you can download, and the Curve supports Java-based games.
Calculator (9.0)
The Curve's calculator is the standard BlackBerry software. Each key's assignment is displayed on the screen. There are quite a few advanced features present here, such as square root, percentage, inverse fraction, and memory key buttons. You can also use the trackball to navigate the onscreen key map. This is a very comprehensive calculator program for a phone.
Alarm (2.0)
The Curve can only handle a single alarm, which is surprisingly basic. You can only choose for your alarm to go off daily or on weekdays. You can choose to mix vibration with a custom ring, set the volume, and the number of times your alarm will sound. This is a respectable array of features, but we would have liked to set multiple alarms.
Document Software (4.0)
The Curve can view, but not edit, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files. The inability to edit these documents is noticeable in a business device, as there are many third-party programs available that offer said functionality.
Other Software (3.0)
The Curve also has some other software gems. The first is its search application, which allows you to search your messages, appointments, contacts, notes, and tasks. The second is its password manager, which, as you may have guessed, will safely and securely keep track of your passwords for you. The third is the TeleNav Maps program, which allows you to access maps and turn-by-turn directions for free. The Curve doesn't have a GPS receiver built in, but it can be used with a Bluetooth GPS receiver. You'll have to pay a subscription fee to get spoken directions and full GPS navigation, though.
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