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| BlackBerry Curve 8320 Smartphone Titanium (T-Mobile) | 
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| Brand: BlackBerry
Category: Wireless
Buy New: Too low to display
Avg. Customer Rating:  69 reviews
Sales Rank: 76
Color: Silver
Media: Wireless Phone
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Model: 8320 Curve
UPC: 610214614957
ASIN: B000W79GQA
Release Date: September 24, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Promotion: Data not available Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Lifesaver May 29, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I purchased my first blackberry (Pearl) back in September of 07 in preparation for our wedding in Italy. I needed something reliable so the folks traveling with us would be able to reach us. I originally considered a Treo but after reading some reviews, it stated this phone will not work internationally. I'm not certain if this is true but the review that I read sounded pretty legit so I decided on a blackberry.
I'm glad that I chose the blackberry and T Mobile. My phone worked great throughout our entire trip (both the voice and web). In fact, the web browser worked better in Italy than it does here in the states. The response was fast and the signal was strong. The phone calls were clear and I was able to maintain a signal most of the time I needed to make/receive a call.
We traveled throughout Italy (Rome, Sorrento, Pompeii, Venice, Florence and throughout Tuscany) without any problems. I even used the camera in the phone to take pictures in Pompeii b/c my husband left our camera in the car :) .. the pictures came out great!
I can't recommend a blackberry and T Mobile enough for international travel. The other folks traveling with us were not so lucky as their phones and/or carrier was not as reliable (even though some were using the 'most reliable network').
The research that I did paid off so much so that we purchased our second blackberry with T Mobile service. The difference in the Pearl vs. Curve is size and the keyboard.
I will say that the keyboard on the Pearl is challenging - especially if you need to call a number that is given as a word. A normal phone has the 2 with ABC, 3 with DEF, etc.. the Pearl is not that way. The 2 has TY, the 3 has UI so you have to sit and think about what number the corresponding letter is associated with in order to make the call.
It takes a bit getting used to and I wasn't so sure I liked the Pearl prior to leaving for Italy. Once I got there and learned how to use it, it's been great. I don't see myself returning to a regular mobile phone in the future - having all the options the blackberry includes is addicting.
Even my dad got into it and couldn't resist checking the baseball scores everyday and getting the American headlines from the web.
If you travel internationally, I don't think you can beat the blackberry and T Mobile. Back here in the states, I have found some coverage spots that aren't great but I suffer through it as no carrier has superior coverage.
The folks at T Mobile are always very friendly and professional and I experienced no problems with my phone or their service.
 It can do almost anything... sorta May 20, 2008
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I have to say, I was really torn about what sort of rating to give this phone. After a few months of usage, I'm comfortable with a below average grade.
Here's the biggest issue: It's bad at being a phone. I really wanted to use the wi-fi feature to get better service at home, but I can confidently tell you that it practically doesn't work. I'm not sure if this is due to T-Mobile or the phone.
What makes this phone even worse is that often times it will tell you that it has service when it actually doesn't. This is true both when using the wifi and regular t-mobile service. I can't tell you how many times I picked up the phone, saw full bars or close to it, then tried to make a call only to get the 'no service' beep, and sure enough the bars are all suddenly gone. I've had many people tell me that they called me, but it never rang on my end, even though it indicates service. On top of that, I'll send e-mails/text messages and will find hours later that they failed sending. This kind of negates everything that's cool about this phone.
I have to say, it's a good looking phone, and they keyboard rocks, and the way it let's me type anything I want without trying to outsmart me is absolutely lovely. The browser it comes with is so so, but Opera Mini is easy to install and works well.
I actually really like the voice dialing, which I use with my bluetooth headset.
As far as multimedia goes, I have mixed feelings. It works well enough as a music player, though it's not exactly fully featured. The software it comes with to sync media does a terrific job at converting video. Video plays back very well, HOWEVER, if you use the auto lock feature, you'll find that it will interrupt your video! So, if you try to watch a clip that's longer than a minute or so, you'll find yourself constantly hitting buttons to stop the phone from shutting off your video and locking. This is really just dumb... turning the auto lock feature off and back on is not exactly a fast process, either.
It takes ok pictures.
All in all the phone has pretty great features, but none of them work that great. Even e-mail, the thing that most people use this thing for anyway, is disappointing in that it doesn't support html e-mails, and viewing attachments is sometimes harder than it should be.
I'd pass on this one and wait for something better.
Reliable? May 2, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Other reviews have extolled the virtues and outlined the faults of the of the Curve. I am on my third Curve since the first two were deemed defective. T-Mobile support determined that the phones were defective, after I spent an hour on my home phone with their support on each of the two Curves.
The first phone would pull up an application when I tried to dial a number out and the second phone would not receive a signal (between 0 and 1 bar) in a major metropolitan area.
They did send me a postage paid new (refurbished?) Curve, with a return, no cost, shipping box. Both bum phones were under warranty.
I hope the third one is the charm.
I like the phone, but I have not had very good luck in finding one that keeps working. I hope my latest Curve earns my four star rating...
It's OK April 25, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I figured when they said full web browser it would be like the I-Phone, but it's not. I will say that it's a great phone and does so much that I haven't even used half of the stuff on it. I like it.
Strongly recommended! April 13, 2008
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
This is an almost perfect phone. It's rare these days to have an electronic device perform as it has been expected to, but this is one of them. It does everything well that it is supposed to do. The UMA wifi technology works flawlessly with T-mobile's service. I did not obtain one of t-mobile's routers, and I had no trouble with connecting whatsoever. I have a Buffalo WHR-G54 and did not have to change any of its settings to get it to work. My friend has a newer Netgear router and I was able to connect to it with any trouble or settings changes either. It picks up UMA when I'm near a Starbuck's hotspot (that service will soon be dropped). When I make a call at home on UMA and then leave the house, the call switches over transparently 9 times out of 10. The build quality is excellent and the phone is solid. The speaker can be VERY loud or soft, which is a huge plus. This phone has superb audio quality for both voice and ear. It has the best microphone/speech audio quality and best hearing audio quality of any phone I have had for the past 15 years.
This phone is my first Blackberry and I've been extremely impressed with the software that makes it a Blackberry. Writing SMS, MMS, and Email is extremely easy, and it's really nice to have the autotext feature. I have mine set up with three email accounts: one is through gmail and one is through Outlook Web Access from work. I was really surprised that the OWA would work with the Blackberry system - I'm even able to send messages out from it! I never thought I would want or care about push email, but it is really fantastic.
I strongly recommend downloading the Google Maps application. Though this phone does not have GPS, Google Maps is able to determine where you are within 1000 feet or so based on your signals with the cell towers. It really works well, and the search and find features are extremely useful.
I use my Blackberry's media features to listen to music and also to watch videos. It does not have the H.264 codec, but it will play other video files - you can find information on-line on how to convert videos into playable files on the Blackberry. It's rumoured that the next OS will have this capability, along with the ability to create video from the handheld. It currently only has a camera, not a camcorder feature.
The camera works well and takes good pictures for a phone. I have had an LG and a Samsung phone with cameras and the Curve is 10x better in camera quality.
I also recommend downloading the Opera Mini web browser to use instead of the default Blackberry browser. OM is much better.
My only real complaint with my Blackberry Curve is that it only comes with one alarm. I have used the multiple alarm features in my previous phones extensively, and this is the only thing I view as a step back with this phone. I was able to purchase an application called Mobylo Multi-alarm which has so far worked flawlessly and gives me 5 alarms, but it was almost $30, which is over-priced.
The Curve comes with its own "holster" which is made of leather and is attractive and useful. It has a magnet in it which the unit uses to determine if it's holstered. This has been an extremely useful feature. As a result, you do not need to purchase any other cover or container for it. However, don't let it set next to your credit cards. I haven't had any erased, but it the holster is definitely magnetic.
The Curve has AMAZING bluetooth. Paired with a good headset, it has a long range and the connection quality is superb. The Curve also has a very sensitive radio/antenna for both Wifi and GSM, and is better than any phone I've ever had since my Nokia 8200 (a long time ago!) People who say that LG or Samsung or Motorola phones have good connection quality have no idea what it's like to use a phone like the Blackberry Curve - I will never be able to go back.
The synchronization feature of the Curve works very well with Outlook on my computer. It is also able to synch with Yahoo, though this is more primitive. Using the Blackberry Desktop Manager that comes with the phone, you can also completely 100% back up your phone so that you can reinstall things or have your data if the phone is lost. The Curve handset also has the ability to lock and encrypt data so that no one else can use it. I have had the Desktop Manager crash on me several times. It has a conflict with the Tivo 2.3a software - I have to disable to the Tivo software to use the Blackberry manager.
The Blackberry charges with a mini-usb connection, which means that you can charge it using your computer. I also have a bluetooth headset that charges usb, so both chargers work with both units - very nice.
Finally, T-Mobile (and only T-Mobile) will allow you to "tether" your Blackberry to your laptop. Thus, while I'm on the road I can connect my computer to T-Mobile's network for an internet connection. It connects at 115kbps, which is pretty good for getting things done. Tech-heads complain that TMO's network is too slow, that it needs to be 3G, but I've been happy so far.
I strongly recommend this phone. It is worth every penny!
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