BlackBerry Curve 8330 Review

RIM has been pretty successful in many respects with both its BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Pearl offerings. Both models have the business sense and email ability that marks the BlackBerry brand, and offer a bit more style and substance to the table than past devices.

The Curve leans toward staying mainly a business device, but with a bit of a consumer flair. Its smaller profile than the BlackBerry 8800 series makes it pocketable, but its not so much so that the famous RIM QWERTY keyboard style needs to be changed, as it is on the Pearl. It also offers an increasing amount of third party applications, and a slightly different style than feature phones tend to have.



I spent some time with the BlackBerry Curve 8330 for Sprint to see for myself some of this ability to merge consumer functionality with BlackBerry sensibility. And while not everything is as point-and-go as the push email, there's good reason to believe that future RIM models will be able to do just fine keeping work productive and play enjoyable.

In This Review

* Design
* Wireless Connectivity
* Day-to-Day Use
* PIM and Other Applications
* Battery Life
* Switching Smartphones
* Conclusion

iPhone 2.0 Tips: Safari Shows Embedded YouTube Clips

Much like the way Safari has handled Quicktime videos on former versions of the firmware, the new 2.0 release now allows you to see embedded YouTube content with your iPhone or iPod Touch on Safari. Click and it hands off video duties to the YouTube player. Really, that's better than watching it embedded, and makes the handheld Web browsing world that much closer to its desktop version.

Samsung i760 Gets Windows Mobile 6.1 Upgrade

The Samsung i760 is regarded by many as one of the best Windows Mobile smartphones available today, even though it was introduced last year. An operating system upgrade that was just released pushes this model back to the leading edge.




For those who are unfamiliar with this device, it's a 3G smartphone with both a built-in keyboard and a numberpad. It's available only from Verizon.

The upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.1 Samsung has just released for the i760 brings a number of enhancements, including an improved version of Internet Explorer Mobile, threaded SMS messages, and support for YouTube videos.

This OS upgrade can be downloaded now -- for free -- from Samsung's website.

An Overview of the Samsung i760

The i760 includes a horizontally-oriented QWERTY keyboard that slides out from behind the display. Unlike many similar models, though, this device also includes a numberpad on its face, making dialing easier.

This doesn't mean it has sacrificed screen size; its 2.8-inch, QVGA touchscreen is the same size and resolution as the one on many of its competitors.

For those looking for a mobile device with 3G, the i760 can connect to Verizon's EV-DO network, plus it has Wi-Fi. In addition, it includes Bluetooth 2.0.

Other features of this model are a 1.3 megapixel camera w/flash and camcorder and a microSD memory card slot.

Sprint Palm Treo 800w Video 1st Look

I apologize in advance for a couple things… a) The delay getting the video online. 250mb takes a while to upload to YouTube, b) some minor mistakes I made in the video and c) The length of the video. 20+ minutes is a lot to sit through. Of course, if you are in the market for the Palm Treo 800w, it’s worth it to watch.

Samsung Instinct, LG Dare, iPhone 3G... fight!

Alright, you three are sworn enemies, so what are we waiting for? Let's get it on! Go ahead, seriously, exchange some blows. No better way to get the party started than with a little speed test; the Instinct's data services still seem to be jacked, but the Dare and iPhone 3G squared off with the LG model consistently besting Apple's by between 50-100kbps over Verizon's EV-DO network (see the gallery for the side-by-side). That's not to say the Dare is consistently the faster phone -- it has everything to do with the network in your area, the time of day, the circumstances, and which side of the bed you woke up on this morning -- but it's an interesting observation here nonetheless. We'll follow up with an Instinct speed test (and another round of testing on the Dare and iPhone) when we can.


Gallery: Samsung Instinct, LG Dare, iPhone 3G... fight!