RIM is keeping up a brisk pace of handset releases, following its launch of the BlackBerry 8800 earlier this year. The new model is the BlackBerry Curve, alternatively known as the BlackBerry 8300, and I was able to get my hands on it briefly during a demonstration by RIM.

As you can see from the photo, the new model fits neatly between the 8800 and the BlackBerry Pearl in size (the Curve is in the middle), and this also gives you a clue where RIM is positioning it – as a device to appeal to both business users and consumers.

Firstly, the device feels very light – so much so that I had to check whether the battery was fitted. Actually, at 111g it is heavier than many standard phones, but it is noticeably lighter than most smartphones that also have a qwerty keyboard.

Because this is the smallest BlackBerry with a qwerty keyboard (at 107 x 60 x 15.5mm), the keys are also smaller than earlier models, especially those of the popular 7200 series. However, I found it no more difficult to key in text than on other qwerty BlackBerry devices.

Equally importantly, the screen is bright and easy to read, which means this device can just as easily serve as a corporate email device as one of the larger models. The Curve also features the pearl trackball, introduced on the BlackBerry of the same name.

The Curve also features a 2 megapixel camera and has an enhanced media player that handles common music and video formats. While some companies may be wary of having these features in a business handset, RIM said that it enables workers to carry just a single device with them instead of cramming both a Blackberry and an iPod into their pocket. These features can also be disabled by policy settings through a company's Blackberry Enterprise Server, if necessary.

RIM's media player is backed by a new application – Desktop Multimedia Suite – that enables users to manage their music and video files on a Windows PC and convert them into a format that works on the BlackBerry, RIM said.

The BlackBerry Curve comes with an updated version of RIM's BlackBerry Maps application, but the device doesn't have built-in GPS capability (as the BlackBerry 8800 does). If users require a precise fix on their location, they will have to purchase a separate Bluetooth GPS device.

Overall, my early impression of the Curve is that it will appeal to current BlackBerry users, because it offers all the BlackBerry features you would expect in a smaller and easier to carry format.

It's a shame that RIM hasn't seen fit to include 3G network support or Wi-Fi yet, but I suspect many BlackBerry users will cheerfully forego these so long as they can have a smaller, lighter version of the device now weighing down their pocket.

03 May 2007