My POP3 Internet email

The BlackBerry 8900 is the successor to the BlackBerry 83xx series. Despite retaining a full-QWERTY keyboard, it is slightly slimmer, but otherwise the same size and weight as the 83xx,. Weighing in at 109g the Curve is very pocket/handbag friendly. Produced by RIM, the 8900 Curve is the mid-range BlackBerry, fitting neatly in between the Bold and Storm and the Pearl and Flip.

The BlackBerry 8900 Curve uses the OS 4.6 platform which allows for improved web browsing (with Ajax support), excellent document support including Word and Excel formats, with an added bonus for the spelling-challenged user - a continuous spell checker. In terms of speed when browsing - this phone is slower than the bold, however, as the mid-range mass market offering, this is to be expected. What is loses in speed to the bold, it gains in screen size.

The screen on the 8900 curve has been increased to 480 x 360 pixels in size, with a reduction in the wasted space which surrounded the screen and keyboard in its predecessor. While this is almost the same resolution as the Bold (48x360 versus 480x320), it is larger in size, and probably still the best on the market. The colours are warmer in tone but still comfortable to look at.

The keyboard is more or less identical to the older curve, the feel and layout are similar, but with the keys very slightly sloped in their set-up - less so than on the Bold, and hardly enough to notice unless you look closely at them. The key action is less squishy than that of the Bold. The trackball has been tightened up somewhat compared to the older version.

The physical appearance is still typical of the BlackBerry range - compared to its faster brother (the Bold) this phone is slightly less sophisticated in appearance - the chrome looks a little cheap and it comes across as a tool for the middle-manager.

The camera has also been improved - this now has a 3.2 megapixel resolution sensor with autofocus and image stabilisation.

Regular email polling is a standard feature, just as in the rest of the BlackBerry range: POP3, IMAP and other email accounts are supported as well as BES, Groupwise and Domino mail servers. Incoming emails can be in HTML and attachments in most formats can be read, including Word and Excel files. Call reception in areas with marginal signal is better than the 83xx range of Blackberries.

If speed is what you are aiming for when it comes to your web browsing hand set - then this phone is outclassed by its more sophisticated big brother. The Bold has 3G, the Curve does not. If you are happy with a slight delay in the response times, and want to hold a Blackberry in your hand - then this is the mid-range phone for you.

Our opinion:

Despite RIM being a relatively small company, they arguably produce the best range of phones on the market, good competition for the Apple iPhone. As a mid-range phone this is a perfect piece of kit, so long as you don't expect 3G. For the person with a little more patience, with a slightly smaller budget to spend, and who wishes to hold a Blackberry in their hand, the Blackberry 8900 Curve is probably as good as you are ever going to get.