By Robert Manns

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is another example of how RIM, the makers of the BlackBerry have managed to stay in the leading position in the smartphone pack for so long. With secure access to email at the touch of a button, the BlackBerry has long been the smartphone of choice for business users and each new generation of these handheld communication devices builds on the success of the last. Of course, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is yet another leap forward.

In keeping with this pattern, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 has already become a hit despite its short time on the market.The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is made exclusively for use with the T-Mobile network and the 8900 offers everything you'd expect from both companies. The 8900 handles data access, voice calls, calendar functions and of course, email with the seamlessness you've come to expect.

This new Curve is smaller, lighter and sleeker than the previous generation and has the familiar BlackBerry style. T-Mobile brings T-Mobile HotSpot unlimited calling to the table. When connected to a T-Mobile HotSpot or other Wi-Fi access point, users can make all the nationwide calls they like without using their minutes.

The word from customers so far has it that the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is yet another winner. The BlackBerry Curve was already known as the last word in smartphones which are long on style as well as features and reliability. Users love the new lighter weight as well as its modern titanium, chrome accented color scheme. As always, the BlackBerry Curve is ahead of the curve in terms of style.

Product reviews for the 8900 also reflect high satisfaction with the screen's sharp picture and video display, as well as its camera functions. The video camera, however, appears to lack the resolution users had hoped for from a phone with such a great camera feature. Offering only a 240x180 resolution, the 8900 still has a ways to go before it can score high marks for its video recording feature.

As with other Curve models, the 8900 reportedly is not a great match for people with large fingers. While women complain about this drawback far less than men do, the Curve 8900's keyboard is too small to be comfortable for people with large hands. So, while the compact style is visually appealing, the device isn't as easily handled as some devices equipped with larger keyboards, such as the BlackBerry Bold or the BlackBerry 8800 series.

The processing speed on the 8900 is reportedly faster than other BlackBerry models, but users report that the Wi-Fi speeds can be painfully slow. Some customers also report that there are too many browsers to choose from, as Wi-Fi and the normal Internet utilize two separate browsers.

Overall, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 scores high with both consumer and corporate users. Originally designed exclusively for corporate users, RIM has made earnest recent efforts to create more consumer-friendly devices by offering media capabilities, data access and a variety of messaging platforms to its already heavily lauded push email technology. The stylishly built, feature enhanced BlackBerry Curve 8900 supports this effort well.

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