Blackberry Curve 8310

release date: October 2007
colours:
 
titanium
 
red
Blackberry Curve 8310

RATING

4 stars

Pros

  • GPS - Vodafone Sat Nav (TelMap)
  • Email
  • QWERTY keyboard
  • Trackball navigation
  • 2.5-inch screen

Cons

  • No 3G
  • No Wi-Fi
  • No video capture

SUMMARY

Quad-band GPS QWERTY-keyboard Blackberry phone with 2.5-inch screen and 2 MP camera. The Curve 8310 is good for emailing/texting and GPS navigation. No 3G and no Wi-Fi, so no fast Internet downloads.

Review

The Blackberry Curve 8310 is a quad-band 35-key QWERTY keyboard phone with GPS and 2 MP camera. The 8310 is 2nd in the curve series - there's the 8300 (No GPS) and the 8320 (Wi-Fi, but no GPS).

Blackberry phones (AKA Crackberry - get your mobile text/email fix) are known for their good email and texting capabilities. The 8310 has all the mobile email features - Push Email, Corporate email support, MS Exchange, Lotus... Use the QWERTY keyboard to crack out those email/text replies.

There's a 2 MP camera with LED flash, 5x zoom, but no video capture. The Web browser is OK, not as good as a Nokia, Opera or Safari mobile browser. No 3G and no Wi-Fi. Only EDGE. There is however a decent 2.5-inch 320 x 240 pixel 65k display, so Web browsing, although slow, is OK.

Built-in GPS using Blackberry Maps (more Raspberry, than Blackberry), or if you get a Vodafone Curve 8310, TelMap mapping software is installed (it's better).

Design

Wide. 6 cm wide. Needs to be, to fit all the small QWERTY keys on. If you haven't used a Blackberry QWERTY, your best bet is to mozy on down to a high-street mobile shop and give the QWERTY a good testing. The keys are a little small and cramped together, but lots of folks love 'em. We prefer a side-sliding keypad, or a full-screen virtual QWERTY - Apple iPhone. It is a personal taste issue.

QWERTY keyboard

QWERTY keyboard - Actual Size

The Curve 8310 is available in 2 colours - titanium or red (deep red colour). The 8310 is 107 (h) x 60 (w) x 15.5 (d), 111 g.

Front: 35-key QWERTY, trackball, 2.5-inch display, earpiece.

Back: 2 MP camera, LED flash, mirror.

Left: 3.5 mm jack, miniUSB.

Right: Volume, camera key.

Trackball: Navigate around the screen using the ball.

Features

2 MP Camera

1600 x 1200 pixel photos (2 MP). Image quality is OK. There's no video capture. You can change settings such as white balance, colour effects and picture quality.

No 3G, No Wi-Fi

EDGE download speeds - can be a tad slow. The 2.5-inch screen gives reasonable viewing area. The browser is simple - not as good as the Nokia, Safari or Opera Web browsers. You can download the Opera Mini Web browser from the Web.

GPS Navigation

The 8310 has Blackberry Maps installed. Typical mapping software features - find places, enter postcodes, step-by-step guide, visual routes. Integrates with other Blackberry features - email, MMS etc. You have to download the maps over the mobile network.

Vodafone Sat Nav - TelMap

If you buy the Curve 8310 on the Vodafone network, use the installed TelMap Navigator GPS mapping software instead - branded Vodafone Sat Nav. You get a 12-month free license, after which you must pay a yearly fee.

Get colourful 2D or 3D maps, female voice guidance, real-time traffic information, pedestrian routing, drive routing, speed camera alerts, fastest route, local reroute, overview, route overview. The maps can be used with or without the GPS.

TelMap Satellite Navigator

Media Player

Watch video, listen to audio. You can download Roxio Media Manager - easy file transfer, CD ripping, photo editing.

Other Features

Bluetooth, miniUSB, document viewers, RIM OS, BrickBreaker game, organiser, PIM applications, Push-Email (always-on email - email is transferred as soon as it arrives), 3.5 mm audio jack and microSD card slot (check with shop to see if memory card is included).

Summary

The Blackberry Curve 8310 is a very-decent phone for emails, texts and GPS navigation. Connectivity is lacking - no 3G and no Wi-Fi. April 2008 - you can buy the Curve 8310 for approx. £290 SIM free, or get it for "free" on a pay-monthly contract - we've seen it at Vodafone and O2.

If you want Wi-Fi instead of GPS, check out the Blackberry Curve 8320.

Features / Specifications

* confirm features at manufacturer's Web site.

Release Date
October 2007
Size
107.0 x 60.0 x 15.5 mm
4.2 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches
Weight
111 g
3.9 oz
Colours
 
titanium
 
red
Screen
  • 2.5-inch TFT
  • 320 x 240 pixels
  • 65000 colours
Memory
  • 64 MB phone memory
  • microSD memory card (2 GB max)
Networks
  • Quad-band (GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 Mhz)
  • EDGE
Battery Life
  • Talk time: 4 hours
  • Standby time: 408 hours
OS
RIM OS

In The Box

Blackberry Curve 8310 phone, charger, battery, 1 GB microSD card, case, earphones, software CD, instruction manual.

Connectivity

  • GPS
  • Bluetooth 2.0
  • USB 2.0
  • 3.5 mm jack

Camera

  • 2.0 MP Camera

  • features: 5x digital zoom, LED flash, white balance, colour effects and picture quality

Messaging

  • SMS, MMS, Email (Push Email), IM
  • Hardware QWERTY

Entertainment

  • Games: BrickBreaker (paddle and ball game)

  • Music Player
  • Video Player

Internet

  • HTML browser

Installed Applications

  • Blackberry Maps, RIM wireless modem, Tethered modem capability, SureType
  • Document viewer
  • PIM: Organiser tools
  • Voice dialling

Prices

Prices coming soon.