For the past couple of weeks I've been using a new Curve handset from BlackBerry - the one that's supposed to fill the space between corporate blocks and consumery fare such as the Pearl.
The name's a bit of a misnomer - it's hardly banana-shaped - but after putting it through its paces, I have to say it is a pretty good piece of kit.
The blurb: "You love to be where the action is. So does the BlackBerry Curve 8300 smartphone. At the hottest new club, a friend's place or work - your messages find you so you stay connected to everything that matters." Cough.
The stats: Hits the prosumer space with support for up to 10 email accounts, instant messaging and all the BlackBerry basics. Adds a host of multimedia gubbins, including a 2 megapixel camera with built-in flash, drag and drop media player, trackball control, expandable microSD slot and 3.5mm headphone jack.
The test: After a protracted testing period - no off-the-cuff fluff here, my friends - I have to say I'm very impressed with this little bleeder. The trackball is way ahead of the control sticks used by most rivals and the interface is fairly intuitive - it will instantly be familiar to Pearl owners, or users of other BlackBerries. The Qwerty keyboard is better for seasoned BB users but unforgiving on those with larger fingers. The media player works really well, supports a bunch of formats and the inclusion of an ordinary headphone jack makes a mockery of all those horrible proprietary ones. It's also very good on battery life - listening to music on my two and a half hour daily commute barely made a dent.
Thumbs up Media capabilities are much improved, and the Qwerty keyboard makes email a lot easier than the Pearl.
Thumbs down Ultimately it's still a BlackBerry. The Pearl might have some sex appeal, but you're not going to look like James Bond when you whip a Curve out of your pocket: you're going to look like somebody checking their email. That's not a bad thing if you value practicality more than swish.
