We got some new BlackBerry 8310 Curve devices and have worked with it in the last couple of days. I am trying to summarize here our thoughts on the 8310.
First Impression
Compared to the "old" devices (the 8xxx/7xxx series) the new 8310 is just a beauty to look at. It must be the best BlackBerry device so far. It is much thinner, lighter, features a camera and the overall impression is that this device is not only a evolution but a small revolution, as well.
Feature Set
The major feature set of this device (I guess) is the camera (2MB), the trackball navigation, integrated GPS and the Media-Player. Since we use the device mainly within a company infrastructure the camera is not our main interest, but our tests with the camera have been "OK". So far, the pictures taken with the camera don't "feel" as of a good quality as with a Sony or Nokia phone.
The trackball navigation is really much better to navigate then the scrollwheel on the side, as in the 8xxx/7xxx devices. It takes some time to get used to, but once used you don't want to go back anymore.
Things I don't like about BlackBerry in general
- Pictures taken with the build in camera can not be selected to send many images in one go. There is a way but it is not very intuitive.
- Reading HTML emails and browsing a webpage is still a major pita with a BlackBerry,
- The memory card is behind the battery, meaning that you will have to remove the battery to remove or add the card.
- We are using a BES (Enterprise Server) and the BIS (Internet Service) with this device. One thing I really don't understand is why even with a BES server you can not really browse subfolders correctly and receive notification if your have messages moved to a subfolder by a server rule. Another thing is that email accounts which are retrieved by BIS are more of a notification system then a real email client. After all, if you have used a Windows Mobile Phone before the way how BlackBerry handles eMail is quite inferior.
Conclusion
Should you buy the new 8310 device? Yes, if you need to have a BlackBerry then there is nothing to say against this device. It must be the best BlackBerry out there right now. It is much lighter, looks great and works great with your existing BlackBerry setup. I personally think that nowadays you don't need a BlackBerry to read and send emails with a mobile device. With the latest Exchange Server SP2 release Microsoft implemented the Push-EMail feature within Exchange and it works well with any Windows Mobile device. Also nowadays a lot of mobile phones can work with IMAP/POP3 accounts. After all you have to decide what works best for you.
