BlackBerry Curve 9380 Brings Touchscreens to Affordable Market

In recent months Research in Motion (RIM) has been making a concerted effort to move away from their traditional QWERTY comfort zone and harder into the touchscreen market that is increasingly becoming the norm. While many people still have a great love for QWERTY phones, RIM’s previous insistence on producing solely phones of this nature is starting to take a toll on its business.

Recent touchscreen efforts like the Bold 9900 (hybrid touch and QWERTY) and Torch 9860 (full touch) have benefited enormously from the new OS7, which makes tremendous improvements to web browsing and app usage. But the Bold and Torch series have typically always been at the higher end of the BlackBerry phone series, while the cheaper BlackBerry Curve phones have largely been neglected in this transition to touchscreen.

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That is until now. The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is the first touchscreen phone from RIM to fall into the more affordable Curve range. BlackBerry Curve phone deals are typically a lot cheaper than those for Bold or Torch handsets. Curve phones are particularly popular with younger phone users, who are increasingly replacing professionals as RIM’s main customer base.

The reason for this is that younger phone users rely quite a lot on BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), which can provide a much cheaper alternative to SMS messages. Like all BlackBerry phones, the Curve 9380 comes with BBM support, giving it the same appeal to younger generations of text-savvy phone users, but is this one instance where a lack of a QWERTY keyboard will have a detrimental effect?

If there is one thing that a QWERTY keyboard is good for, it is the fast typing out of messages and instant messaging conversations. This can be done with an onscreen keyboard, but these are typically not as responsive or easy to use as a physical keyboard. While the Curve 9380‘s keyboard is very good in this regard, the phone does have a smaller screen making it feel a little bit cramped when using the keyboard.

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BlackBerry Curve 9380 Review

The screen measures about 3.2 inches and offers a good resolution for a display of its size. Like most BlackBerry phones, the Curve also comes with an optical trackpad. To many people who have used non-BlackBerry touchscreen phones this side of the original HTC Desire, this feature may seem a little bit redundant. However, it will offer a lot of comfort and familiarity to people switching from other BlackBerry phones.

The phone benefits from the new OS7, with all of the web browsing, graphics, video and app improvements that have been made there. Apps can be downloaded from BlackBerry App World and the phone comes with good internet connectivity through 3G and Wi-Fi.

It should not be forgotten that this is a lower end model, and it doesn’t come with all of the bells and whistles of the Torch 9860 or Bold 9900. Considering its price range though, it won’t disappoint. It has a decent amount of storage with 32GB available through microSD, and a decent 5 megapixel camera that includes VGA video support.

For those phone users who have always used older BlackBerry QWERTY phones that want to experiment with touchscreens, the Curve 9380 is a good phone to consider. It is also one of the most comfortably sized and pocket friendly touchscreen phones in a market increasingly populated by 4 inch plus devices. Falling into the more affordable Curve series, the Curve 9380 also benefits from the much cheaper BlackBerry Curve contracts that are on offer – making it more desirable than higher end models like the Bold and Torch.

Considering its stature it also offers quite a lot in the hardware and software stakes. This is certainly an important step in RIM’s transition to more modern smartphone business.

Rating: 9.3/10 (3 votes cast)

BlackBerry Curve 9380 Brings Touchscreens to Affordable Market, 9.3 out of 10 based on 3 ratings