I have had the dubious pleasure of being saddled with a BlackBerry Curve 8530 as my work device for the better part of 2 years, having snagged one the moment they were released by Telus. Originally, this device was the Prozac I used to get through the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder inflicted on me by the Storm, but I have grown pretty ambivalent about the device over time. Recently, I had the opportunity to use the new BlackBerry Curve 9360, the latest iteration of the venerable Curve line from RIM. When it comes to the Curve family, I’ve always held feelings akin to those I have about GMC trucks, the older the better (with the exception of the 8900, which was near and dear to my heart). They just haven’t been as good since the 83xx days.

Out of the Box

No doubt about it, this is a Curve device. The look has been updated, and is certainly much sleeker, but the moment you open the box you can tell that it’s a Curve. This generation has gotten a much needed refresh, and it shows immediately, with a “one-piece” screen that has built-in soft keys and the trackpad integrated on the bottom portion. The dedicated media keys have been dropped in favour of a single lock button at the top, but they have retained that same Curve keyboard. The back of the device contains the camera and flash, and the battery door is molded to create the effect of having one smooth seamless piece. The device is also much thinner than previous devices, and the top and bottom curve away for a much less blocky look. The headphone jack has been moved to the top of the device, next to the lock button, making it much easier to slip into your pocket while still listening to some tunes.

The Hardware

While there is no doubt that I’m typing on a Curve keyboard, RIM has done an excellent job with the updated version, making keypresses softer while retaining a decent amount of resistance. It’s still the loudest keyboard I have used in a while in terms of “clicking”, but the experience is much improved. Typing was easily accomplished, even on the smaller keyboard (versus one such as the 9900)

The screen on the 9360 got a much needed upgrade, bumping the resolution up to 480×360. Definitely not the crown jewel in RIM’s lineup, but it definitely provides a respectable experience when browsing the web, viewing photos, or watching video. Text is crisp and readable, and media shows well, even on such a small screen. The design team at RIM seem to have attempted to stay in the realm of “media device”, equipping the 9360 with some decent speakers, capable of good quality at a much higher volume than any of the other BlackBerry 7 devices I’ve used.

I don’t often discuss the actual internal hardware in a review, but this device calls for a bit of a deviation from the norm. The last couple iterations of the Curve have retained the same underpowered processor and RAM, making it seem like the “special” kid in the BlackBerry family. While this latest model certainly doesn’t come anywhere near stacking up to its new brothers, the upgraded 800Mhz processor certainly gives this device a much better feel during normal operation.

The convenience keys located on the right side of the device have been slimmed down and minimized to the point of being unobtrusive, yet they are still easily located with a thumb. I still don’t quite understand the decision to do away with the left convenience key in the new lineup, but once again the 9360 lacks that extra convenience key. The lock button on the top of the device is centered, and has the real estate all to itself since RIM has chosen to do away with the mute key. The charging port is well- located on the left side of the device, causing no issue with typing while charging, although I will admit that I had a bit of a concern that it could easily get damaged if the device rocked on it’s curved back while plugged in.

Battery life appears to be much improved, more in line with the current expectancy from the rest of the BlackBerry 7 line. While not rave-inspiring, I was able to go a full day of moderate usage on a single charge, and it went forever on standby. Given the battery life seen on the previous generation of BlackBerry devices, this device’s power performance could be considered above average.

Overall

The Curve 9360 is a solid addition to RIM’s lineup. My initial reservations regarding trying another Curve device were dispelled during the course of this review. Traditionally, the Curve series has been RIM’s low-end entry into the market, and have unfortunately looked and felt the part. The 9360 is still the “entry-level” device on the roster, but rather than feeling like you got the junker off the lot, instead it feels like you took the no-frills Jaguar for a spin. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this device to anyone looking for a taste of BlackBerry without a large price tag, although for a power-user, there are others I might suggest.