BlackBerry Curve 9360

After having an imitiation BlackBerry for some time (see my other reviews), I decided it was time for a step up, and invested in a BlackBerry Curve 9360. What appealed to me about it was the look, and quite frankly, the fact that the handset was so popular; but I found it it was far more than just a pretty phone.

Firstly, the basics. The model comes in a variety of colours but I chose black for a timeless feel. The handset is light and so very very slim, the display is very attractive and easy to navigate and you can tell it is pretty good quality. Some people may have a problem with the extremely small keypad buttons, or the scroller, but with practice I think that most could pick up how to use it well.

The socialising features the BlackBerry Curve offers are really good, a definite cut above other phones. One of the main perks is obviously the brilliant web access you get, which is always helpful when away from a computer. The BBM messenger service, which allows you to freely communicate with other BlackBerrys is awesome, and although it's only really useful if your nearest and dearest have a BlackBerry, it's a brilliant free way to stay in touch with people. You can connect all your social feeds- think Twitter and Facebook- in one place, upload photos straight from your phone to the internet, read your emails, tweet, update your Facebook status... In fact, with a BlackBerry Curve 9360, you are connected all of the time. If the idea of never forgetting another important event sounds great- the phone merges your Facebook events with your built in calendar- or you simply want to stay in touch with friends and family, then this phone is awesome.

The BlackBerry App World allows you to download hundreds of apps, including maps, games and social networking add-ons such as Facebook Chat. Also, the calendar feature allows you to add in meetings, events and important occasions or appointments, which is absolutely fantastic: you can be completely organised where ever you go, without a clunky diary or an ever disappearing to do list.

Other good parts include the small light above the screen, which flashes when you receive a text, are getting a call or if the battery is low, which is fantastic for when you have to have your phone on silent. The handset features include chat-style text message display and the option to assign speed dial or photos to certain contacts. There are a few built in games including Word Mole, Klondike and my personal favourite, Sudoku, and there are the standard features of a note pad and calculator, amongst others.

The camera is very standard quality, as is the video recorder, but this is to be expected as it is not a big selling point of the phone. I have known many people to have problems with broken handsets, especially with the scroller: mine has broken in the respect that I cannot zoom in to take photos any more. The battery life is notoriously short, so nightly charging would probably be advised, which can be pesky. Some web pages can be hard to view if they are not made for phone displays, and as a personal note, I find the alarm function very irritating and fiddly to use in the early hours of the morning!

Overall, however, I think this phone is absolutely fantastic. Once again, BlackBerry have made a phone that allows you to work hard and play hard, and I couldn't be happier with it.