Verizon BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230

With the release of the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 (for GSM carriers), RIM marked a milestone with its first-ever flip phone.  Fast forward a few months and the device began showing up on CDMA carriers in North America and has finally come to Verizon. Positioned as an "entry-level" smartphone, the Pearl Flip is geared towards new BlackBerry users and Pearl 81xx converts. It appeals to those who value a mobile phone that's small to carry around and steers clear of the power users that prefer a full QWERTY device such as the Bold or Curve to get the job done (or in the case of Verizon, the soon-to-be released Tour 9630).  The device is solid and easy to learn, which makes it a great starter for those jumping into the BlackBerry world for the first time.  SurePress greatly resembles that of predictive text (or T9) found on standard phones, so users can more easily adjust to the typing style.  

Hands-On First Look Review of the RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630 Smartphone including Video, Images and Photo Gallery...

Update - June 16, 2009: Today, Research in Motion announced the BlackBerry Tour 9630, their latest next-generation non-touchscreen, full physical qwerty smartphone for CDMA carriers. A replacement to the popular BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, the BlackBerry Tour will with time roll out to CDMA carriers including Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, Bell, Telus and likely everywhere the 8830 was sold. We first reviewed the BlackBerry Tour three months ago in March, and while our device was pre-release our in-depth BlackBerry Tour review will give you a great hands-on look of what you can expect when it becomes available. You can find part one of our BlackBerry Tour review below, and Tour Review Part II here. 

Read on For Photos, Video and First Impressions of the BlackBerry 9630 >>

A CrackBerry.com Hands-On First Look at the BlackBerry codenamed Onyx...

The First 'No Compromise' BlackBerry Smartphone...

Pre-release review time! Rumors of the BlackBerry device model with the codename "Onyx" have been floating around for a while now and were proven legit when the first photos of it surfaced here at CrackBerry back on May 10th. After going hands-on with the Onyx, I think it's safe to say THIS IS the traditional (no touchscreen) BlackBerry smartphone so many of us have been waiting for. It always seems that every new BlackBerry smartphone makes a compromise somewhere on its specifications and feature sheet - be it the Bold's camera, or the Curve 8900's lack of 3G, or the Tour 9630's lack of WiFi, or the Storm's lack of memory and snappy OS.

RIM has finally packed it ALL into one device with the Onyx -- 3G, WiFi, GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera - and they've done it in a tight form factor. If you put the Onyx side by side with the BlackBerry Bold and compare the specs, you realize the triumph in engineering RIM has accomplished here. The Onyx is basically better in every way but has a much smaller footprint (though arguably the Bold's extra width makes for a better keyboard and physically wider display that some users may prefer). So if you're relaxing this Memorial Day weekend, grab a bevvie, sit back and read on to see tons of photos, a video and some first impressions of the BlackBerry Onyx.

* Disclaimer: Like all of our pre-release reviews, please note that this is non-commercially available device which means things will change by the time it comes to market. *

Read on For Photos, Video and First Impressions of the BlackBerry Onyx >>

A CrackBerry.com Hands-On First Look at the BlackBerry Curve 8520...

A New "Low End" BlackBerry That Rocks?!

Rumors of a new BlackBerry with the codename "Gemini" have been running around the interwebs since early 2009, evolving slightly with every new blog post made about it. After some back and forth on device model number (previously labeled as the  8325 after some initial confusion), the prevailing thought on what has been now named the BlackBerry 8520 is that would it would be a new "low end" EDGE-only addition to the popular Curve line. In other words, the Curve 8520 was not something to get too excited about.

However, this changed after seeing the first live shots of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 surface this past week, which showed off a slick looking device with the traditional trackball replaced in favor of an optical one... the "Gemini" was officially now a device we couldn't wait to learn more about. And good news - it didn't take us long to get our CrackBerry-addicted hands on one. So grab a bevvy, sit back, and read on to see plenty of photos, a video and our initial impressions on the newest Curve.

* Disclaimer: Like all of our pre-release reviews, please note that this is non-commercially available device which means things could change by the time it comes to market. *

Read on For Photos, Video and First Impressions of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 >>

A Preview of OS 4.7.1 on the BlackBerry Tour & More Initial Impressions...

** Be Sure to Read Part I - BlackBerry Tour Hardware Review & Comparison **

* Update - It looks like the BlackBerry 9630 might just have an official name to be branded under... the BlackBerry Tour 9630! *

Surprising to us, our little spur-of-the-moment April Fool's joke yesterday caught more than a few readers out in initially believing it as true (don't worry, it happens to the best of us!). So to get back any CrackBerry love that may have been lost for aggrevations caused, we figured the timing was right to follow up our initial BlackBerry 9630 Hands-On Hardware Review with a second look, now that we've had a chance to get some up and running usage time on the 9630 and its version 4.7.1 operating system. If you're one of the many BlackBerry users out there waiting for the "Niagara" to hit a CDMA carrier near you, you'll want to check this out!

* Disclaimer: Like all of our pre-release reviews, please note that as of yet this is still a non-commercially available device which means things could change by the time it comes to market. *

Read on For Photos, Video and User Impressions of the BlackBerry 9630 >>

Before I got my BlackBerry Bold I was a BlackBerry Curve user. I had a T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8320. The 8320 has Wi-Fi and supports Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA). The other Curve models were 8300, and 8310. The 8310 has GPS but no Wi-Fi. The 8300 has neither GPS nor Wi-Fi. I chose the 8320 so I could make use of the free calling on UMA.

The original Curve is a great BlackBerry. It fits in your hand well, it is light, the keyboard is great, and the screen is beautiful. When you made the choice on which Curve to buy however, you had to decide whether you wanted Wi-Fi or GPS. Wi-Fi allows for UMA (translation free calling) and super fast Wi-Fi browsing if you associate with a HotSpot. GPS allows for location based services (LBS). Sometimes it became a tough choice because after all, wouldn't we all rather have it all?

Well when RIM sent me the new BlackBerry Curve 8900 to review I was excited. This new Curve doesn't make you have to choose. On top of that, it is a jump forward in technology and features that are very welcomed indeed.

When I was at CES 2009 in Vegas the other week I finally had a chance to get my hands on the new BlackBerry Curve 8350i from Sprint/Nextel. It's a cool device. When you see the pictures you think it's pretty much an identical form factor to the other Curve 83xx's, but in reality it's a bit chunkier/thicker. I wouldn't call that a bad thing though - it gives the 8350i a sort of "get work done" feeling which I think is what they're after here (the yellow John Deere/Cat-like accents bolster this impression).

Since this isn't a device that me or any of our crack team writers are going to pick up for themselves personally (nor do I see any in-depth reviews yet in our community reviews forum yet), I figured it wouldn't hurt to point to a solid review of the 8350i by a non-CrackBerry source. Be sure to watch phoneArena's video review above and click on over for their full written review. 

For lots more opinion and information on Sprint's latest iDEN device, be sure to visit our BlackBerry Curve 8350i forum!

View BlackBerry Curve 8900 Accessories @ ShopCrackBerry.com >>
View BlackBerry Curve 8900 Apps @ CrackBerry App Store >>

Update: Dec. 8th, 2008, 8:30am EST - Rogers & RIM Officially Announce the 8900 >> *

Finally!! It seems like forever ago that we found about RIM's plans for the next-generation BlackBerry Curve, originally codenamed and referred to by all as the Javelin. The Curve 8900 just recently launched in Germany on T-Mobile, and has now made its way to North America, launching on Rogers in Canada first. RIM is a Canadian-based company, so it's nice to seem this early Christmas present from them!

It definitely felt like Christmas yesterday when I was able to score this beautiful package at a Rogers location in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Thanks Matt!). Earlier in the day when speaking to Rogers Customer Care agents they told me I was not going to be able to pick this device up until January... but to that I say Hah! I never was one to stop and take the first person I spoke to's word for it. Though we have yet to see the Curve 8900 be "officially" announced by Rogers, the reports are beginning to flood in that Rogers dealers are getting it in stock. If your local store doesn't have it just yet, give it a few days - it should be available everywhere soon!

In any event, the device is here and in my hands as I type so let's give it a run through, shall we?!!

At 12:01am EST this morning, just a day before Verizon releases the BlackBerry Storm to the general public, the embargo lifted and the net filled up with reviews of the BlackBerry Storm 9530. Some of the reviews are positive, others are pretty even handed with the pros and the cons, and a few are downright nasty toward the Storm. Push come to shove I think all of you Storm Chasers should wait until you have a chance to play with the Storm for a bit before making the verdict of whether it's right or wrong for you. In the meantime, we have assembled a bunch of the Storm review links after the jump along with some of my own thoughts on the subject. There is plenty of reading material here for you to kill the day while you wait for tomorrow morning to finally arrive!

As Craig says in the comments, this is all about the Incredible Machine.. ahh.. and what an Incredbile Machine the BlackBerry IS. I like this commercial. Well done Telus!

** Update: December 8th, 2008 - Listen to our BlackBerry Storm Review Podcast>>
This review follows up the pre-release review, after having own and used the Storm **

A Pre-Release Look at RIM's First Touchscreen Smartphone

Finally! Here it is CrackBerry Nation, my first hands-on impressions of the BlackBerry Storm. Unlike my BlackBerry 9000, KickStart and Javelin pre-release reviews, this won't be the first one of the BlackBerry Storm up on the net, so I'll do my best to make up for the tardiness by at least making it the best. Though it is articles like this where I wish I was an actual journalist and not a BlackBerry Addict turned wannabe-blogger... no making fun of the number of times you see the words Sweet and Awesome in the paragraphs ahead! :-)

Regular readers of CrackBerry.com will know I've been dying to get my hands on the BlackBerry Storm for months now. Earlier this week it finally happened while in Santa Clara, California, at the BlackBerry Developer Conference. Research in Motion didn't have an official BlackBerry Storm exhibit setup, but both the 9530 and 9500 could be found in limited quantity within the exhibition pavilion at a few booths, including Verizon's of course, and occasionally could be spotted in the hands of individuals roaming the halls within the hotel conference area. The pavilion booths were constantly packed with people who appeared to be as excited about the Storm as I was, and the people I tried to corner in the wild dashed on me as soon as they glanced my name badge (for some silly reason I think they had the impression I'd try and roshambo them and take their device when they were down for the count) so though the Storm was present at DevCon, getting real quality time with it wasn't as easy as one might have hoped. Luckily and thankfully, I managed to do just that and on Day 1 of DevCon spent an hour of QT with the Storm (I will never forget my first time!). An hour flew by in the blink of an eye press of a touchscreen, and though no photos or videos were allowed at that first encounter, by the time I boarded the plane for the flight home two days later I had managed to steal away a few more precious minutes with the Storm and all said and done have quite a bit to go off of to bring you this review, though more time would have allowed me to dig deeper into the details.

* Disclaimer: As with our other pre-release reviews, please keep in mind that all of the BlackBerry Storms I used at DevCon (featured in images/videos in this review) and have based my initial impressions on are pre-release hardware devices that were running beta software. *

Since I know many of you have been waiting as long a time to read this review as I have been waiting to write it, I'll make no effort to keep it concise and short. And where I'm lacking images or info I'll borrow from some of the other excellent content that has already surfaced on the web. You can visit our BlackBerry Storm Super Page to access all of that.

Read On For My Initial BlackBerry Storm Impressions >>

Here it is CrackBerry Nation.. the long awaited, much anticipated, hands-on video first look at the BlackBerry Curve 8900, formerly known as the Javelin!! My apologies for taking so long to get this up... blame Apple! It's like El Jobso knew what I was working on and sent Gremlins to attack my Mac.

Keep in mind as you watch the video that this is an early, pre-release BlackBerry 8900. The commercially available version, as just appeared on T-Mobile Germany's website, will be slightly different (I make note of the known changes in the video). Regardless, by the time you work through all 8m30s you should have a pretty good feeling for the "New" Curve and how it compares to the "Old" Curve, Bold and even the Storm! The video isn't my best work (so don't judge me too harshly!), but I promise I'll get there one of these days... there are a lot of hands-on videos to be made in the next year that will give me some practice. The fun won't be stopping after the Storm - not when there's cool BlackBerry codenames like Apex, Onyx, Colossal and Jupiter apparently kicking around Waterloo ;)

As for the BlackBerry Curve 8900, be sure to check out our Hands-on BlackBerry Javelin Hardware write up and you can look after the jump for a few more thoughts and images. Enjoy the Show!!!

A Hands-On First Look at the BlackBerry Javelin 8900!

w00t! It's time for yet another hands-on first look of a pre-release, pre-officially announced BlackBerry smartphone. We brought you the web's first review of the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Pearl Flip, and now we're rounding out the Triple Crown of Smartphone Exclusives with an in-depth first look at the BlackBerry 8900, currently codenamed "Javelin."

Verizon's recent spree of media announcements / leaks / shenanigans surrounding the BlackBerry Storm has the smartphone world thinking "touchscreen" when it comes to the mention of a new BlackBerry smartphone, but there is another non-touchscreen BlackBerry just around the corner which has a huge contingent of BlackBerry users equally excited. No, it doesn't quite have the "wow" factor of a touchscreen BlackBerry, nor the all-in-one power of the flagship BlackBerry Bold, but as an evolution of the Curve and younger sibling to the Bold, the Javelin is one tight, sexy package that is going to find its way into the pockets and holsters of millions of people.

As with our BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Pearl Flip reviews, keep in mind the device we're working with here is pre-release. While the hardware of our Javelin seems to be pretty good, it's definitely an earlier pre-production build (dated to June/08). The unit in this review actually features the French AZERTY keyboard layout (vs. QWERTY) along with a white trackball and 128MB of onboard memory. Newer evaluation builds of the Javelin, and presumably the 8900 when it becomes commercially available, will feature a grey/black trackball and 256MB of device memory. So as you read this, keep in mind some things will likely change-up a little bit by the time you can walk into your local carrier store and buy this device.

It only takes three words to sum up the BlackBerry 8900... Curve on Steroids. But three words are not enough for any real CrackBerry Addict to get their fix, so continue reading after the jump for my initial hardware impressions and a whack load of images. I'll follow up in a few days with a hands-on video and some more feedback on device use. Oh, and in case you were thinking it, I DID NOT buy this Javelin off eBay for $17,100. I'm crazy, but I'm not *that* crazy :-)

Read On For My Initial BlackBerry Javelin 8900 Impressions >>

With some markets now having the Bold available, and others getting it soon, there are going to be a lot of BlackBerry Bold reviews hitting the interwebs in the weeks and months ahead. While it's not actually available on Optus in Australia yet, our friend David Flynn over at APCMag.com let us know about the definitive Bold Review he just posted (David was also the mate to discover the Stewart Copeland Bold ringtones!).

His overall impressions are very similar to what I unmasked in web's first BlackBerry 9000 review, and David works in some excellent detail for all of the BlackBerry geeks out there. Did you know the Bold weighs in at 133 grams vs. the Curve at 110 grams? Or that the Bold's pixel density is 245ppi vs. the iPhone at 165ppi (there's a reason everybody who gets their hands on the Bold raves about it's screen). It's an excellent review, so check it out!

Time for our next installment in the BlackBerry 8220 KickStart Review Series!! If you missed the fun of Part I, be sure to check it out - it provides a hands-on review of the BlackBerry 8220 KickStart's hardware along with specs, features and some initial impressions. Coming in Part III (a few days away) will be a more in-depth look at the 8220's operating system along with my longer-term impressions having spent some quality time on the device. As for Part II, well... just click play on the video above. Consider it one CrackBerry addict's look at RIM's first flip phone!