2011 BlackBerry Curve 9380 Review

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is RIM’s first ever-released Curve with a touchscreen. The Curve lineup is usually an expression of RIM’s understanding for a budget phone and this one supposedly, doesn’t make a difference. It should attract customers with a lower entry price while offering the full BB OS 7 experience.

The Curve brand has been hugely successful for RIM, especially the 8520 mega-hit; these were the first BlackBerries that appealed to the masses on a budget, allowing the everyman a taste of BBM and the famed BlackBerry keyboard. Alongside the Curve 9360, this is RIM's take on a modern budget smartphone. As you've probably noticed, the 9380 doesn't have a keyboard, perhaps the biggest BlackBerry selling point. That doesn't spell doom for RIM though, as full touch phones are obviously the way the market is heading. RIM are no strangers to full touch phones, and the ones preceding, such as the Storm, haven't been popular to say the least.

But now with the arrival of BlackBerry OS 7 and its user friendly tweaks on this budget touchscreen phone with the Curve branding behind it, could the Curve 9380 be the first touchscreen-only hit for RIM. BlackBerry became a household name thanks to their super efficient messaging skills and their stellar keyboards. However, the market evolves at a blistering pace, and it seems that button-less is the way forward. To keep up, RIM have recognised that full touchscreen phones are now the most popular, so, quite reluctantly I suspect, there are a few BlackBerry handsets that have ditched the keyboard. The 9380 is the first from BlackBerry that targets the budget end of the smartphone spectrum, currently floating around for £200 or so. Has RIM been able to build a smartphone that is good enough without the qwerty keyboard, that is also competitive in this fiercely competitive section of the mobile market? Read on to find out.

Taruh Widget disini (kiri)

Taruh Widget disini (kanan)

2011 Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray Review

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray could easily be one of the tiniest phones you’ve ever had, however despite its small stature; consumers can still get an enticing set of features. The phone offers 3.3” TFT 480×854 display, 1GHz single core processor and an impressive 8.1Mp camera. The Xperia Ray is made from sturdy plastic and scratch-resistant glass, while a plastic button sits at the bottom center. The phone fits easily on consumers’ hand and it feels like the early iPod Nano. The speaker is comparable to what you find in other Xperia models, it’s decent but not too fantastic.

As small touchscreen smartphones go, the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray is almost the perfect size, not getting lost in your palm if you have big hands, and fitting admirably if you are regular. The handset is one of the thinnest smartphones out there, at 0.37” (9.4 mm), and feathery at just 3.53oz (100 g). We also noticed that the Xperia ray is extremely comfortable for one handed operation due to its dimensions - your thumb just reaches everywhere like an anteater's tongue.

This device is made of hard plastic and “scratch-resistant” glass for the most part, with a slightly less-than-impressive plastic button sitting at the bottom-center-front. What’s awesome about this little half-circle button is that it’s got a multi-color half-border of color around it to show off notifications galore. The not-so-awesome piece of the puzzle is that it makes a little tapping noise when you touch it lightly. This seems to me to mean that it’s made to be pressed a thousand times but that it’s not as perfectly fashioned to fit as the rest of the device appears to be.

The phone fits in your hand like one of the older generations of iPod Nanos, like a long pack of gum that just to happens to hold your smartphone guts inside it. The one we’ve got here has a wine-colored back panel complete with the Sony Ericsson green orb which looks lovely against any color, and the speaker resides underneath. The speaker is comparable to the rest of the XPERIA line, it being OK but nothing all that fantastic, while the camera and single LED bulb are certainly something to write home about. They’re great, they produce fairly awesome photos, and the shutter speed is near instant – and that LED can be used as a lamp for photos without any special hack, a definite plus!

Fortunately, the camera is something you can brag about; it produces awesome images and the shutter is almost instantaneous. Its display has an excellent pixel density, although it’s slightly lower than what you get in the iPhone 4. At nearly 300 ppi, the display quality is acceptably sharp and stunning. The standby time of the phone is simply exceptional; with its 1500 mAH battery the phone can run for a couple of days or even more. While for heavy usages such as video playback and 3D games, you’ll be able to use the phone for about ten hours.

For its size, the phone is surprisingly enjoyable to use, although the price might be prohibitive for those who get used to getting on-contract devices from major carriers. Buyers can get unlocked Xperia Ray for $359.99 in online stores, including NewEgg. Should the Sony could find a way to hook up with major carriers, the phone’s price can be brought down to about $150 and the company can attract consumers more easily.

Taruh Widget disini (kiri)

Taruh Widget disini (kanan)