Related Articles
A troika of new entry-level BlackBerry smart phones have emerged blinking into the sunlight horrendous downpour today. The BlackBerry Curve 9350, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9370 are affordable models with the new BlackBerry 7 software on board.
The 9360 was mysteriously left out of BB’s recent launch, where the BlackBerry Bold 9900, Torch 9810 and Torch 9860 were unveiled, but now it’s official. The three phones are basically the same, but with slight changes for different parts of the world. The 9350 and 9370 use CDMA technology to connect to the phone network, so we won’t see them here. The 9360 uses GSM to make calls, so that’s the model coming to the UK.
Each phone boasts a Qwerty keyboard and an optical trackpad below a
2.44-inch screen. There’s a 5-megapixel camera with face detection and a
flash, and on the inside you’ve got GPS, Wi-Fi and support for NFC.
They all run the new BlackBerry 7 operating system. The premium version of Documents To Go is included, giving you free document-editing features and a PDF viewer. BlackBerry Protect helps you find your phone if it goes walkies by tracking it on your computer. And BlackBerry Balance handles your work-life balance by keeping your personal settings separate from your work stuff.
For more on BlackBerry 7, check out our review of the new BlackBerry Bold 9900. We’re impressed with how fast the new software is, and how well email is handled.
Also on board is BlackBerry Messenger, the free instant messaging service that recently threatened to topple civilisation as we know it, or so some say. BBM now lets you chat to other BBMers in apps and games.
The 9350, 9360 and 9370 arrive in September, with the 9360 already confirmed for Vodafone and Three here in Blighty. Our man on the spot is checking out the new BlackBerry phones as we speak, so keep it CNET UK for all the details. In the meantime, let us know if you’re excited about the latest bushel of BlackBerrys in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.
