[delmarco]

Just got it today for my birthday and I wasn't too impressed with it out of the box. I previously had all BB devices since the days of 6230 and this was the first upgrade where I wasn't 100% happy.

I owned the T-Mobile 8320 from Winter of 2007 to Fall of 2008 when I upgraded to the facelift style of the 8330 also for T-Mobile. My 8330 pretty much gives me everything I need on a day to day basis all in a small size. The new Javelin-Curve feels not much different than the older Curve. Slightly smaller, slightly slimmer, sleeker and more slippery to the touch. Previous evolution of Blackberries focused on major shrinkage. Here not so much. Basically you won't be upgrading because you want a something very much smaller than the 8320 Curve.

Out of the box I realized with much dissappointment that the back battery door is not brushed-metal as it looks in all the pictures, but more 5 cent taiwan made plastic. The door also was not tightly snug in place when locked. The screen is also softer than the previous BBerries. I can squeeze it and warp the lcd below (similar to a LCD monitor). Previous BBerries had the hard screen glass that prevented that.

Another gripe is the keypad and ring around the trackball is very dimly lit, when compared to my older Curves (see pics below). With the 8320 white keypad style having the brightest keypad and the 8330 coming in second best. The Javelin-Curveseems to be on the dim side when it comes to these lights. Hopefully this will translate to better battery life. Other than these minor gripes it seems to be a promising device that looks very sharp and keen.

I'm sure once I get started with it I will see that where the Javelin-Curve out shines its ancestors will be in the software and speed.

Enjoy my pictures...