How we bought a BlackBerry Curve 9220 smartphone
I never considered myself a fan of BlackBerry, moreover, the smartphones of this company (for some time it is called that way, and not RIM) came to me extremely rarely and not for long - so, turned it over in my hands, shrugged and returned it to its direct owner. A couple of months ago, my friend decided to get a "Blackberry" - and always official, with the Cyrillic alphabet on the keys. BlackBerry smartphones in Ukraine are sold only by MTS, and a friend has a completely different operator - so there was no talk of connecting the same BIS, the device was planned to be used with another SIM-card. In general, the purpose of the purchase is still unclear ... You know how it sometimes happens, a person wakes up in the morning and thinks: I want a BlackBerry (iPhone, Xbox, Lamborghini, a new refrigerator, make a cuming out - underline what you need), goes and buys. Here, apparently,
Since within a couple of weeks from the date of purchase of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 - and we took it exactly - my friend got tired of the smartphone, I bought the device into the collection at a very reasonable price. I want to talk about some of the nuances of operating this model, but for a start - a few words about the acquisition process, since I was present at it.
The nice consultant girl in the MTS salon was probably quite surprised by the fact that someone suddenly thought about buying a BlackBerry smartphone. The girl, having listened to a request to show us the device, and then to sell it, glanced at the Nokia Asha phone with a QWERTY keyboard on the next window, and said something like this: “Boys, maybe you better take it? Look - how cute, green, and cheaper. ” Indeed, everything is really difficult with the colors of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 - only the black version is offered in Ukraine. In nature, according to the Internet, there are also white, red, blue and dark turquoise versions.
The situation is also strange with the price. It is clear that the BlackBerry Curve 9220 is a smartphone, and even from a relatively prestigious brand, and yet ... They ask for something around 1,700 hryvnias, that is, more than $ 200. For the money you can buy a very modern smartphone for Android, and Windows Phone too. It would be better to keep silent about the aforementioned “Asha” for the steward, but nevertheless - well, MTS offers BlackBerry smartphones, and for some reason there were no brochures telling about their features and advantages in the salon. Consultants about them (about smartphones) also know nothing. For some reason, they did not receive proposals for connecting BIS. I don’t know who to blame for this - MTS or the BlackBerry digging, which is breathing today.
In 99% of cases, the average “kettle” buyer will buy Nokia, as the products look the same from the outside (I mean exclusively the size, lack of a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard), and the Finnish device costs half the price. Business in Russian (well, or in Ukrainian)? Apparently, yes. Serious people, who are aimed specifically at buying BlackBerry, probably do not take them to MTS - in fact, there are five girls in the operator’s cabin, and it was clear that they were selling a smartphone of this brand, if not for the first time, then second. (This is a half-million city in which BlackBerry smartphones are available in only one MTS showroom.)
This is also evidenced by the fact that the warranty card for BlackBerry does not lie in the box, it needs to be found on the internal server, printed and filled out. So the girls did not know where to look for him, and asked to wait for some employee named Kolya, who went out to smoke. He went out and disappeared. As a result, the girls called somewhere, found out something and eventually printed out this ill-fated guarantee. Hurrah.
Say “cheers” after a month or more of exploitationBlackBerry Curve 9220 I probably can not. It is clear that to fully work with any BlackBerry smartphone, it’s worth connecting BIS with the operator, and I don’t have MTS either, so I couldn’t enjoy the harmonious ecosystem. Nevertheless, set up mail, the VKontakte messenger (a terrible curve - for example, in most cases he does not want to automatically download new messages), a browser (including Opera Mini) and access to the BlackBerry App World store (from there the VKontakte messenger was downloaded and "Opera") can be without BIS, for this there are a number of folk ways - welcome to Google or Yandex. At the same time, the official pre-installed Twitter and Facebook clients did not work.
Looks interfaceBlackBerry OS 7.1 - it is under the control of this system that the Curve 9220 also works - is very unusual. Well, let's say, if you have been sitting on your iPhone or Android for more than a year, then the menu of this smartphone will cast you back into the past - at the time of crooked icons, strange design moves and so on. But, in general, you can get used to the interface - it took me a couple of days to get used to the process of getting used to. Of the unusual, I note the need to restart the smartphone after installing application updates (!) And a very long turn on - if you get the battery, put it in place and press the power button, it will take about two minutes.
As for ergonomics and iron, then it is clear that BlackBerry has enough branded developments, although all of them, alas, in 2013 are already practically inapplicable in practice and nobody really needs. For example, I have repeatedly dealt with QWERTY smartphones, but I could not type text on them: my fingers turned out to be incompatible with keyboards at the hardware level :). But on the BlackBerry Curve 9220 with its small buttons, I can type long letters, since the shape of these buttons is very, very convenient. Another point: if I pick up a phone or smartphone without a touch screen, then after a couple of minutes of wandering around the menu, I automatically start poking the display on the machine - trying to press the virtual buttons. Here, I have never clicked on the screen: navigation on the interface is carried out using an optical joystick, which, again, is very convenient. True, alas and ah,
Not without marriage . On the right side of the smartphone there is a key to which you can assign the launch of an application. So she refused to work - all the other buttons have a clear course and work like a clock, but this one does not. It is worth saying here that the side panels of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 are trimmed with rubber, on which there are convexities for the buttons on the board. Probably, at the factory, the button on the board did not get into the seat intended for it with an elastic band. I solved the problem like this: I removed the back cover, pulled the gum out with my fingernail (risking tearing it or simply damaging it) and “swayed” from side to side. As a result, after an hour of torment, the button worked.
The same button that managed to get to work
The back panel is made of glossy plastic. She sits well, like a glove, but she collects scratches just awfully fast. Meanwhile, covers for this device in Ukraine during the day with fire you will not find.
A fragment of the back panel with scratches
But the BlackBerry Curve 9220 is very small. Perhaps this device should be recommended to users who do not want to bring a brick-type smartphone with them on vacation, but they don’t agree with a regular mobile phone with its antediluvian email client. Here are the dimensions of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 compared to a number of other gadgets:
Samsung Keystone 2, HTC Titan, BlackBerry Curve 9220
2.4-inch screenwith a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, for obvious reasons, it did not cause much enthusiasm - well, the screen and the screen are moderately grainy, moderately bright. About the same as the same Nokia Asha for $ 100, or even worse.
What I liked was the sound of an external speaker. I can’t even believe that such a small device can scream so loudly and cleanly. Well, right you HTC One or OPPO Find 5. In the headphones, the sound, in my inexperienced look, is also good. By the way, I found this picture on the Internet - see below.
Maybe in some countries the BlackBerry Curve 9220 comes with such headphones, but personally I found in the box this something, cheap and terrible:
The BlackBerry Curve 9220 does not have a GPS receiver and 3G network support - this model is generally intended for developing countries, including, for example, India. The camera - well, it’s kind of here ... 2 megapixels, autofocus and flash are absent - that’s it. A couple of examples of the photo below:
It is generally accepted that BlackBerry smartphones are distinguished by excellent autonomy - supposedly for them, three and four days are not a problem. The BlackBerry Curve 9220 is not like that: a 1,450 mAh battery provides it with a day and a half. Although there seems to be nothing to eat its charge - the screen is small, there is no 3G, the processor is weak (one core, 800 MHz).
In general, no, more than $ 200 is not a miracle, and in Ukraine (and not only here) I do not see the audience for this model at all. The device, as described above, turned out to be expensive and at the same time imperfect. I, in principle, am satisfied - the collection has replenished with one more instance. Which, however, is difficult to use :).
Since within a couple of weeks from the date of purchase of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 - and we took it exactly - my friend got tired of the smartphone, I bought the device into the collection at a very reasonable price. I want to talk about some of the nuances of operating this model, but for a start - a few words about the acquisition process, since I was present at it.
The nice consultant girl in the MTS salon was probably quite surprised by the fact that someone suddenly thought about buying a BlackBerry smartphone. The girl, having listened to a request to show us the device, and then to sell it, glanced at the Nokia Asha phone with a QWERTY keyboard on the next window, and said something like this: “Boys, maybe you better take it? Look - how cute, green, and cheaper. ” Indeed, everything is really difficult with the colors of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 - only the black version is offered in Ukraine. In nature, according to the Internet, there are also white, red, blue and dark turquoise versions.
The situation is also strange with the price. It is clear that the BlackBerry Curve 9220 is a smartphone, and even from a relatively prestigious brand, and yet ... They ask for something around 1,700 hryvnias, that is, more than $ 200. For the money you can buy a very modern smartphone for Android, and Windows Phone too. It would be better to keep silent about the aforementioned “Asha” for the steward, but nevertheless - well, MTS offers BlackBerry smartphones, and for some reason there were no brochures telling about their features and advantages in the salon. Consultants about them (about smartphones) also know nothing. For some reason, they did not receive proposals for connecting BIS. I don’t know who to blame for this - MTS or the BlackBerry digging, which is breathing today.
In 99% of cases, the average “kettle” buyer will buy Nokia, as the products look the same from the outside (I mean exclusively the size, lack of a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard), and the Finnish device costs half the price. Business in Russian (well, or in Ukrainian)? Apparently, yes. Serious people, who are aimed specifically at buying BlackBerry, probably do not take them to MTS - in fact, there are five girls in the operator’s cabin, and it was clear that they were selling a smartphone of this brand, if not for the first time, then second. (This is a half-million city in which BlackBerry smartphones are available in only one MTS showroom.)
This is also evidenced by the fact that the warranty card for BlackBerry does not lie in the box, it needs to be found on the internal server, printed and filled out. So the girls did not know where to look for him, and asked to wait for some employee named Kolya, who went out to smoke. He went out and disappeared. As a result, the girls called somewhere, found out something and eventually printed out this ill-fated guarantee. Hurrah.
Say “cheers” after a month or more of exploitationBlackBerry Curve 9220 I probably can not. It is clear that to fully work with any BlackBerry smartphone, it’s worth connecting BIS with the operator, and I don’t have MTS either, so I couldn’t enjoy the harmonious ecosystem. Nevertheless, set up mail, the VKontakte messenger (a terrible curve - for example, in most cases he does not want to automatically download new messages), a browser (including Opera Mini) and access to the BlackBerry App World store (from there the VKontakte messenger was downloaded and "Opera") can be without BIS, for this there are a number of folk ways - welcome to Google or Yandex. At the same time, the official pre-installed Twitter and Facebook clients did not work.
Looks interfaceBlackBerry OS 7.1 - it is under the control of this system that the Curve 9220 also works - is very unusual. Well, let's say, if you have been sitting on your iPhone or Android for more than a year, then the menu of this smartphone will cast you back into the past - at the time of crooked icons, strange design moves and so on. But, in general, you can get used to the interface - it took me a couple of days to get used to the process of getting used to. Of the unusual, I note the need to restart the smartphone after installing application updates (!) And a very long turn on - if you get the battery, put it in place and press the power button, it will take about two minutes.
As for ergonomics and iron, then it is clear that BlackBerry has enough branded developments, although all of them, alas, in 2013 are already practically inapplicable in practice and nobody really needs. For example, I have repeatedly dealt with QWERTY smartphones, but I could not type text on them: my fingers turned out to be incompatible with keyboards at the hardware level :). But on the BlackBerry Curve 9220 with its small buttons, I can type long letters, since the shape of these buttons is very, very convenient. Another point: if I pick up a phone or smartphone without a touch screen, then after a couple of minutes of wandering around the menu, I automatically start poking the display on the machine - trying to press the virtual buttons. Here, I have never clicked on the screen: navigation on the interface is carried out using an optical joystick, which, again, is very convenient. True, alas and ah,
Not without marriage . On the right side of the smartphone there is a key to which you can assign the launch of an application. So she refused to work - all the other buttons have a clear course and work like a clock, but this one does not. It is worth saying here that the side panels of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 are trimmed with rubber, on which there are convexities for the buttons on the board. Probably, at the factory, the button on the board did not get into the seat intended for it with an elastic band. I solved the problem like this: I removed the back cover, pulled the gum out with my fingernail (risking tearing it or simply damaging it) and “swayed” from side to side. As a result, after an hour of torment, the button worked.
The same button that managed to get to work
The back panel is made of glossy plastic. She sits well, like a glove, but she collects scratches just awfully fast. Meanwhile, covers for this device in Ukraine during the day with fire you will not find.
A fragment of the back panel with scratches
But the BlackBerry Curve 9220 is very small. Perhaps this device should be recommended to users who do not want to bring a brick-type smartphone with them on vacation, but they don’t agree with a regular mobile phone with its antediluvian email client. Here are the dimensions of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 compared to a number of other gadgets:
Samsung Keystone 2, HTC Titan, BlackBerry Curve 9220
2.4-inch screenwith a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, for obvious reasons, it did not cause much enthusiasm - well, the screen and the screen are moderately grainy, moderately bright. About the same as the same Nokia Asha for $ 100, or even worse.
What I liked was the sound of an external speaker. I can’t even believe that such a small device can scream so loudly and cleanly. Well, right you HTC One or OPPO Find 5. In the headphones, the sound, in my inexperienced look, is also good. By the way, I found this picture on the Internet - see below.
Maybe in some countries the BlackBerry Curve 9220 comes with such headphones, but personally I found in the box this something, cheap and terrible:
The BlackBerry Curve 9220 does not have a GPS receiver and 3G network support - this model is generally intended for developing countries, including, for example, India. The camera - well, it’s kind of here ... 2 megapixels, autofocus and flash are absent - that’s it. A couple of examples of the photo below:
It is generally accepted that BlackBerry smartphones are distinguished by excellent autonomy - supposedly for them, three and four days are not a problem. The BlackBerry Curve 9220 is not like that: a 1,450 mAh battery provides it with a day and a half. Although there seems to be nothing to eat its charge - the screen is small, there is no 3G, the processor is weak (one core, 800 MHz).
In general, no, more than $ 200 is not a miracle, and in Ukraine (and not only here) I do not see the audience for this model at all. The device, as described above, turned out to be expensive and at the same time imperfect. I, in principle, am satisfied - the collection has replenished with one more instance. Which, however, is difficult to use :).