[kelton]

I bought a Tour, but went back to my old Curve.

The Curve works very well... feels more durable... has a trackball that can be changed by myself if needed... and the screen is easier on the eyes. Sure, the Tour has a higher resolution, but the Curve's blocky pixels are easier to read.

For the most important tasks, the Curve does everything the Tour does... gmail, gsync, weather, etc.

I also like that the Curve is readily affordable on Craigslist. If it breaks, there are never fewer than 4 or 5 up for immediate sale locally. Also, if I lose the phone, i won't feel like I lost a high-end piece of electronics. This is actually one if it's coolest luxury features... i can just relax with it and not worry about every scuff.

That said, how long will this old phone be supported? (i.e. remain useful?)

I'm totally "G" (gmail, gCalendar, etc.), so that's a big part of the "support" that I'm wanting to keep.

What provoked this post?

Actually, I see the Blackberry Charging Station on sale for $29!... which is a huge discount. If the Curve is going to remain a viable device for the next 24 months, I figure, why not.

So what d'ya think?

Kelton

[Kepeli]

I have been using my phone for business for almost 20 months now. I'm due for an upgrade soon. I use my Curve 8330 mainly for keeping my contacts and schedules organized, Emailing (documents, pictures, multimedia files), calling (an under-rated feature often overlooked when deciding on a phone), and the occasional browsing on google to find answers to questions, find restaurants to go to in an area, movie times, etc. It's convenient for me, and I have only two 3rd party apps (AIM, and Precision Theme) downloaded because I have no use for the rest of them. When my contract is up, what will I do? Not sure. I was looking at the Storm 2 as it's a world phone, but my eye has been on the Droid as well. Depending on what happens in the next few months, however, I might just stay with my Curve and let my contract run out. My Curve does what I want it to do, and I do not see myself needing anything more than what I already have. Only time will tell.

[robertvo]

I'm not sure what charging station you are seeing on sale for $29.99, but I just bought two from BargainCell (via Amazon) for 4.02 each. $18.99 if you go directly to BargainCell. There were a lot listed on Amazon from $4-$8 when I searched. This is the one I bought: BlackBerry 8330 Curve Desktop Cradle Pod Charger (ASY-14396-002). It does not come with a cable. It's just the pod one uses with an existing charger.

[jaaaaames]

I'm hoping they are supported for a long time... well at least until SUMMER '10...
I just bought this bad boy!

[docsmody]

most carriers are still selling the Curve so I'm sure it'll be supported with app updates for a couple years atleast.

Furthermore, the 8330 is confirmed to be getting an official OS 5.0, so if new apps require OS 5.0, it will still be supported in that sense. You have nothing to worry about. But, why not just use your Tour and then in case you lose it, fall back to the Curve? Thats what I would do.

[kelton]

I already got rid of the Tour.

To tell you the truth, the only big upgrade was in the camera... which is important, but the rest of it was just looks: the screen looked nicer, the device looked newer, etc. Oh, another thing is the speakers on the Tour... those were really quite good for listening. Kind of like the old early 70s handheld transister radio... not great, but good enough if you wanted someone to listen to a tune. In fact, I think the tour sounds better than those old radios... so that's a very cool feat out of such a small device.

Of course, the processor and built in memory was improved, but I didn't notice because the memory in my Curve has yet to be challenged by my mild demands.

If the price of the Curve comes down a bit on Craigslist (and as people start upgrading more and more), I might just buy one as a back up.

The thing just works. That is a HUGE feature. Accessories are having a fire sale, too.
Here is the charging station. I think it is an actual blackberry/RIM product:
https://forums.crackberry.com/e?link...token=Gu67XBCb

I just bought the bluetooth ear piece that works with this charger simply because I lost my old bluetooth... but it would be nice to combine a phone/earphone charger into one.