BlackBerry Curve 9315 budget phone coming to T-Mobile
T-Mobile plans to add RIM's BlackBerry Curve 9315 to its roster for $50.
All eyes may be on RIM and its long-delayed BlackBerry 10 devices but that hasn't stopped the company from announcing that its budget handset is coming to another U.S. carrier. Slated for T-Mobile and expected to cost an affordable $49.99 (after mail-in rebate), the BlackBerry Curve 9315 will ship nationwide by January 23.
This date places the BlackBerry Curve 9315's availability just ahead of RIM's BlackBerry 10 event on January 30. This isn't much of a deal, though, when you factor in that the phone runs outdated BlackBerry 7.1 software and that it isn't really a new gadget. A variant of the Curve 9315, the Curve 9310, is already sold by Boost Mobile and Verizon.
Additionally, the BlackBerry Curve 9315's tiny 2.44-inch screen (320x240 pixels) isn't exactly a vast canvas for enjoying Web pages, movies, or other mobile content, and its low-resolution 3.2-megapixel camera is woefully underpowered. Honestly you'd be better served springing for the Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB) for $99 (Web-only offer on T-Mobile's site through January 3). Another option is the $79.99 LG Optimus L9 that features Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, dual-core processing, and a sharper 5MP camera.