The sharp and compact BlackBerry Curve 8900 spells business and oozes with class. Easily the hottest looker in the Curve lineup - and possibly portfolio-wide - earns much respect as a massive functionality upgrade over its predecessors.

The distinct insider kind of charm of the BlackBerry handsets phases out into history as RIM are trying to take on the world and competitors with a new design language. OK, baptizing new converts was the Storm's job while the Curve 8900 seems the right stuff to inspire upgraders. Either way, we're happy to extend our BlackBerry streak and put the latest Curve through its paces.

Key features:

• 2.4" 65K-color TFT landscape display with a resolution of 480 x 360 pixels
• Comfortable four-row full QWERTY keyboard
• Quad-band GSM support
• Wi-Fi
• BlackBerry OS v4.6
• Trackball navigation
• Built-in GPS and BlackBerry maps preloaded
• 3.15 MP autofocus camera, LED flash
• 512 MHz CPU, 256 MB RAM
• Hot-swappable microSD card slot
• Good build quality
• DivX and XviD video support
• Compact body
• Good web browser
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Nice audio quality
• Smart dialing

Main disadvantages:

• No 3G
• No email support without BlackBerry Internet Service account
• Mediocre camera
• No FM radio

BlackBerry 8900 Curve doesn't pack the groundbreaking punch of its Storm sibling. Despite the fact that it upgrades the older generation of Curves quite painstakingly the whole user experience implies evolution rather than revolution. But then, that might just be the right approach from an upgrader's point of view.

To begin with, there's both Wi-Fi and GPS, which was until now impossible to have in a single BlackBerry Curve 83xx handset. The screen resolution is also more than doubled and the device has become quite slimmer and so much prettier. Now that sounds like a pretty solid foundation for success but still doesn't mean the Curve can afford to be complacent.

User-friendliness and performance matter the most in reality and we know better than judging a phone before we have tested it.

So, we're about to nudge the BlackBerry Curve 8900 awake and take it out for a spin. Care to join the ride?