I've got a Blackberry curve 8310 and I'm not ashamed to say that I really, really like the device (ok I said "like" instead of "love" at the last minute but you get the picture).
...but why do I like this device?
I'm a bit of a gadget person so it may come as a surprise to you that it took me a while to get a powerful handheld device such as a Blackberry. Before that I owned your bog standard mobile phones but I just couldn't decide which more powerful cousin was right for me. I knew it couldn't be a Windows Mobile device (sorry, just couldn't live with myself then!).
In years gone by I have owned a Palm VII and THAT was good. Back then you only head LCD screens which actually meant the text display was crisp and gorgeous - much better than these screens which have to compromise between text and graphics (and not to mention the battery life!). With the old Palm there was a nice cradle and some half decent desktop software for syncing etc - I even remember there was a great app for downloading "channels" of information onto the device which, I see now, was a great precursor to the a mobile RSS reader (what WAS it called?!).
So, seeing as I'd liked my Palm so much it took me a long time of soul searching to select another device. And that device was a Blackberry Curve 8310
The Blackberry Curve 8310
This phone is sweet. It's a good size with a crisp display (ok, not long my old Palm but this is full colour).
It REALLY does email well! (which was the main reason I bought it) but it has soooo many other goodies as well.
For starters it has GPS which means it has SatNav built in - this is worth it's weight in gold. Funnily enough thought the SatNav gives you the option to have directions spoken to you for "DRIVING" or "WALKING" which itself opens your eyes to the possibilities (e.g. walking tours of your own town?) - we just tend to assume that "SATNAV = DRIVING" which is an over simplification. The only downside is the SatNav interface software is just down right nasty....yeuch.
OTA (Over The Air) Applications
This is something great. In my old Palm VII days everything which got onto the Palm was via syncing (which is why the syncing software had to be pretty darn good). However, the Blackberry is a GSM/GPRS wireless device - it can suck data over the the air.
Yes you can install applications via the desktop software (which I don't use) but the fun starts when you realise that you can install application over-the-air (OTA). Makes installing third party applications simple.
Applications which I like include:
Viigo (http://www.viigo.com/)
Great RSS reader - wasn't ever a big RSS fan before my Blackberry and this woke me up to them
Google Sync (http://m.google.com/sync)
Syncs your calendar to Google Calendar
GMAIL (http://m.google.com/mail)
I don't use GMAIL much but this app is good
Google Maps (http://m.google.com/maps)
The Blackberry has it's own mapping application installed (and with the SatNav that kinda means there are two installed already) however the Google Maps app is a great, usable tool. It's doesn't do the "speak directions" kinda SatNav stuff but this is probably only a matter of time knowing Google.
Google Talk (http://m.google.com/talk)
BB version for their instant messenger. MSN Messenger is available as well but I don't use that much.Facebook (http://www.blackberry.com/facebook/)
Essentially for you Facebook fans out there. I like it that I can take a photo with my BB and then post it direct to Facebook.Twitterberry (http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitteryberry/)
Whislt you can interface to twitter via the browser or via email (twittermail.com), this handy app is a bit more responsive and usable.
