With Facebook integration becoming a key feature on mobile phones, developers have been keen to release social messaging focused handsets for consumers on a tight budget. Two such phones are the HTC ChaCha and Blackberry Curve 8520. But which one comes out better in a technical, comparative test? As with most tests of this nature, the results are far from being clear cut and depend on what you prioritise as important features.
The Curve is much more lightweight as a device, coming in at 120g, compared with the ChaCha’s 106g. The Blackberry also looks more compact, and reviews have been positive about the front-panel layout and comfortable keyboard. The HTC on the hand is, debatably, a little odd looking, with the screen at an angle to the keyboard. Personal preference is of course a factor, but the Curve could be said to look more conventional.
In terms of display, things start to get interesting. The Blackberry is not a touchscreen smartphone, and input is solely dependent on the QWERTY keyboard and optical track-pad. The screen size is a relatively modest 2.4”, with a pixel density of 151 PPI. HTC’s model also has a slightly bigger 2.6” display, but it’s a touchscreen with multi-touch input. Screen resolution and picture quality is better. Storage could also be seen as a relative triumph on the ChaCha since it has 512MBs of RAM and ROM, while the Curve only has 128MB and 256 MB respectively.
For messaging phones, perhaps issues like storage and processor speed are secondary. But it’s important to note that both are powered by sub-1GHz single core setups, with the ChaCha outstretching the Curve by 800MHz to 512MHz. The operating system of the ChaCha is version 2.3 Gingerbread, a proven, newish multitasking environment which works well with the touch screen. The Curve runs Blackberry OS 4.2, which is usable but far from cutting edge compared with the recent RIM handsets.
In summary, you could argue that both phones handle the messaging side of things similarly well, but it does appear the ChaCha has the edge in terms of speed, power and performance. Whether you can cope with its looks is in the eye of the beholder.
