In a nutshell, the Blackberry 8520 is an entry level Curve that has introduced a new fangled track-pad to replace the quite annoying track-pad on the previous Curve models. The 8520 offers a full QWERTY keyboard, a basic camera, mobile e-mail and a media player, plus good memory, connectivity and a solid range of fun features that will tempt even the most diehard suit-hater. But it seems to have cut corners with the display, camera and lack of high end features that are common in most smartphones. RIM's BlackBerry Curve 8520 provides an inexpensive entry into this alternate phone reality, and we think you might just like it, read on to find out why.
Spoiled for choice: The Curve 8520 Smartphone comes in a range of different colours, which just highlights the fun loving attitude of the phone. The colours include Purple, white, Purple and as always, the good old Black. If you are one of those Uni students, we do not recommend the black version as it might get stolen in no time. We just cannot stress this enough as the black version is really an appealing one, and the purple version might keep the preying hands off, as it just looks like baby puke. The handset itself measures 109mm in height, 60mm in width and 13.9mm in depth, and weighs in at 106g; the lightest BlackBerry yet.
Welcome track-pad: The major difference between the Curve 8520 and the other BlackBerry bush devices is its new optical track-pad, which has replaced the company's iconic, mini trackball, or 'pearl' as RIM liked to call it. This is a change that we know you will love. Said that, it really needs to deliver the goods. We had been fairly disappointed with optical touch-pads on devices like the HP iPAQ Voice Messenger, but thankfully the one employed on the 8520 is in a totally different league. The track-pad is very much similar to a mouse pad on a laptop with a flat surface that responds to your touch, but, we have to also mention that it seems to be insanely sensitivity to make up for its teeny-mini size. Like the Pearl, you can press down on the track-pad to select an item. For those people who have been using a BlackBerry with a Pearl, it may take a little time to get used to the experience, but soon you will find it is more responsive.
It is a pleasure to use as it is both accurate and responsive and really we really did not miss the old style track ball at all. You can also adjust its horizontal and vertical sensitivity to customise the speed at which it zips around icons on the screen. And, since it does not stick out from the body and get gunged up with dirt and crud, it makes the device easier to be popped into a pocket. So, it does not come in as a surprise that RIM has announced that the track-pad will be the one employed for navigation on many of the new BlackBerry models, mainly because it has no moving parts and so is less prone to dust and dirt. And we are glad to see this innovation making its debut on a cheaper phone.
The Qwerty: As you can imagine, real strength of the Blackberry Curve 8520 Smartphone lies in its Qwerty keyboard and messaging features, making it a dream smartphone for social networkers. The 35-key backlit QWERTY keyboard is excellent as ever. The keys are a little small, but as they are slightly raised they are quite easy to hit with your fingers and thumbs so tapping out emails will never be an issue.
Buttons and Ports: As we had mentioned earlier, the track-pad does not stick out from the case like the old trackball, the manufacturer has now designed the four main buttons under the display such that they sit completely flush with the screen giving the handset a much sleeker look than previous Curve models. RIM has also made a few changes in some of the other controls. For instance, the lock and mute buttons have been bid goodbye at the top of the screen to be replaced by a row of three rubberised media transport controls including two track skip keys and a play/pause button. The traditional side mounted buttons have also now been 'weatherised', hence they are not as exposed to the elements as they used to be. A microUSB port allows media content to be synchronised using BlackBerry Media Sync.
We appreciate the 8520's standard 3.5mm headphone jack, but it's placement on the side of the phone is quite awkward, rather than at the top. When you have a pair of headphones plugged in, the connector will be jutted out to the side, giving you a hard time sliding the Blackberry into a pocket or bag. Since, the port is a standard 3.5mm one, if you do not like the supplied headset you can swap it for your own cans, although you will lose the hands-free functionality. MediaSync, which lets you sync your Blackberry to iTunes, is included in the box.
Blackberry Curve 8520 UI: Most phones have similar user interfaces with no major differenced to help with intuitiveness for its consumers, but since the BlackBerry evolved along its own branch of the phone family tree, it can take some getting used to if you are new to the Blackberry family. For others, it is right out there sticking to the simple icon-based BlackBerry look, with customisable shortcuts at the bottom of the screen and large, clear icons in the main menu. We found that the User Interface of the 8520 was generally easy to navigate, although we have a few quibbles. For instance, the default menu icons are hard to make out, and some people may find that they have just too many options to deal with.
The BlackBerry UI is also starting to feel rather out dated when compared to the jazzy interfaces that are flaunted by the popular bad guys like the HTC Hero. For instance, the address book is a boring list of names unembellished by any styling or added functionality. There are a few fun features too in there, just open a contact and you will be able to view their Facebook profile picture and you will also able to download apps that jazz up your contact list, home screen and other areas. Neatly arrayed beside the App World icon are the email, phone lock, media manager, web browser and instant messaging icons. Any of these can be switched for other applications if you prefer, while pressing the BlackBerry hardware button just below the screen brings up a list of installed programs and features. You can move items, archive them in a folder, hide or delete them all using the BlackBerry button. When you are using an application this button acts as a context sensitive menu, so while the camera is in use it will let you switch to video camera mode, adjust camera white balance, image size or add effects.
Connectivity: Connectivity is also a bit of a mixed bag. The absence of support for 3G will put the brakes on your browsing while you are out and about, but it is not that you cannot surf at all as it is still possible, especially for data light tasks like sending tweets. Fortunately, this blackberry phone does have WiFi connectivity, which fastens things up when you are on a wireless network. And, there is also Bluetooth for use with car kits or stereo headsets. EDGE does make an appearance, although that is not much faster than GPRS. That said, the lack of 3G is not really all that noticeable when you are using the 8520 for e-mail, thanks to BlackBerry's clever compression technology. However, it is an entirely different story with the web browser as when you are away from a Wi-Fi signal and working over the mobile EDGE network it can be dead slow to load pages in the browser.
Browsing: Despite the small screen and lack of 3G support, the usual everyday surfing experience the net on the browser is pretty decent as it feels responsive and is easy to navigate using the onscreen cursor via the optical trackpad. It seems to be better than on a typical phone with a small screen and sans any track-pad, but not that good when compared to the one on a Webmeister like the iPhone. A big advantage here is that you can directly enter a web address and go straight to the site in question. This is far more straightforward than on many devices, which attempt to reroute you to their own portals. Web pages look clear and accurate, but you will be irritated to having to zoom in to click on smaller links. For some pages, that added a couple of clicks where none were necessary. It also does a pretty good job of rendering sites, although it does muck up the formatting every now and again on some of those complex pages. For the ultimate test we browsed to YouTube.com, at which point we were prompted to switch to WAP for media streaming.
BlackBerry App World: Blackberry has also gone up against the competition with its own app store, easily accessed by the 8520. Since the BlackBerry App World is on-board, finding and installation of apps is as easy as baking a ready to bake cake. The BlackBerry App World link is of course pre-installed and features prominently on the uncluttered main screen. RIM says it now has more than 2,000 approved apps and these can be easily searched through by type, price, reviews rating and so on. Installed apps and their status are listed. A decent variety is on offer, from the more frivolous games and shopping apps to more handy travel and news information. There are several amazing apps available, although they are pricier than in competitors' app stores, with a minimum price of about $3 (£1.80).
You might ask us “Why the heck are you quoting US dollar prices for?” Excellent query! The App World displays prices in dollars until you have logged into your UK PayPal account for the first time, and the prices in sterling are based on the US prices, and so, they will fluctuate with the exchange rate. So, a PayPal account is a must. Although this does help you keep better track of what extras you are spending rather than putting it on your bill at the end of the month, it makes the process more drawn out, having to enter your details every time rather than just a quick click solution.
Social Networking: You will fall in love with the solidly built applications for sites like Facebook and Twitter, along with the instant messaging app, and you can download extras for Facebook and Myspace for free via the BlackBerry App Store. They combine with a full Qwerty keyboard, which makes long messages to be typed easily and accurately, making it a social butterfly's fantasy phone.
Messaging and Email: As with all BlackBerry devices the 8520's messaging features are top class. Its instant messages support is excellent with ICQ, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger all present and correct. It is a shame that there is not just one app that can sign you in to all of these at the same time preinstalled, but downloading BlackBerry App World will eliminate this issue, with a whole variety of apps at your fingertips. You are allowed to set up as many as ten email accounts, and, since the smartphone supports 'push' mail, you will be able get messages as they arrive, rather than waiting for your inbox to update itself.
Office: The Documents to Go suite of apps is preinstalled, allowing you to view Word, Excel, PDF and image files on the move. You will not be able to create documents though; this is a feature reserved for the premium version of the application.
Any missed calls or emails awaiting attention are indicated onscreen. Details of a missed call can be viewed or the message dismissed, but you are not automatically shown the name or number of the caller. A single click allows you to add a caller's details to your address book however.
Camera: The camera, on the other hand, is a bit disappointing, especially for a device that's primarily aimed at consumers. The videos are very watchable and photos look good in the 8520’s display, although you will not get any spectacular pictures out of the 8520's 2 megapixel camera with 5x zoom. The camera does not have any flash, but it does shoot video. We were pleased to find that photos could be taken in a matter of seconds, with virtually no load time and you get options to save it, send it as email or MMS or to Send To Facebook, MySpace or Flickr. Photos taken outdoors in good light look decent, but as the camera lacks flash or autofocus, it really struggles indoors leaving you with dark and noisy photos.
Zooming is now noticeably faster and smoother. Curiously, RIM has not taken advantage of this to allow the zoom to be used while recording video. You must choose a zoom setting and stick with it for the duration of the recording. We liked the fact you can pause and resume video recording, though, and we impressed with the effectiveness of the device's internal microphone. The videos look a tad jerky and the resolution is no match for that of the best video phones such as the LG Viewty or the Toshiba TG01.
Music: Listening to music on the Curve 8520 Wo-Fi enabled Phone is a pleasant experience. Windows Media Player and Apple iTunes libraries can also be imported and there is an effective on-device search function that makes it fast to find a track, album, video clip or image you want. The ability to rename media items as you save them or on the device, as well as to add captions to media files you send as MMS messages is another boon. Video format support covers MPEG4, H.263, H.264, and WMV3, as well as DivX and XviD, along with support for MP3, AAC, AAC+ and WMA music files.
You will find three dedicated music keys on the top to control the good times. We are glad to know that the music plays on while you are doing other things just like the iPhone, but we would have loved to see some information on the home screen about what is being played. In fact, the home screen as a whole seems like a waste of real estate, since the default setting only includes six shortcuts along the bottom of the screen. Certainly this is not a phone you would buy for the camera or music capabilities but these features do at least increase the appeal.
No GPS: Unfortunately, there is no GPS support offered, however you can always use Google Maps, which triangulates your position using mobile phone towers. It does not seem to be as accurate as GPS, though.
Battery: Charging is via mini USB but actually, you do not have to do this too often. One of the traditional strengths of BlackBerry devices is their long battery life and here the Curve 8520 is no different. Battery life on Curve 8520 claims stand at 17 days standby and 4.5 hours talk time. From a full charge you will get around three days of heavy usage out of it for emailing, phone calls and a bit of web browsing, which is very very impressive.
Warranty: The BlackBerry Curve 8520 comes with 1 year warranty for parts and labour.
Verdict: RIM's BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a solid, reasonably priced introduction into the world of the CrackBerry, and this will give a larger part of the community a chance to find out what the addiction is all about. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is certainly a little light on features, with 3G and GPS the most serious omissions, but the phone still manages to rise above these limitations. The excellent social networking and messaging apps, long battery life, combined with a Qwerty keyboard, make the 8520 a worthy option for social networking addicts, although they will surely feel the absence of 3G connectivity on board. It is a great choice for those who want more than a standard mobile, but have not got the cash to go the iPhone or HTC Hero route. And, as always, it is suitable for messaging moguls as it is for business people who want to combine their work phone with a personal device.
Check Cheap, Best Blackberry Deals in this website.
Blackberry Curve 8520 Smartphone - Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | RIM |
| Model Name | BlackBerry Curve 8520 |
| Announced | 2009 |
| 3G Network | No |
| Form factor | Candy bar |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 4.29 x 2.36 x 0.55 inches |
| Weight | 105 grams |
| Display Type | High-resolution Transmissive LCD |
| Display Resolution | 320 x 240 pixel colour display |
| Colours supported | Over 65,000 colours |
| Display features | Light sensitive screen User-selectable font size |
| Input and Navigation | 35-key backlit QWERTY keyboard Optical trackpad located on the front face ESC key to the right of trackpad Menu key to the left of trackpad |
| Dedicated keys | Send/Power, End, Mute, VAD (User customisable), Camera (User customisable), 2 x volume/zoom |
| Media keys | Forward, Back, Play |
| Voice input and output | 3.5mm stereo headset capable, Integrated speaker and microphone, Hands-free headset capable, Bluetooth® headset capable, Integrated Hands-free speakerphone |
| Speakerphone | Yes - 3.5 mm audio jack |
| Phonebook Memory | Yes |
| Call records | Yes |
| Memory | 256 MB flash memory/256 MB SDRAM |
| Card Slot | Expandable memory - Support for microSD card |
| Modem | RIM® wireless modem Tethered modem capability |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g WPA / WPA2 Personal and Enterprise Cisco CCX certified Wi-Fi® access to BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Wi-Fi access to BlackBerry® Internet Bundle Support for UMA (carrier-dependent) |
| CDMA Dual-band | 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS networks |
| CDMA Dual-mode | 850/900/1800/1900 MHz EDGE networks |
| Bluetooth | Headset profile (HSP) Handset profile (HFP) Address book integration using AT commands and using OBEX (Object Push) Phone book access profile (PBAP) Serial port profile (SPP) Secure simple pairing (SSP) Stereo audio (A2DP / AVRCP) Dial-up networking (DUN) |
| Camera | 2MP camera 5X digital zoom Fixed focus Video recording |
| Features | Optical trackpad, Full QWERTY keyboard, Email and text messaging, BlackBerry® Messenger, Instant Messaging, Phone, Browser, Camera and video recording, Wi-Fi, Media player, Organiser, Bluetooth, and Tethered modem |
| Video Format | MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV9 |
| Audio Format | MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCELP EVRC, AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA9, Windows Media 10 Standard/Professional |
| Ringtones and Notifications | Polyphonic/MIDI ringtones MP3 ringtones Vibrate mode LED indicator |
| OS | Blackberry OS5 |
| Messaging | SMS, MMS, Email and Instant Messaging |
| Browser | HTML |
| Radio | No |
| Games | Yes + downloadable |
| Colours available | Black, White, dark purple, Violet, Silver, Red and grey |
| GPS | Built-in GPS functionality Includes BlackBerry® Maps |
| Device Security | Password protection with keyboard lock Sleep mode AES or Triple DES encryption with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Optional support for S/MIME FIPS validation |
| Battery Type | 1150 mAHr removable/rechargeable lithium-ion cell |
| Battery Standby | up to 19 days, UMTS - up to 14.5 days |
| Talk time | up to 4.5 hours, UMTS - up to 5.5 hours |
| Warranty | One year |
