The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is the handset that put BlackBerry firmly in the mainstream consumer market, RIM having already established themselves in the business sector. It has been amongst the top selling handsets of any brand in the UK for over a year, and with good reason, however, there is now a new model out, the BlackBerry Curve 3G. If you plan on using the internet or networked apps then the 3G model will be a lot faster. If you are not worried about internet connection speeds and just want a solid proven handset at an affordable price then you can find our original review (from 2010) below:
The Blackberry Curve 8520 is one of the most up to date Blackberry handsets and comes with all the usual features of a Blackberry. Email, internet, social networking, video, pictures, the list goes on. It is a slimmer, lighter model of the previous Blackberry phones. The newest feature of a Track Pad makes the Blackberry Curve 8520 even more innovative. Although new features such as the Track Pad mean that other features suffer such as the camera which takes a hit in terms of mega pixel number. Overall the Blackberry Curve is a really good phone and the new features definatley make it a good buy.
BlackBerry Curve 8520, 50 minutes to any network and 250 texts.
Tariff Name: 50 mins 250 texts (24m), Network T-Mobile, 24 Month Contract, 50 Anytime Minutes, 250 Free Text Messages, BlackBerry Curve 8520, Phone Price 114, Total Cost After Discounts £282
Features of the Blackberry Curve 8520
- Dedicated Media Keys. The Blackberry Curve 8520 has dedicated media keys found on top of the phone. The keys enable you to skip tracks on the music player, fast forward, pause your music to talk to mates and using the mute button mid call.
- Palm Size. The Blackberry Curve 8520 is palm sized and fits expertly into your hand.
- Key Size. The QUERTY keyboard gives an easy typing experience.
- Bright Screen. The screen has a high resolution which makes seeing everything on the screen clear. The brightness of the screen means that even in shadow, the screen of the Blackberry Curve 8520 will be clear and readable.
- Track Pad. Instead of a Track Ball, which most Blackberry phones feature. The Blackberry Curve 8520 has a Track Pad, similar to one on a laptop.
- Applications. The Blackberry Curve 8520 has instant access to the Blackberry App World meaning you can download Applications quickly and easily.
- In Built Camera. The Blackberry Curve has an in built 2MP Camera.
Good Points of the Blackberry Curve 8520
- No Sticking. A problem reported with previous Blackberry models is that the Track Ball would often stick into place rendering the Blackberry useless until it could be unstuck. With the Blackberry Curve 8520 the new Track Pad feature means that there is no sticking just smooth navigation.
- Weight. The Blackberry Curve 8520 weights a very light 106 grams, much lighter than previous Blackberry models.
- Wireless Email. The Blackberry Curve 8520 features wireless email. Meaning you can send emails anywhere and everywhere.
- Wi-Fi Enabled. With the Curve 8520 being Wi-Fi enabled you can connect to the internet anywhere there is a Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Video Camera. The Blackberry Curve 8520 has a built in video camera.
- Organiser & Planner. And organiser and planner feature means that you can plan your life on the go and then syncronise it with your computer so that your life is on your PC and Blackberry at the same time, for quick and easy time keeping.
Bad Points of the Blackberry Curve 8520
- Camera. The camera is only 2MP which is the standard camera megapixel for a phone of 3 years ago. Many people think the camera in the Blackberry Curve 8520 could be better.