Saturday, February 26, 2011

BlackBerry Curve 8520 - Review

The good: The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 features a responsive optical trackpad and dedicated media controls. The smartphone also offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, and good call quality.

The bad: Lacks 3G support and GPS. You can only save downloaded apps to the phone's main memory.

The bottom line: The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a sleek entry-level smartphone that delivers some nice design enhancements and great performance. While available directly from T-Mobile, Wal-Mart offers the better value on the smartphone.




T-Mobile is getting a bevy of smartphones this summer, and we're happy to see it (as are T-Mobile customers, we're sure). The carrier has recently launched the T-Mobile Dash 3G and the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, and the HTC Touch Pro2 is just around the corner. All three are sure to please mobile professionals and gadget heads, but what about those making their first foray into smartphones? Enter the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520.

As an entry-level smartphone, the Curve 8520 lacks some of the bells and whistles of the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900, such as GPS and a high-resolution screen, but it delivers on the core features and offers great performance. In addition, the smartphone features a sleek design that includes a new optical trackpad and dedicated media controls. That said, T-Mobile's price of $129.99 (with a two-year contract) isn't the most compelling, especially when you consider that for $20 more you can get the extra features of the Curve 8900. However, Wal-Mart is offering the BlackBerry Curve 8520 for just $48.88 with a two-year new agreement or qualified upgrade, which makes it quite a steal. Hopefully, T-Mobile will reconsider its pricing but for now, if you can get yourself to a Wal-Mart, the Curve 8520 is a great device for first-time smartphone buyers.