BlackBerry Curve 8520 Review

[qwiksilver]

I was finally able to hold a 8530 in my hand right out of the box and it is REALLY light! for the couple minutes I had with it, I can see where some of the opinions come from that it feels more like a child's toy. Too bad the salesperson told me they aren't allowed to sell them until Sunday. argh! 4 more days (I can count. I just can't get to the store until Monday.LOL)

[heckufaguy]

I just picked up mine @ bestbuy.

I've owned an 8350i, and an 8330. I like it, it's zippy fast. Trackpad is nice.
I can see ways I'd like it to be better, but I paid 49 dollars for it. (and an added year to my contract).
I wish they'd kept the phone/end menu/esc buttons as buttons and not split the bottom of the screen lens for them.
But so far it's a move up in ram, processor speed, and it has wifi.
I DO like it better than my 8330, but if the 8350i had been on a network with ANY kind of data speeds, it would still be hands down a winner. Much more solid.

[redhot95]

Picked up my first bb...8520 yesterday. The trackpad is great! The keyboard does have some wiggle. Nothing to bad.
Can you add signatures to email and text?

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[lethalfunk]

Just got an 8520 from Rogers there a few days ago and have had some time to play with it. I've got to say, the Track Pad is exceptional. Playing with my girlfriends 8900 now, that track ball just seems so unresponsive. If anyone's going to get a new blackberry from now on, make it a track pad one.

[Mois]

I don't know why people complains about 8520's keyboard. My sister got it while I own a 8300. Writing on her phone is so easy and fast, not to mention how fast and precise the trackpad responds. Writing on my phone is like needing a hammer to type some keys.

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[furnace]

Originally Posted by Mois

I don't know why people complains about 8520's keyboard. My sister got it while I own a 8300. Writing on her phone is so easy and fast, not to mention how fast and precise the trackpad responds. Writing on my phone is like needing a hammer to type some keys.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Opposite experience for me. I have a hard time typing on the 8530 keyboard because they keys are all the same level with no edges. The Tour keyboard is infinitely better. The 8330 keyboard is significantly better. At least the keys are spaced out more so I don't hit two letters at once like the 8530...

[philbert81]

I miss the keyboard on my 8330, but the 8530 is a lot faster and the wifi is nice. I like that it is light, and it looks way better than the 8330. So if the only thing i miss about the 8330 is the keyboard then I think this is a grate phone.

P.S. for all you out there who complain about the lack of flash and 2.0 camera. BUY A REAL CAMERA. you dont buy a phone for the camera.

[goat03]

Got my wife's Purple 8530 from Sprint today. I like it so far. It feels very good in my hand, and for some reason I really like how the buttons feel they have to be pushed hard..gives it a rugged feel for to me for some reason. Since she is going for a 8330 this will be perfect enough for her..she doesn't use much of the features...she just likes the keyboard layout of BB's and she loves purple, so this will work out great for her.

[jellyhaze]

it's been a couple of weeks now and I'm still in love with my BB!

[EbolaVirus]

After a pearl and a curve, this unit is a nice progression. Tight, well built and I would guess a genuine device for the masses. If I need to do serious work, I simply use a computer. For email, texts, videos, music and ACTUALLY making calls - this device is terrific. Best Buy currently has them for FREE.
I added an InvisiShield (front and back) as well as the BB rubberized skin. I am very happy with this unit and believe most people will be as well. BB's are renowned for durability and I expect the same is true for the 8520 (I currently avg about 3000 texts per month).

10+ for value and performance, reliability and ease of use

[gus2003]

this is by far the best BB i have ever used

[EbolaVirus]

Originally Posted by gus2003

this is by far the best BB i have ever used

Word. I think a BB for the masses. There are very few users who ACTUALLY need the extras on more expensive models. For many the upper models are to satiate repressed feelings of inadequacies from childhood.

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[rvm94]

hey i was just wondering. i recently got my curve 8520 about 1 month ago and im starting to feel the keyboard way too loose. the keyboards move up and downward and they make a strange sound when typing. is everyone having this problem?

[tyroleanarcher]

Well, I had my 8520 for three days now. Before that I had a Bold which got annihilated when I was cleaning my rain gutters on a ladder and bent over... well the rest is history.

I went to the Vodafone store to check if there might be some loophole in the contract, but they couldn't do anything. I cannot renew my contract until January 2011, but I still wanted a Blackberry, after all I have grown quite attached to those little things.

So I went over to MediaMarkt in Rotterdam and looked the devices over: 8520, 8900, 9000, 9700

Final decision for me was pricing: the 8520 being for less than half the price of the 9000 and nearly a third of the 9700.

I thought I'd miss GPS, but cell detection works fine enough for me to get around (i.e. when in a city searching for a hotel or the next pizza joint).

On my Bold I mainly used the flash of the camera as a torch to find my way in the dark... so really don't miss that either, the screen of the 8520 is bright enough to see by.

Now what I really do miss is the Keyboard of the Bold. That was just freaking awesome. I could type almost as fast as on my computer with this. Nowhere near that with the 8520: the keys are too hard and don't have much travel, the angle is not as good and they are too closely spaced. But maybe it takes some getting used to. I already discovered that I can type better by keeping the thumbs flat instead of typing with the fingertips.

What I love about the 8520 is the trackpad, the dedicated media buttons (why not on all models?), placement of memory slot (easily accessible and yet no dustcatcher) and the light weight. The Bold would literally tear your pocket off. For the Curve, I hardly notice it's there.

Also: Thank you a lot RIM for only cutting in Hardware and not into Software like so many others do on their budget devices!

Can't find my BBM though, how's that possible? Installed it twice already and it just won't show up in the menu.

So for me it is a great device that will allow me to survive until I can get back on the Bold track next year. And if this one should break too (which is unlikely according to some statements here) for this price I can just go off buy another.

But I DID learn something about ascending a ladder with your BB in the breast pocket: just don't do it...

[mia624]

Need help!!!!! Havent been on this site for like 2 yrs.. I have a 8520 bb and need themes ... Are there any more free themes on here? Or does anyone have a good site?

Thanks