BlackBerry Curve 8520: BlackBerry Compact

BlackBerry’s have undoubtedly become one of the hottest devices on the phone market and as so many of us are already aware, these big boys can come with a rather large price tag. Of course, you get a top-notch technology package for your money, but what if you don’t want to pay for the fancy extras and just want a no mess, no fuss good quality phone? Well, RIM have created a device for those who long for just that, rather than a mini-computer that just happens to make calls as well. It’s easy on the wallet, easy to use and looks just as good as any of those superphones we keep hearing about! It’s time to open up the BlackBerry Curve 8520!

The 8520 oozes classic BlackBerry from the offset. It’s glossy, smart and its compact size will fit into the smallest of pockets. Shortcut keys appear in abundance, all neatly concealed around those sleek curved edges, which just so happen to encase that trademark BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard. The Curve also features RIM’s touch-sensitive optical trackpad that offers super-responsive navigation, which can be supped up to provide speedy navigation or knocked down a notch for a bit of snail pace action.

RIM has thrown all their easy to use features to ensure the Curve is as user-friendly as possible, and generally speaking they’ve hit the nail on the head. The Curve 8520 operates on BlackBerry’s OS 4.6, which for what it’s worth we find rather charming. Combined with the device’s 512MHz CPU processor, it functions really well and while the text sub-menus resemble a late 60’s throwback, it does make it easy to find things. The Curve 8520 is the perfect partner for those budding socialites. There’s no end of spangly shortcuts, allowing you to find contacts straight from your homescreen, speed dial at the touch of a button and sort out your emails from the front page. The QWERTY keyboard is great for typing quick messages and even has separate buttons for every key, making it perfectly optimised for those chubby fingered among us. Throwing caution to the wind, the optical trackpad is open for business whenever, however and by whoever. Simply swipe podgy, skinny, long, short, sticky, and clammy fingers across the surface and you’ll be switching through menus at the rate of knots.

The only place where we can see the Curve is lacking is in the connectivity department, which depending on how you plan to abuse this package may not be a huge problem. While you don’t get features such as 3G, it works its backside off to ensure it keeps up as best as it can. On another note these lower-specs are definitely practical; they’ll do wonders for your battery life!

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 has been designed with more than just business in mind. For starters, it has dedicated music keys on the top of the device to flick between tracks avoiding the hassle of going back to your playlist every time. You can enjoy DivX and XviD support too, so you won’t need to convert videos before installing them. For the snap happy, the Curve 8520 has a 2 megapixel camera onboard with video capture too. There’s also a microSD slot crammed in which can handle cards up to 32GB.

Talking technology and you’ll have a phone to rely on wherever you go with Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth, microUSB port and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Curve 8520 has usability written all over it, proving that sometimes it’s important to remember your roots. Whether you’re after a bit on the side for business or pleasure, the BlackBerry Curve 8520 will definitely come to the rescue for all your mobile needs.