BlackBerry Curve 8520 Review

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BlackBerry Curve 8520 Overview

Expected UK Release Date: Available

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Key Features
Media Player with Media Keys
Wireless Email with Attachments
2 Megapixel Camera with 5 x Digital Zoom
Video Player (MPEG4, WMV, H263 & H264)
Wi-Fi Technology
Quad Band Technology (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900)
QWERTY Keyboard with Backlight
2.6 Inch TFT 65k Colour Screen (320 x 240 Pixels)
HTML Browser
256 Mbytes Flash Memory plus MicroSD™ Memory Option

Design
76%
Usability
71%
Features
69%

The above ratings are average figures, which have been generated from submitted mobile phone reviews.

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Our BlackBerry Curve 8520 Review

The Curve 8520 is a fantastic member of the BlackBerry Curve Smartphone family which includes other handset including the BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Curve 8320 & the BlackBerry Curve 8310. The Blackberry Curve 8520 comes with a large 2.6 Inch screen which displays up to sixty five thousand colours on a three hundred & twenty pixel by two hundred & forty pixel TFT screen. The user can use a smooth trackball to navigate their way through menus & the phones features. The user will find a QWERTY keyboard complete with a backlight situated beneath the screen & navigation controls. The overall size of the handset is wider than a standard mobile phone but this handset does come equipped with a full & compact QWERTY keyboard. It measures 6cm wide by 10.9cm tall by 1.39cm deep & it weighs one hundred & six grams including its battery. A fully charged battery can provide up to 408 hours standby time which is a total of 17 days standby time. The user can enjoy chatting for up to 4.5 hours as this battery provides up to 4.5 hours of GSM talk time from a fully charged battery.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 Smartphone supports Wi-Fi technology which allows the user to connect to the Internet via a nearby wireless LAN or via a hotspot. The built in GPRS & EDGE technology allows the user to transfer files at high speeds. The Curve 8520 works over a quad band GSM network & the Smartphone will automatically switch between the four GMS networks which cover GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900 networks. This handset comes complete with a keypad lock feature which will prevent the user pressing any keys on the QWERTY keyboard when the user is carrying their Curve 8520. A security password feature provides the user with further protection for their phones contents allowing the user to access their handset by using their chosen password but preventing others accessing any data. The user can connect to other devices using a Bluetooth™ wireless connection or by using a USB cabled connection when transferring data between two compatible devices.

BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone front view
BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone picture view
BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone side view

A two megapixel camera feature allows the user to capture moving video footage as well as capturing still photos on their Smartphone. When capturing a picture or recording a video the user can use the 2.6 Inch colour screen as a viewfinder allowing the user to view exactly what they are capturing or recording. This camera comes with a built in 5 x digital zoom which allows the user to zoom in & out when taking a shot. A built in flash will add light to darker environments & allows the user to capture a perfect finish photo. This handset supports video playing capabilities as well as video recording, which means the user can playback their own videos, videos sent from others & stored video recordings which are ideal for entertainment. The user can enjoy using the dedicated media keys which are situated on the front of the handset above the QWERTY keyboard which includes a forward key, back key & a multipurpose key which can be used to play, pause & mute.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 comes with an expandable memory card slot which allows the user to insert an external memory card to extend the Smartphone's memory capabilities further & the handset comes with two hundred & fifty six megabytes of internal memory which is flash type memory. A built in Web browser allows the user to access the Web on their Smartphone to find new games, more music, or to search for information. The Curve 8520 supports a wireless email service complete with email document attachment support. The user can also enjoy creating & sharing messaging with compatible contacts in the form of an instant message, SMS text message or a MMS multimedia picture message. An instant message allows the user to use text to communicate online with compatible contacts that are online at the same time as the user.


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BlackBerry Curve 8520 Specifications & Features

Screen
2.6 Inch TFT 65k Colour Screen (320 x 240 Pixels)

Imaging
2 Megapixel Camera
5 x Digital Zoom
Flash
Camera Settings
Viewfinder Display
Video Player (MPEG4, WMV, H263 & H264)
Video Recorder
Screen Savers
Wallpaper

Messaging
SMS (Text Messaging)
MMS (Multimedia Messaging)
Wireless Email with Attachments
Instant Messaging

Sound
Media Player
Media Keys
MP3 & MIDI Ringtones
Polyphonic Ringtones

Entertainment
Downloadable Games
Organiser
Phone Book
Calendar
To Do List
Alarm Clock
QWERTY Keyboard
Keyboard Backlight
Trackball
Document Viewer
BlackBerry Maps™
Sleep Mode
Security Password Protection
Keyboard Lock

Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth™
USB
GPRS
EDGE

Network
Quad Band Technology (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900)

Internet
HTML Browser

Memory & Talk Time
256 Mbytes Flash Memory plus MicroSD™ Memory Option
4.5 Hours Talk Time
408 Hours Standby

Weight & Size
106 g
109 x 60 x 13.9 mm



Your BlackBerry Curve 8520 Reviews

Click here to add your own review for the BlackBerry Curve 8520
Click here to add your own review for the BlackBerry Curve 8520



Reviewer: Make - London, UK
Date: 19th Nov 2011

I HAVE ONE THEY'RE RUBBISHI HAD IT FOR 10 MONTHS, I AM ON MY 4TH ONE I GOT THEM REPAIRED FOR FREE OF THECARPHONEWARE WARRENTY, THEY BREAK. I WOULD GIVE IT A ZERO IF I COULD!

Design
5%
Usability
5%
Features
5%

Reviewer: Renaa - Glasgow, UK
Date: 10th Nov 2011

I think this phone is a waste of space & I would not recommend it! The charger bit has broke out my old one, the screen went fuzzy after two weeks & my media player wouldn't work after a month! I am a sleek person & I need a sleek phone, this blackberry curve 8520 is NOT & I mean NOT a sleek phone!

Design
5%
Usability
5%
Features
5%

Reviewer: Hannah - UK
Date: 19th May 2011

Two words, amazing phone!

I do recommend this phone but only if you have Wi-Fi. Great for it's price, I have it with virgin mobile for just 10.21 a month.

Design
95%
Usability
95%
Features
90%

Reviewer: Pete - UK
Date: 23rd Feb 2011

Great phone, superb value for money. When I upgrading I am getting another phone though as I miss having GPS & 3G on my phone! Apart from that. Excellent handset.

Design
85%
Usability
95%
Features
90%

Reviewer: Dennis - London, UK
Date: 15th Jan 2011

Its such a good phone everything is good about it except the battery life, I do recommend you buy this phone.

Design
95%
Usability
95%
Features
100%

Reviewer: Kelly - UK
Date: 6th Dec 2010

Gorgeous looking phone, my boyfriend had this phone glued to his wrist for well over a year. Then it went completely dead.

I wouldn't recommend this phone for long term use, & I am sure that there are cheaper phones than 150 quid on payg that are better quality than this. My boyfriend was seriously disappointed with the turn out, & is good money down the drain pretty much.

Design
70%
Usability
20%
Features
20%

Reviewer: Amy - UK
Date: 28th Nov 2010

Its a very good phone. This is the first time I got a Blackberry & took a while for me to get used to it but in the end I can use it fine.

Its a good phone.

Design
100%
Usability
100%
Features
100%

Reviewer: Lewis Elderfield - UK
Date: 8th Nov 2010

I have had my phone for 2 days & it is amazing, it is the best phone I have ever had. The thing that lets it down is that you have to download BlackBerry App world off the Internet. The phones design is so cool because you can get a wide range of cases or fascias for it. Love BBM!

Design
100%
Usability
100%
Features
100%

Reviewer: Kiara - UK
Date: 23rd Oct 2010

This phone is great for texting & emailing. The track pad is really cool too. It looks cool too, the Bluetoothing is complicated but you get used to it after a while! I love my BB ;) xx.

Design
95%
Usability
95%
Features
90%

Reviewer: Neil Higgins - Birmingham, UK
Date: 25th Aug 2010

Bought this, my first Blackberry, August, 2010, & loved it from the start. Having used touch screen mobiles for a while I thought that using the finger slide pad might prove fiddly, but not so, the design is top notch, with nice situated controls. Although not 3G, for me it connects to the Internet very quickly, & WiFi is superb, having tested at home, & in my city centre shopping complex. With preinstalled apps, these can be added to via Blackberry app world. The phone comes with 'a standard theme', but there are a lot of free one's available to install. MMS, SMS, Email was easy to set up & use. Battery life is very good. Personal media can be installed from an external source, such as a laptop, & you can even 'sync' the phone to Apple iTunes Player.

Overall, a 9 out of 10 mobile, & one which I will use for a long time.

Design
100%
Usability
100%
Features
95%

Reviewer: Meg - UK
Date: 24th Jun 2010

I love my blackberry! For a start it is so easy to use & the new track pad design is really efficient, I was slightly worried I would find it a shock from my previous phones considering I haven't had an update 'smart phone' before always second hand ones. I love the cuteness but also sophisticated look of the blackberry curve 8520 & once you get started exploring the blackberry world & downloading apps it really is addictive.

There are also some really good deals around for this phone, like if you don't mind going on a contract O2 do really good ones, where I got mine from. If you are considering buying a blackberry you should go to their website & have a look around because there is more information about each particular phone & it really helped me to figure out all the software because it really is worth knowing about!

Design
100%
Usability
100%
Features
100%

Reviewer: Jasmine - Brazil
Date: 11th Jun 2010

I just got this phone & it is quite good. It's hard to use at the beginning but you soon get used to it. I think it's a good phone for a BlackBerry & I think you should get it.

BTW does anyone know how to get your BlackBerry pin?

Or how to go on MSN?

Design
95%
Usability
90%
Features
85%

Reviewer: Jason D - Maidenhead Berkshire, UK
Date: 5th Jun 2010

Had this phone a few weeks now, upgraded from a BlackBerry Pearl 8120.

Very easy to text, emaill & msg on.

Good battery life, but find I have to charge it every other day.

Music player is very good (if you use another pair of headphones).

Could use a flash for the Camera & 3G Internet.

Overall, 9 out of 10.

Design
100%
Usability
100%
Features
95%

Reviewer: Juan Hoya - London, UK
Date: 3rd Mar 2010

I was after a Nokia 5800 like the one I got for my girlfriend, but bought this one on offer with the BB BIS service. On the plus side we've got.

- Very good battery life.
- Email integration really shines, I got loads of accounts, even a Zimbra one & BB just handles them all.
- Solid OS, no hangs, it just works.
- Media player is good, good speaker sound, good headphones.

But there are a few downsides for a heavy user like myself.

- Screen resolution sub-par. This is an issue, since the screen is small, you need to zoom out for browsing the web, but here small fonts look REALLY bad. It's so much easier in the 5800 where the resolution is 640 x 360 pixels against 320 x 240, that says it all!
- Free apps? Where? I counted around 200, most of which are no good to me, for the iPhone or Nokia you do get loads more. I am even having trouble finding good themes.
- Interface looks just plain & icons don't cut it nor contacts list nor menus.
- The keyboard is small & the 5800 kb is huge compared, & its touch.
- Return voice quality is NOT good, the phone is noisy to the touch as well. Audio on your earphone is just OK.

Bottom line. I am keeping this because of the excellent email integration & price paid. But if you just got a few standard POP & Exchange email accounts, want to browse Internet, & enjoy all the benefits of a better screen, I'd suggest to look elsewhere, there are much better options out there.

Design
80%
Usability
65%
Features
65%

Reviewer: Matthew - UK
Date: 19th Feb 2010

I reviewed this phone a while back & feel I must add my thoughts after using it for a couple of months & re evaluate.

Even though it's supposed to be the entry level model the build quality is really appalling. The battery cover has always been loose but recently has been moving so much when making a call it feels as if it's not clicked in at all! This obviously is highly annoying during calls.

The plastic divider between the return key & red hang up key has fallen into the device which is disappointing considering the age of the handset.

The trackpad is extremely loose now & I wonder how long it will remain attached.

The T button very rarely works & requires to be repressed a dozen times which is frustrating when texting. After long term use I have found the keypad to be too cramped personally.

The battery life seems very poor, even with minor use I find myself having to charge it every night. & I did the usual 24hr charge upon first installing the battery.

All these things pale into insignificance however when compared to the web browser. If you're someone who likes to reminisce about days gone by then maybe you'd enjoy the dial up style lengthy loading times! Takes an absolute eternity to load any page, about 90% of pages require zooming in to view the text & when you do navigating is so clunky with the trackpad, which finds you flicking to & fro just to read a paragraph (which probably explains why it's so loose).

Needless to say I haven't enjoyed using this device much, which is a shame as it has put me off Blackberry as a make. I have sold it to Mazuma & have purchased a Nokia 2730 classic which was dirt cheap SIM free, comes with 3G & probably wasn't designed by a toddler & thrown together on a Friday afternoon! Come on RIM, sort it out.

Design
50%
Usability
50%
Features
50%

Reviewer: Scott - London, UK
Date: 14th Feb 2010

I LOVE THIS PHONE! It's easy to navigate, text & dial numbers. IT ACTUALLY SYNCS MY ITUNES LIBRARY & ALBUM ARTWORK! Also it has the BlackBerry amazing phone factor!

Design
95%
Usability
95%
Features
95%

Reviewer: Alice - UK
Date: 22nd Jan 2010

Just got this phone today & it is very good. The trackpad is easy to use & the keys are perfectly spaced to make texting much quicker. Only gave it 70% for features as I haven't had chance to try them all out yet.

Design
90%
Usability
90%
Features
70%

Reviewer: Paul Dagg - Huddersfield, UK
Date: 16th Jan 2010

Amazing phone with everything you will ever need, except surfing the Internet is so so slow, that's if it connects at all! I have had the phone a few weeks now & I am really annoyed that I did not choose one with 3G.I can't see me keeping it for two years or maybe I will buy a cheap PAYG phone that has infinitely better Internet performance, £40 should do it I think! Come on BB this is below par, you should offer all owners of this phone a discount on a 3G modem I would snap it up!

Design
95%
Usability
85%
Features
90%

Reviewer: Cathy - UK
Date: 31st Dec 2009

Hate this phone, I've only had it 3 days & am sending it back to get something else. The case feels cheap & creaks already, the Internet connection is only 2G & downloading pages from the Internet takes an age. I did like the trackpad & navigation was relatively easy but I will never have another Blackberry & can't wait to get shot of it.

Design
90%
Usability
50%
Features
50%

Reviewer: Karen - UK
Date: 26th Dec 2009

Great keyboard & easy to use. Love the trackball functionality. I looked at this & the iPhone but couldn't get on with the keyboard on the iPhone. However, extremely disappointed so far in the apps. They advertise 10,000 apps for the phone, but downloading them is a nightmare, & of the 10,000 apps, 99% of them must be American sites I have never heard of.

Come on blackberry, there is a huge UK market here for these phones, what about some UK specific apps (or am I going wrong somewhere & looking in the wrong place?).

Design
80%
Usability
65%
Features
50%

Reviewer: Kerri - North Wales, UK
Date: 19th Dec 2009

It was such a letdown. The phone itself looks great, feels good to hold & is awesome to use. I agree with the other reviews to the point that it's easy to use, has great potential, the screens are easy enough to figure out & linking it to all your other email addresses. Brilliant. There are thousands of APPS for it too (some even free! ), so it rivals the iPhone on that count. BUT, it's made so cheaply, the battery cover is never going to last the full 24 months of a contract, it has a measly 2MP camera (are we still in the year 2005?) & there is no flash. The shiny black case looks good until you get a fingerprint on it (that's almost immediately) I did however love the track pad, which is very very sensitive, the keys are nicely spaced & sized for my hands, but my husband's fingers were too big. I wouldn't recommend this phone to a friend, unless it was ridiculously reduced in price.

Sorry Blackberry, you need to do better than this!

Design
50%
Usability
90%
Features
90%

Reviewer: Matthew - UK
Date: 12th Dec 2009

Really like this phone, just received it in the post & have been playing around with it. Features wise it's pretty good although it's not 3G & doesn't have GPS, it does have WiFi which works very well indeed. The camera is adequate but really 2MP is a bit stingy compared to nearly every other handset out there. The build quality is good although the battery cover creaks already & the piano black finish is a fingerprint magnet. Looks nice but definitely not the best looking BlackBerry by a long stretch. The keypad is just fantastic, the keys are well spaced & easy to hit & give you a positive click. The track pad is also an excellent feature & makes navigating through menus, web pages, etc an absolute breeze. The screen is okay but again other BlackBerry's are noticeably brighter & crisper, but it's perfectly usable. The dedicated media buttons on the top of the device are excellent, meaning you can control music easily with the phone in your pocket. It comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack which is good. Expandable memory with the SDHC slot. I would recommend this phone if you've never used a BlackBerry, or if you are looking to try a Smartphone for the first time. Although if you're after a power house feature packed phone look at the Bold 9700.

Design
70%
Usability
90%
Features
70%

Reviewer: Saji - UK
Date: 29th Oct 2009

Had the 8520 a week now, never used a Blackberry before so was a bit nervous.

It's a great phone, texting is obviously different to Nokia's as it's a keyboard, but overall love all the features & very easy to get use too.

Don't think I'll be going back to a Nokia again anytime soon.

Design
95%
Usability
85%
Features
85%

Reviewer: Kayleigh - UK
Date: 12th Oct 2009

This is a very user friendly phone although some of the features do take a little getting used if you have never used a Blackberry before. Excellent handset.

Design
95%
Usability
90%
Features
95%

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Click here to add your own review for the BlackBerry Curve 8520



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