UK mobile phone reviews - BlackBerry Curve 8520 Review

Your BlackBerry Curve 8520 Reviews

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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!

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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?).

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.



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