Manage updates with the Download AppBlackBerry Curve 8530 - black (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: BlackBerry Part number: Curve 8530 in Black
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- While we're not huge fans of the design, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 is a good choice for first-time smartphone buyers and offers more than its GSM counterpart.
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CNET editors' review
BlackBerry Curve 8530 - black (Verizon Wireless) price range: $142.55
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 12/04/2009
The good: The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 has 3G and GPS support, which the T-Mobile version did not. The compact smartphone also offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 2-megapixel camera.
The bad: The smartphone feels a bit cheap in the hand and has a low-resolution screen. You can only save apps to the phone's main memory.
The bottom line: While we're not huge fans of the design, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 is a good choice for first-time smartphone buyers and offers more than its GSM counterpart.
User reviews
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annoyed!!!
by patter88 on July 7, 2010
Pros: When I first got the phone I loved everything about it. The track pad, the keyboard, and the over all design.
Cons: I have my phone replaced 2 times in one month because of the battery not staying charged.
Summary: 2 times the battery has completely died and it will not recharge. I used car charger and wall charger and nothing happened. I was told it was the battery and ...
Summary: 2 times the battery has completely died and it will not recharge. I used car charger and wall charger and nothing happened. I was told it was the battery and had it replaced but still nothing had to have the phone replaced. This has happened 2 times in one month. So I am over the phone and verizon!!!
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Cannot multitask., i want my old bb back.
by plumbergirlisme on June 5, 2010
Pros: love the lack of trackball. good thing you can easily remove back panel because you have to pull the battery ten times a day every time it locks up.
Cons: Inconsistent behavior. sometimes phone does not work, sometimes does. take pic and it reboots itself. alert tones work sometimes and other times not. No flash for photos. battery life is short. apps dont always work.
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disappointed with this blackberry
by kdank7 on June 2, 2010
Pros: small and lightweight
great priceCons: super short battery life
track pad jumping/lagging
screen resolution is way too lowSummary: This is my first blackberry and was meant to be a replacement for a very old (5 years) PDA. I was aware that this is an entry level phone but ...
Summary: This is my first blackberry and was meant to be a replacement for a very old (5 years) PDA. I was aware that this is an entry level phone but would still expect it to outperform a 5 year old phone seeing as it's brand new. The build quality is a little unnerving for something so important, I keep feeling like I might break it by just carrying it around. I am also having issues with the track pad response time, it lags and I think that it hasn't sensed that I pushed it so I try again, only to have it catch up and jump over the selection I meant to make, I am not a fan of waiting for my phone to catch up to me. The battery life is also turning out to be incredibly short, after charging the phone fully and using it only a handful of times to check email and make a single phone call it was already in the dead red zone by lunch time. I am not sure if that was my fault (maybe had an app running in the background I wasn't aware of that was draining the battery?) but I know that it is not going to cut it for me when I leave the house for the whole day and come home with a dead phone.
Overall I am not impressed with this phone and will probably trade it in for something a little more expensive but better quality. This phone is probably fine for someone who has never owned a smartphone before, but not for anyone else. -
After having 3 BB Tours with bad trackballs.........
by Jude526 on April 23, 2010
Pros: TRACKPAD
WIFI
Nice design, lightweight, feels comfortable in the hand
Fast and the 5.0 OS is goodCons: I don't consider the camera that much of a con. QWERTY keypad a little stiff
battery lifeSummary: First of all, I will admit I loved my BB Tour but I was not having good luck with the trackball and this last time was the final deal. I ...
Summary: First of all, I will admit I loved my BB Tour but I was not having good luck with the trackball and this last time was the final deal. I only had it for 3 months and it completely stopped working. I am not hard on my devices. I take great care of my things.
I was able to take the Curve 8530 and I am impressed with it. I don't see how Cnet can say it is an entry level device.
I know The Tour is a global phone, but the Curve actually has more things it can do. I do love the Tour's design, but there is nothing wrong with the Curve. It does not feel cheap to me. If it did, I would not had gotten it. I actually like its performance better than the Tour. I find the Curve's 5.0 much better than The Tours, the browsing is smoother. I haven't been able to check out the WIFI yet, but even without it, my browsing has been great.
I was used to typing on the Tour and the Curve's keyboard seems tighter, stiffer, but I have not had this phone very long. I know it will improve with use.
I am quite an experienced BB user and this device is good. It suits my needs. I don't like touchscreens and this one just fit my needs getting out of the Tour. I have the Jawbone Icon blue tooth and it works great with it. A friend of mine likes it and she plans to get this BB as well.
I highly recommend this BB. If you are like me and have problems with your Tour and want a different BB, this one is great. I don't regret getting this. -
Great all around smartphone.
by chriszeller on March 31, 2010
Pros: Great size and fantastic keyboard. Trackpad is fantastic. Rubberized buttons on side feel good in your hand. BlackBerry OS 5 is a great performer which is easy to use, powerful and has a good acceptance of third-party apps with multi-tasking.
Cons: The lack of autofocus on the camera is a bit annoying, though it is a fine camera. The other hit to this device is Verizon itself, who decides what programs you can and can't have and locks you out of using the search engine of your choice.
Summary: This is a great phone for anyone looking for a powerful smartphone that is easy to use, feels good in the hand, is easy to type on and does everything ...
Summary: This is a great phone for anyone looking for a powerful smartphone that is easy to use, feels good in the hand, is easy to type on and does everything you need it to. Its not for those who need a geek factor to their phone. Customization and app selection is good and the BlackBerry operating system is more intuitive and professional than Android OS.
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Disappointing! Not as well made as the original curve!
by Reneenw on March 28, 2010
Pros: Better resolution screen
Wi-Fi
Udated software
Track Pad EASY to navigate! Far superior to the original curve!Cons: 1.SCREEN BRIGHTNESS! I put my old curve on 60% brightness, it is still brighter than this one on 100%.
2. Battery Door feels cheap and is not easy to work with.
Third and last: camera with no flash. Not worth it.
.Summary: Don't buy this until they fix the camera, and especially the brightness problem. I checked a few of these to see if it happened to be only the first ...
Summary: Don't buy this until they fix the camera, and especially the brightness problem. I checked a few of these to see if it happened to be only the first one I looked at. It was on all of them. I really wanted the track pad, but decided to stick with my original curve until they fix the issues with this phone.
If you are a young inexperienced Blackberry user and had never had one before, this one be adequate. If you have ever used one this falls short.
I am a Blackberry finatic and this one really suprised me to the negative. You expect it to be a better curve. You expect it to be much better than its original.
I love Blackberry's and assume they were looking at a younger audience with this phone, but this phone has too many issues. -
Ok but not great
by orwineguy on March 27, 2010
Pros: Several nice features allow me to use this instead of a laptop
Cons: Can't type on the keyboard. I'm always having to backspace to correct typo's. Never had that problem on older Blackberry's. Cheap feeling. Apps only available on main memory. Lots of cons actually...
Summary: There are many other phones out there that are much superior to this one. Get one of them. This phone isn't all that great. Not an improvement in my ...
Summary: There are many other phones out there that are much superior to this one. Get one of them. This phone isn't all that great. Not an improvement in my mind.
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Great Device, Loads of Features
by Anthony 110 on March 17, 2010
Pros: Small, fits in your pocket easy. Fast at loading applications. Trackpad if way better then the trackball, along with the great curve keyboard. Wifi, has to be one of the best things about the device. Documents2go, and other great loaded apps. BBOS5.0
Cons: Battery life, only lasts about a day for me but might last two if I dont play with it. My thumbs are big :-( and it makes the keyboard feel cramped.
Summary: Overall I am vaery happy with this device.
The startup time is a tad long (easily 45 seconds) but once it has loaded there is minimal lag in the OS ...Summary: Overall I am vaery happy with this device.
UPDATE: With the RIM holster that puts the device to sleep when it is in there I can easily get three days of battery life on the device.
The startup time is a tad long (easily 45 seconds) but once it has loaded there is minimal lag in the OS when loading apps. Running our of memory causing a slow device has not happened yet, probably thanks to the supposed better memory managment in OS 5.0. The screen has ample space for viewing apps, but at times can seem a bit low res. Nothing that bugs me or anything as it is still good compared to other phones. The trackpad is a welcome addition, and is just the right size and blends in well with the device. The keyboard could be a touch bigger, but thats just my opinion and I have freakishly big thumbs/hands. None the less this keyboard is very pleasent to use. Wireless works as it should, and has issues picking up a signal. The only gripe right now is it does not seem to be working right on a WPA-Enterprise network that uses RADIUS, this could be due to the access point config though not the device.
Messaging is a pleasure as it quickly fires off messages both over wireless and EVDO. I would also say that this phone has good call quality, nothing spectacular but about average.
For some reason I keep hearing that this device feels cheap in the hands...... If be cheap you mean light and compact than yes, it is "cheap". I dont take this as such as the device feels solid and the rubberized side and top and bottom of case is nice.
The only gripe I have so far is battery life, it only lasts a day (down to 40%) but could last two I suppose. Keep in mind that I have mine on vibrate all the time and am using it a fair amount during an average 14 hour day. I guess another quirk would be the buttons integrated into the screen, looks amazing but since they are shiny are prone to fingerprints.
The camera takes decent pictures, not that I use it as my main camera. And loads quick compared to others.
Overall very happy with this blackberry, and would recommend it to others.
Updated on Mar 28, 2010 -
Great Little Smart Phone
by LBoz3 on January 10, 2010
Pros: 1) Easy to use
2) Wi-Fi Capable
3) Track Pad instead of Track BallCons: 1) Aps can only be stored in main memory
2) Feels a bit cheaply constructed
3) No flash on cameraSummary: Great phone. Easy to set up and use. QWERTY keyboard while small has a precise and substantial feel. Love the track pad, no ball to get gunked up with lint ...
Summary: Great phone. Easy to set up and use. QWERTY keyboard while small has a precise and substantial feel. Love the track pad, no ball to get gunked up with lint and debris. On the Verizon network a strong signal and quick response time is a given. I really love this little phone for business and personal use.
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Agree with Cnet on entry-level, but gets the job done
by sneakerandy on December 13, 2009
Pros: Trackpad is awesome
Battery life is good
Wi-Fi is finally here
Light phone
New OSCons: The battery cover is cheap and not like the old bb
No flash on camera
The keyboard is one-piece plastic and a little small
The buttons for send/menu/back/end is part of the screen, not individual buttonsSummary: All-in-all a solid phone that I'd be ok with for the next 2 years. I had a pearl for verizon and decided to upgrade when this phone came out. ...
Summary: All-in-all a solid phone that I'd be ok with for the next 2 years. I had a pearl for verizon and decided to upgrade when this phone came out. The data transfer from my pearl to the 8350 was a bit of a disappointment as most of the software didn't transfer and my contacts had double even triple entries of the same one. My wife had the same experience on her violet 8350. The charger is also micro usb instead of mini so no extra chargers for us. The OS is a beautiful upgrade from our old phones and BB messenger is amazing. Wish Beejive would upgrade their program so I can use theirs instead of the AIM verizon provides which isn't half as good. I'm glad to say that the trackpad is definitely a nice change from the ball. After you mess around with the sensitivity to the way you like it, it's great. The camera was a bit of a downgrade. The picture quality was not as good as our previous phones and the flash was clutch on our old phones. The wi-fi is great after a short test run at the house. This phone also includes GPS which I haven't been able to utilize as of yet. To wrap things up, a solid phone but definitely not top of the line.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: BlackBerry
- Part number: Curve 8530 in Black
- Description: BlackBerry Curve 8500 series smartphones neatly fit in your hand. Comfortably send messages with the full QWERTY keyboard. The bright 320 x 240 pixel screen displays over 65,000 colors, and delivers a great viewing experience. Know where you stand - and where you're going. GPS on your BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone works with BlackBerry Maps. Pinpoint your location and get turn-by-turn directions to your destination.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type Smartphone
- Form Factor Full keyboard
- Phone Design PDA
- Integrated Components Digital camera,
Digital player,
Voice recorder - Width 2.36 in
- Depth 0.55 in
- Height 4.29 in
- Weight 3.7 oz
- Body Color Black
Cellular
- Technology CDMA2000 1X
- Band CDMA2000 1X 1900/800
- Service Provider Verizon Wireless
- Operating System BlackBerry Handheld Software
- Input Device(s) QWERTY keyboard
- Phone Navigation Buttons Trackball
Messaging & Internet
- Cellular Messaging Services MMS,
SMS - Instant Messaging Services RIM BlackBerry VM Client
- Messaging & Data Features Text messages,
Multimedia messages (MMS),
Instant messages,
E-Mail - Mobile Services VCAST
Communications
- Data Transmission EV-DO
- Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11b/g,
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR - Bluetooth Profiles Serial Port Profile (SPP),
Object Push Profile (OPP),
Hands Free Profile (HFP),
Headset Profile (HSP),
Dial-up Networking Profile (DUN),
Phonebook Access Profile (PBAP),
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP),
Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) - Communication Features Internet browser,
Mobile Email client Phone Features
- Phone Functions Call timer,
Conference call,
Speakerphone,
Vibrating alert - Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Polyphonic Ring Tone Voice Qty 32
- Ring Tone Formats MP3,
MIDI - Additional Features GPS,
Trackpad,
Voice dialing,
microSD card slot Organizer
- Personal Information Management Calendar,
Calculator,
Reminder,
Alarm clock Media Player
- Supported Digital Audio Standards eAAC+,
AAC +,
MP3,
WMA,
AAC,
AMR - Supported Digital Video Standards MPEG-4,
H.263,
H.264
Memory
- RAM 128 MB
- ROM 256 MB - Flash
- Supported Flash Memory Cards microSDHC
Digital Camera
- Sensor Resolution 2 megapixels
- Focus Adjustment Focus free
- Digital Zoom 5
- Video Recorder Resolutions 176 x 144 (QCIF),
320 x 240 (QVGA) Navigation System
- GPS Navigation A-GPS receiver
- Navigation Software & Services VZ Navigator
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT Transmissive
- Diagonal Size 2.5 in
- Display Resolution 320 x 240 pixels
- Color Depth 16-bit (65000 colors)
Battery
- Technology Lithium ion
- Capacity 1150 mAh
- Run Time Details Talk - up to 270 min,
Standby - up to 252 hour(s) Miscellaneous
- Compliant Standards HAC(Hearing Aid Compatible)
- Included Accessories Power adapter , Power adapter
Product series
-
BlackBerry Curve 8530 - black (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: BlackBerry
Specs: Verizon Wireless,
CDMA2000 1X,
With digital camera / digital player,
3.7 oz,
2 megapixels,
2.5 in -
BlackBerry Curve 8530 - smoky violet (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: BlackBerry
Specs: Verizon Wireless,
CDMA2000 1X,
Up to 270 min,
With digital camera / digital player,
3.7 oz,
2 megapixels,
2.5 in
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse BlackBerry products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:BlackBerry
- Address:
295 Phillip Street, Waterloo, ON N2L 3W8 - Phone: 1-519-888-7465
- Email: webinfo@rim.net
- Fax: 1-519-888-7884
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