RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 - black (T-Mobile)
Manufacturer: Research In Motion Ltd. Part number: CURVE8520BLKTMB
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a sleek entry-level smartphone that delivers some nice design enhancements and great performance. While available directly from T-Mobile, Wal-Mart offers the better value on the smartphone.
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Where to buy
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| Best Buy | | See Site | as of 12/08/2009 | |
| Amazon.com Marketplace | | In stock | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' review
RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 - black (T-Mobile) price range: $129.99 - $399.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 08/05/2009
- Updated on:08/31/2009
- Released on: 08/05/2009
The good: The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 features a responsive optical trackpad and dedicated media controls. The smartphone also offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, and good call quality.
The bad: Lacks 3G support and GPS. You can only save downloaded apps to the phone's main memory.
The bottom line: The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a sleek entry-level smartphone that delivers some nice design enhancements and great performance. While available directly from T-Mobile, Wal-Mart offers the better value on the smartphone.
T-Mobile is getting a bevy of smartphones this summer, and we're happy to see it (as are T-Mobile customers, we're sure). The carrier has recently launched the T-Mobile Dash 3G and the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, and the HTC Touch Pro2 is just around the corner. All three are sure to please mobile professionals and gadget heads, but what about those making their first foray into smartphones? Enter the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520.
As an entry-level smartphone, the Curve 8520 lacks some of the bells and whistles of the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900, such as GPS and a high-resolution screen, but it delivers on the core features and offers great performance. In addition, the smartphone features a sleek design that includes a new optical trackpad and dedicated media controls. That said, T-Mobile's price of $129.99 (with a two-year contract) isn't the most compelling, especially when you consider that for $20 more you can get the extra features of the Curve 8900. However, Wal-Mart is offering the BlackBerry Curve 8520 for just $48.88 with a two-year new agreement or qualified upgrade, which makes it quite a steal. Hopefully, T-Mobile will reconsider its pricing but for now, if you can get yourself to a Wal-Mart, the Curve 8520 is a great device for first-time smartphone buyers.
Design
The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 is probably most notable for its design, since it brings a couple of new tricks to the table. The overall look of the phone, however, is similar to the Curve 8900, and the two models actually share the same measurements at 4.3 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick. The Curve 8520 is a smidge lighter at 3.7 ounces, and while lightweight, we thought the phone felt slightly plasticky. However, the black model features a soft-touch finish along the outside edges preventing the smartphone from feeling too slick. T-Mobile also offers the smartphone in a frost color.
Since the Curve 8520 is a lower-end model, it doesn't possess the same high-resolution display as the Curve 8900. Instead, the 2.46-inch TFT display shows 65,000 colors at a more lowly 320x240 pixel resolution. While obviously not as sharp--images and text aren't as smooth and show some pixelation--the screen is still clear and bright. You can adjust the screen's brightness and backlight time as well as the theme, font size, and more through the Settings menu.
Below the display, you'll find one of the new features of the BlackBerry Curve 8520: the optical trackpad. Sandwiched between the Talk and End keys, menu shortcut, and back button, the trackpad replaces the trackball navigator that has become a BlackBerry staple since the debut of the original BlackBerry Pearl, and though many fear change, we have to say the transition from the trackball to the optical trackpad was quite easy.
We were pleasantly surprised at how responsive the trackpad was, much more so than the one found on the Samsung Omnia. Aside from the difference in feel (flat versus spherical), it wasn't much of a change, and we didn't have to alter any of our habits. Scrolling through pages and menus was smooth, and you can even adjust its sensitivity via the Settings, Screen/Keyboard menu. You can also press down on the trackpad to select items.
Also new to the BlackBerry Curve 8520: the dedicated media keys on top of the device. You get buttons to advance and playback files and play/pause. The latter also doubles as a mute button while on calls. As intended, they're convenient for controlling the media player and work for both music and video, though you can't use the back/forward buttons to go through photos. The multimedia experience is made even better by the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack on the left side of the device.
Also on the left spine is a Micro-USB port and customizable convenience key, while a volume rocker and another user-programmable button are on the right. The aforementioned controls are slightly different in that they're slight bumps along the surface rather than the traditional buttons you're used to seeing on a BlackBerry. They're interesting to say the least but work just fine. On back, you'll find the camera while the microSD expansion slot is located behind the battery cover, though the latter is just a tad difficult to take off without a release switch.
Last but not least, we have the Curve 8520's full QWERTY keyboard. It's largely similar to the 8900's; the buttons are slightly smaller and packed close together, so users with larger fingers might have some problem. However, we were able to find our groove after a while and could easily type messages. The number keys share space with letters on the left side, though they're not as easy to spot at a glance since the charcoal gray buttons don't stand out against the black keyboard whereas the 8900 highlighted them in white.
T-Mobile packages the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 with an AC adapter, USB cable, a 1GB microSD card, a wired stereo headset, a software CD, a recycling envelope, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.
Features
As an entry-level device, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 isn't quite as full featured as the BlackBerry Curve 8900 or the T-Mobile Dash 3G. It lacks 3G support and GPS but still delivers on the core functionalities. We'll start with the most basic and important of them all: the phone capabilities.
The Curve 8520 offers quad-band world roaming, a speakerphone, voice-activated dialing, smart dialing, conference calling, speed dial, and text and multimedia messaging. Bluetooth 2.0 is also onboard so you can pair the handset with a mono and stereo Bluetooth wireless headsets or hands-free kits for hassle-free communication on the go. Other supported Bluetooth profiles include dial-up networking, serial port, audio source, and audio/video remote.
The address book is limited only by the available memory (the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts) with room in each entry for multiple phone numbers, e-mail addresses, work and home addresses, job title, and more. Of course, you can assign each contact a photo, a group ID, or a custom ringtone for caller ID purposes as well. For those you contact frequently, you might consider adding them to your T-Mobile's MyFaves list, which gives you unlimited calls to five contacts, regardless of carrier. Individual plans for MyFaves start at $39.99 a month and there are family plans as well.
In addition to cellular calls, you can make and receive unlimited calls over a wireless network with the Curve's integrated Wi-Fi and T-Mobile's Unlimited HotSpot Calling plan. The minutes aren't deducted from your cellular plan, but there's a catch in that you have to sign up for a HotSpot Calling plan, which starts at $9.99 per month. The Wi-Fi also comes in handy for cruising the Web, since the smartphone only supports T-Mobile's EDGE network.
Of course, another main source of communication is through e-mail. The Curve 8520 can sync with your company's BlackBerry Enterprise server, with support for Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise, to deliver corporate e-mail in real time. With BlackBerry Internet Service, you can also access up to 10 personal/business POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail accounts. The smartphone also comes preloaded with several instant-messaging clients, including Yahoo, AIM, Windows Live, Google Talk, and ICQ.
Got attachments? No problem. There's an attachment viewer for opening Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, PDF, JPEG, GIF, and more. In addition with BlackBerry OS v.4.6.1.259, the DataViz's Documents to Go Suite is included on the device but it's only the Standard Edition so if you want the ability to create new documents, you will have to upgrade to the Premium Edition. Other personal information management tools include a calendar, a task list, an alarm clock, a voice recorder, and a calculator. BlackBerry's Desktop Software (included on the package CD) can help you sync your data and media files from your PC to your BlackBerry; meanwhile Mac users have been left to get third-party apps like PocketMac for BlackBerry to do the same. However, RIM has announced that it will finally release BlackBerry for Mac desktop software this September, so relief is on the way.
There isn't much else in the way of extras. However, BlackBerry App World is preloaded so you can easily download social networking apps, such as Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, as well as all sorts of other apps, games, and utilities from the catalog. However, keep in mind that you can only save apps to the phone's main memory, which isn't much at 256MB, and not to the microSD card.
As such, you'll probably want to save all your multimedia files to the storage card. The Curve 8520's media player supports MP3, WMA9/WMA9 Pro/WMA10, AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, and MIDI music files, and MPEG4, WMV2, H.263, and H.264 video clips. The photo viewer also supports BMP, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and WBMP files. For your own photos, the smartphone offers a 2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities and 5x digital zoom. Picture quality was pretty good. Images were clear and colors, while not the most vibrant, didn't have a weird orange or grayish tone like some other camera phones.
Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE) RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 in San Francisco using T-Mobile service and call quality was quite good. We didn't notice any type of voice distortion or background noise during calls and had no problem using an airline's voice automated system. Friends also had good things to say about the call quality, and they were even more impressed when we turned on the speakerphone; they didn't notice a difference in sound. Unfortunately, we did notice a change, as speakerphone calls sounded a bit distant and hollow. We paired the smartphone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones.
The Curve 8520 is quite a snappy device, and we didn't encounter any problems during our review period. Though the smartphone only supports EDGE speeds, the Web browsing experience wasn't too painful (the Curve's HTML Web browser is another story and could use some work in the navigation department). CNET's full site loaded in 55 seconds while CNN's mobile site loaded in 7 seconds and ESPN Mobile came up in 17 seconds. Getting apps over the network required a little more patience as the 1.5MB Slacker Radio app took 3 minutes and 30 seconds to download.
The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 features an 1150mAh lithium-ion battery with a rated talk time 4.5 hours and up to 17 days of standby time. The Curve beat the rated talk time in our battery drain tests, with a total of 8 hours. According to FCC radiation tests, the Curve 8520 has a digital SAR rating of 1.22 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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EXCELLENT BEGINNER SMARTPHONE, A LITTLE UNDERWHELMING
by ImNotDead_1993 on August 7, 2009
Pros: Blackberry manufacturing
Updated Blackberry OS
Removes some complications to enhance first time smartphone buyer experience
Wi-Fi included even on a beginner smartphone!Cons: Took out a little too much???
Not for the corporate user
Trackpad can be a little hard to use
Plastic casing reminiscent of older Curve phones
Feels like you're using a Curve 8320 (physical)
Camera (worst on a Blackberry Phone)Summary: My I.T. Tech friend who (as stated in other reviews) works for a local firm here in Los Angeles got his hands on the Blackberry Curve 8520 from TMobile ...
Summary: My I.T. Tech friend who (as stated in other reviews) works for a local firm here in Los Angeles got his hands on the Blackberry Curve 8520 from TMobile and since I have and am faithful to my Blackberry Bold thought I would like to have some hands on time with the phone.
An update which I forgot to add to the review:
I have to say that I was impressed at how much Blackberry added to what some call a "Beginner's" smartphone. I thought it was excellent that they included Wi-Fi since TMobile's 3G Network doesn't function in all areas. The phone itself was incredible to use and was incredibly fast (probably because it isn't running everything a Blackberry Bold or Tour does).
The trackpad is interesting to use. Some newer phones are incorporating these in them and some work better than others. I don't have any complaints to make against them since I think they work well on phones like the Samsung Epix from AT&T. DON'T EXPECT IT TO FEEL LIKE THE TRACKBALL ON A BLACKBERRY CURVE however. It's a different touch (literally) and takes some acclimation but if you're going to be using this phone as your main device you'll get used to it and will learn its tips and tricks.
Moving to another physical aspect of the device. The construction of the phone is satisfactory though I felt a little disappointed. If you've used a Blackberry Curve 8300 series phone then you'll know what I mean when I say that it brings back the rubberized and plastic feel that I think held the 8300 series back. The edges have that soft touch casing on them which I am not a fan of. Another part of the phone I didn't understand was the camera. If you watch Bonnie Cha's review, note when she turns the device around to show the viewers the back. I have never seen such a bad camera on any current Blackberry phone. Blackberry usually has beautiful styling when it comes to the camera in terms of placement, design, and features. This one however looks like someone just stuck it there on the back. There is no flash and the surroundings don't look too nice.
Something I found interesting however is that this device seems to be marketed as a smartphone/multi media device and even includes the built in media player controls so I would expect that they should add a better camera to keep the theme constant. I don't know if everyone would agree with that but that's just my thought on that.
The media controls were a nice surprise. I don't use my phone as a multi media device since I have an iPod but I have to say with the added functionality of the media controls atop the unit if you needed a media player while say you were looking for an iPod or a new media player this phone would do well. I didn't use high quality earphones with the phone so I can't say for sure that the sound quality meets or surpasses the iPods but Blackberry usually includes high quality hardware so I'm sure it'll do well. One complaint I did have with the media controls is that they feel a little cheap and can be a little stiff to press. I don't know if there's a way to lock these to prevent accidental pressing since i only had the phone for about 48 hours (at the most).
The keyboard was a BIG disappointment. I have smaller fingers and I had a hard time using it. The buttons again were reminiscent of the Curve 8300 series and so they didn't feel all that great when pressed. I prefer the Bold's more substantial keyboard.
Moving on inside the phone is impressive in its functionality. The screen isn't as good as say the Bold's or the Curve 8900s screen but since it's an entry level phone it's to be expected. (It's still better than some found on Samsung smartphones though!). Inside the battery doesn't seem as strong as the Bold's but will do the job since most will not use this device rigorously. I was able to use the phone from the time my friend passed it to me to the time I returned it to him without charging it and the battery showed to be about 20% when I returned it.
Continuing inside the phone's performance as I said before is EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE!!! I found that as far as loading applications and using the general navigation the phone performed faster than my Bold. Impressive. Call quality was descent as well, TMobile's coverage in my area isn't all that great and I found that UMA made it worse. Oh before I forget that's another thing that this baby has packed in it! Wi-Fi with UMA support in case signal in the area is poor. It works but it's better if you don't rely on it.
The Bold's stereo speakers cannot be beat though the speaker on the Curve 8520 did quite well when used as a speakerphone but music sounded a little blurred and metalic (sorry I don't really know how to explain it). But anyway it works for what it needs to.
This phone is great for those who want to try adding a smartphone to their life or students who are in high school or college or even adults who want to add a little more functionality to their phones. Blackberry once again produced a winning device but just not for the business user!
Updated on Aug 7, 2009
(As stated in Bonnie Cha's review) TMobile will be opening this device up with a price tag of $149 while Walmart and Best Buy may drop the price for you. Check with authorized retailers because honestly (even though this is a Blackberry) the price tag is too high for that you could get a Curve 8900 with added functionality and better construction.3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I'm sure this phone is great
by friaxh on December 7, 2009
Pros: I have yet to review
Cons: I have yet to review
Summary: I ordered this phone and I'm expecting it in a few days. Of course after ordering, I started reading reviews and comparing this to the other newer Blackberry models. ...
Summary: I ordered this phone and I'm expecting it in a few days. Of course after ordering, I started reading reviews and comparing this to the other newer Blackberry models. I got this for absolutely free, and I have to admit I was a little scared after seeing that for just $20 I could have bought the Blackberry 8900. But have to admit I probably would use less than half of it's great features.
Upon reading further into reviews, spec and features I noticed this phone is somewhat similar to the Blackberry Curve 8320, but with a few more updates such as the overall design and the new trackpad, which I'm sure I'll love. Although the 8520 doesn't have the upgraded screen resolution or 3.2 Megapixel camera, I was completely in love with my Curve 8320 (Which features seem similar to this phone, as I stated) and it has never failed me, so I'm sure I'll be satisfied with the 8520. As I've read that it's a pretty entry level phone, I think this one will work out for me because I don't use my Blackberries for business purposes. I use it constantly for texting, emailing, checking email and facebook. I was a little disappointed that I never noticed before I bought this that it doesn't have a flash, but I can work around that since I don't constantly take pictures with my phones. The fact that the speaker volume isn't the highest doesn't bother me much either. I don't usually use my Blackberries for listening to music unless I either forgot my iPod, or when my iPod is dead and I'm in a hurry. In which case I can plug my Blackberry into my car radio via the AUX port. -
Great Phone before it broke.
by cnetty_yeti on November 7, 2009
Pros: -Ease of Use
-MP3, video, Great messaging, email, browser easy to use.
-Quick use buttons for MP3 player and camera well thought out.
-Good phoneCons: -Track pad BROKE after 1 month of normal use. Did not drop, get wet, or do anything abnormal with the phone and the trackpad just stopped working. Can't traverse any menus or use any features beyond the phone now.
-Tiny keys on keyboard.Summary: Pros: Phone was great for about 1 month. This was my first blackberry and data phone and I was loving its features. I liked the trackpad because it was easy ...
Summary: Pros: Phone was great for about 1 month. This was my first blackberry and data phone and I was loving its features. I liked the trackpad because it was easy to use and made web navigation fairly easy.
Cons: The trackpad stopped working after 1 month of normal use. Could no longer move in any direction so all data, browser, and email functions are impossible to use now. Incredibly they did not program any kind of keyboard options to traverse the menus (arrow directions set to the numbers like a numpad seems like a no-brainer). This means after 1 month of use my blackberry is essentially only good as a phone and I cannot use any other features like text, email, browser, etc.....
I bought this phone because this month I need to respond quickly to multiple time sensitive emails and now I am trapped at home with my computer. I tried turning the phone off, hard reset, even contacted blackberry support. They said I was the first call they have gotten about this problem so maybe I just got a lemon. It is hard to tell if more people will have similar problems as the user base expands.
TMOBILE support for the phone is replacing it but now I have to pay 20+$ for quick shipping for a defective phone I just bought. They offered to pay free shipping if I was willing to get it in ~two weeks. Considering the amount I pay for a data plan (that is useless since my phone cannot operate) and the fact that the entire reason I bought this phone was that i needed quick response this is unacceptable. Hopefully my next phone coming in will not suffer through the same problems.
Summary: There is a lot of promise here and I was loving it but losing all function after less than one month of normal use ruined the experience for me. Not having any kind of keyboard options to navigate the menus seems like one of the dumbest possible design approaches.
Tiime will tell if I truly had just incredible bad luck or if this will turn into a more wide spread problem similar to the issues with the trackball on previous generations. -
Not to bad, but where is the flash?
by EricDane on October 5, 2009
Pros: 1 - It's a blackberry
2 - I'm able to use it fairly easy since I've had a blackberry
3 - Able to continue using my software.Cons: 1 - A camera without a flash is useless
2 - The camera still poor quality for 2 megs.
3 - Keyboard is small.Summary: I would like the phone better if it didn't remove options from older phones, and if the icons were more distinctive. Over all it was an upgrade from my ...
Summary: I would like the phone better if it didn't remove options from older phones, and if the icons were more distinctive. Over all it was an upgrade from my Pearl, but not by much.
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Great multi-tasker! Simplifies my life!
by courtjames26 on September 29, 2009
Pros: 1.Good fit in my pocket
2.Great multi-tasking tool
3.Awesome voice-dialing
4.Dont have to download the apps I need, there already in the phone.Cons: 1.Web-browsing could be better
2.Screen is a little small, but it works for me
3.Buttons could be larger.Summary: I love this phone mainly because it lets me do any thing I want. I traded my G1 for this phone and I dont miss it at all. Its great ...
Summary: I love this phone mainly because it lets me do any thing I want. I traded my G1 for this phone and I dont miss it at all. Its great for taking notes in class (dont have to bother with downloading an app that might not work) and the 1-button voicedial command is wonderful. Love the speakerphone, and the speaker while Im listening to my music(and the fact that my mp3's dont skip like on the G1). My favorite feature is the fact that I can sync all of my email addresses into one big inbox. And best of all NO FORCE CLOSING!!!!!! This is my first Blackberry and I think I have found my new favorite brand
Oh, the one thing I dont like is the lack of 3G since I live in an area that gets T-Mobiles 3G service(Detroit)
Updated on Sep 29, 2009 -
Fast Running Easy to Use Smart phone
by OmegaPrecept on August 24, 2009
Pros: Lots of apps to choose from, Awesome for multimedia such as MP3's, Nice bright clear screen, Light weight and nice grip, Much faster then my old black berry, Keyboard takes a day to get use to after that I find it works better then Iphone a Huge plus
Cons: Not a 3G phone so expect slower web page loading times, Default Browser kind of choppy to use. Lower Resolution then other smart phones so online videos are a little choppy, may be to light for some, Switching from applications should be easier.
Summary: Beautiful light weight Smart Phone from Blackberry really impressed me. Lots of features for little price.
I much appreciated the addition of blackberry apps. It is easy to use and ...Summary: Beautiful light weight Smart Phone from Blackberry really impressed me. Lots of features for little price.
I much appreciated the addition of blackberry apps. It is easy to use and there are many quality apps already available. I was kind of sketchy on the optical track pad at first but after using it for a day you will find that it is highly superior to the track ball.
The phone itself is really light weight, with a nice grip around the side. The Addition to the multimedia quick buttons on top of the phone is great if you like radio (download the app) or if you have MP3's and videos you will be up loading. It?s very easy to use and placed in the perfect spot. Plus the default head phones that come with it are really nice I give them a 9/10 for default headphones that come with a phone.
The Graphical user interface is smooth and reminds me of vista a bit. When you select a program the phone responds quickly and effectively with no wait time even with multiple applications open.
The one thing I find most frustrating is moving from application to application. Having to hit a button, scroll down, then hit another button, then select from a list of running apps will be annoying to previous iphone users. This feature makes it very annoying to switch through apps and I have yet to find a short cut. In my opinion to switch through apps should be a quick one button option. It may be there but I have not found it yet.
The keyboard is great, BIG TEXTERS WILL REALLY LIKE! I heard alot of reviews complaining about it but after sending about 150 text messages my first day I quickly got use to it and actually prefer it over iphone's touch screen keyboard. You can actually type very fast and concisely as long as your fingers are not abnormally large.
The camera on the phone is 2.0 mega pixels and it really takes some quality photos for a camera phone, I would rate it a 7/10.
The Default browser could use some work, and with the phone lacking the ability for 3G avid internet users maybe disappointed in the speed at which it delivers. I found that the load times were just a bit to slow for may attention span. Also the user interface for the browser is just par, I rate it a 6/10.
One feature I hear but have not tried was that you can use this blackberry as a modem, so if you have a laptop you can connect it to your blackberry and use it for internet access. I have not attempted this yet but if it works it could prove very useful.
I only paid $52.82 for it at Wal-Mart with a 2 year contract. It was a great deal, they also give you 15 days to try it out, if with in that 15 days you don?t like the phone you can simply return it for a full refund? you will even be released of your T-mobile contract? so they told me.
Over all the phone is a quality phone for a quality price. Still has all your basic Blackberry functions plus a little more ? -
Wrong, phone does have GPS, this review is sloppy.
by Barky05 on August 20, 2009
Pros: GPS, per the user manual, and is provided by TELENAV
Music buttons
Trackpad
Shiny Frost color available
Less expensive data plan than competitorsCons: Lower res screen than 8900
Summary: Not at all a bad blackberry for some users who really want music buttons and something different than a trackball.
Summary: Not at all a bad blackberry for some users who really want music buttons and something different than a trackball.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Research In Motion Ltd.
- Part number: CURVE8520BLKTMB
- Description: The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smart phone neatly fits in your hand. A full QWERTY keyboard makes typing and sending messages easy, and comfortable. The bright screen displays over 65,000 colors, providing a great viewing experience. Take photos or videos and upload them to photo sharing apps like Flickr Uploader, social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Send them to friends with MMS, messages, BlackBerry messenger or other instant messaging apps. Discover a world of possibilities and apps for the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone at BlackBerry App World. Get breaking news, and the latest scores. Track the markets, stay on top of Hollywood gossip, enjoy live radio or just play games. Control music and multimedia with dedicated media keys found atop the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smart phone. Skip over songs, pause music to talk, or repeat your favorites over and over. You can even mute phone calls with the easy-access mute button. Access what's important with trackpad navigation. Like a laptop, the trackpad lets you scroll through menus, icons and info by gliding your finger over it. Press and click to select an item and navigate to where you want to go.
General
- Product Type BlackBerry With digital camera / digital player
- Service Provider T-Mobile
- Width 2.4 in
- Depth 0.6 in
- Height 4.3 in
- Weight 3.7 oz
- Body Color Black
Cellular
- Technology GSM
- Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband)
- Phone Design Candy bar
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Phone Navigation Buttons Trackball
- Call Timer Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
Communicator Features
- Operating System BlackBerry Handheld Software
Messaging & Data Services
- Messaging Services RIM BlackBerry VM Client
- Mobile Email Yes
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes
- EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates For Global Evolution) Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
Ring Tones
- Polyphonic Ring Tone Voice Qty 32
- Ring Tone Formats MP3, MIDI
Multimedia Features
- Playback Digital Video Formats H.264, MPEG-4, H.263 video and AMR audio, WMV (Windows Media Video)
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 2 megapixels, this model will give you better pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 2 megapixels
- Digital Zoom 5
- Video Recorder Resolutions 176 x 144 (QCIF), 320 x 240 (QVGA)
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
- Calculator Basic
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 320 x 240 pixels
- Diagonal Size 2.64 in
- Color Depth 16-bit (65000 colors)
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC, AMR, MP3, WMA, AAC +, eAAC+, WMAPro
Memory
- Flash Memory 256 MB
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headset jack - Mini-phone 3.5 mm
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Capacity 1150 mAh
- Talk Time 270 min
- Standby Time Up to 408 h
Product series
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RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 - black (T-Mobile)
Manufacturer: Research In Motion Ltd.
Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), 270 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.7 oz
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RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 - frost (T-Mobile)
Manufacturer: Research In Motion Ltd.
Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), 270 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.7 oz
Manufacturer info
- Research In Motion Ltd.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Research In Motion Ltd. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.rim.net
- Address:
295 Phillip Street
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2L 3W8, Waterloo, ON - Phone: 519/888-7465
- Email: webinfo@rim.net
- Fax: 519-888-7884
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