hovers.org » BlackBerry http://www.hovers.org Independent reviews Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:12:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 BlackBerry Curve 8520 http://www.hovers.org/blackberry-curve-8520/ http://www.hovers.org/blackberry-curve-8520/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:21:23 +0000 admin http://www.hovers.org/?p=475 BlackBerry Curve 8520 introduces some ‚new’ features to BlackBerry phones like music keys and a more reasonable price. It also has some standard business functions like functional web browser and office document viewer.

BlackBerry Curve 8520 pros:
+ 512MHz CPU
+ 2.46″ 65K-color TFT landscape display of QVGA resolution
+ BlackBerry OS v4.6
+ Quad-band GSM support, Wi-Fi connectivity
+ 2 megapixel camera with fixed focus
+ Comfortable four-row full QWERTY keyboard
+ Hot-swappable microSD card slot
+ 3.5 mm audio jack
+ Good audio quality
+ Nice web browser

BlackBerry Curve 8520 cons:
- Poor camera performance and features
- No FM radio
- No 3G support
- No TV-out functionality
- Music keys are stiff and unresponsive
- No built-in GPS receiver


The design:
BlackBerry Curve 8520 measures 109 x 60 x 13.9 mm and weighs 106 gram. The phone is made almost entirely of plastic which makes rather poor impression when compared to phones such as Acer neoTouch, or LG BL40 New Chocolate. Because it is plastic the BlackBerry Curve 8520 is prone to attract smudges and fingerprints. To make it easier to grip the mobile phone has rubberized edges. On the front of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 you will see the 2.46” display showing 65K-color in QVGA resolution. Below the display is the full QWERTY keyboard with large and responsive keys making it comfy to use. On the left of the phone is the standard 3.5 audio jack, the microUSB memory card slot and a programmable convenience key. The right side of the BlackBerry phone houses the volume rocker and another convenience key. The top of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 features the dedicated music keys, yet as it is a business phone and they are not comfortable they’re better left alone. The back of the phone hosts the 2 megapixel camera lens which is recessed so it is protected from scratches.

Performance:
The signal reception and in-call sound quality are very good in the BlackBerry Curve 8520. As if it is not enough that the screen on the BlackBerry Curve 8520 seems a bit small it has rather poor direct sunlight legibility. The phone runs on the BlackBerry OS v4.6 with is quite functional and customizable. Although the software is very versatile and thus useable it still looks somewhat bad. You get only text lists written in small letters. A similar statement would also be true for the phonebook – versatile, useable and ugly.



Multimedia:
The music player in the BlackBerry Curve 8520 in only slightly more visually appealing than the rest of the user interface. It offers quite good functionality, good sound quality (although it cannot match the Sony Ericsson Yari) and it can play in the background so it is generally quite good.
The video player supports DivX and XviD files right out of the box which is always a nice touch. The screen might seem a bit too small for watching such videos but still it is nice to have that option.
The 2 megapixel digital camera in the BlackBerry Curve 8520 phone can shoot up to 1600 x 1200 images. Unfortunately, the camera in this phone is hardly useable. The interface is poor, the images are small, and the image quality is… nothing special. The images lack detail, the color balance is terrible and there tends to be too much noise.
The video recording is also not the strongest side of the BlackBerry Curve 8520. The phone records QVGA videos in the 3GP format and the quality is simply mediocre.
Web browser, on the other hand, works just as well as it could. The websites are rendered quite well and ti is also relatively fast, but the small screen (and small resolution) mean that you may fail to notice some details. As most phones the BlackBerry Curve 8520 does not support flash.
The phone has some games, organizer and office document viewer right out of the box so in the spare time between business meetings you can have some fun, or better organize your valuable time.

Selected BlackBerry Curve 8520 features and specifications:

  • 2.0MP Digital Camera
  • Video Camera Capabilities
  • 256MB Flash Memory
  • Wi-Fi® enabled
  • Bluetooth® enabled
  • Multimedia Player
  • Wireless Email
  • Organizer
  • Browser
  • Phone
  • SMS/MMS
  • Battery & Battery Life

Battery: 1150 mAHr
Talk Time: 4.5 hours
Standby Time: 17 days

  • Display

Clear, high-resolution display
Transmisive TFT MCD
320×240 pixel screen
Displays over 65,000 colors
2.64″ (diagonally measured)

  • Camera & Video Recording

2.0 MP camera
5X digital zoom
Video Camera Recording:
Normal Mode (320×240 pixel),MMS Mode (176×144 pixel)

  • Data Input & Navigation

35 key backlit QWERTY keyboard
Dedicated Keys: Send, End, VAD/PTT (User customizable), Camera (User customizable), 2 x volume
Media Keys: Play/Pause/Mute, Back, Forward
Trackpad – Located on the front face of device, ESC key to the right, Menu to the left.
Intuitive icons and menus
Other recently reviewed mobile phones:
LG BL40 New Chocolate, Sony Ericsson Aino, Acer neoTouch, Nokia N97 mini, Sony Ericsson Yari, Samsung OmniaPRO B7330, Nokia X3.

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