NOT THE BIGGEST FRUIT ON THE BUSH, BUT CERTAINLY NOT A PIP!

The Blackberry 8520

This rating very much depends upon on what entry level you’re coming into the world of BlackBerry – are you a BB virgin or a loyal customer looking for an upgrade?  If the answer’s the former, you’ll love this phone – but more experienced BB users may find themselves looking for features that don’t exist. As an introduction into the world of BlackBerry, it is perfect.

For those who got hacked off with the trackball on earlier curve models, which easily became dirty, the 8520 will be a pleasant surprise.  No more independent movements to slow you down, as the Curve comes with a touch-sensitive trackpad.  Even though it might not have the same style and sophistication as the 8900, the combination of a trackpad and a full QWERTY keyboard for ease when texting and emailing will be well sought-after by professionals over the frustrations of a alphanumeric keypad.  Although the keys are small, they’re raised and tilted so it doesn’t take long to be punching out 60 words a minute!

 Multimedia is what this phone is all about.  Accessing your tunes is a breeze – there are music keys along the top for easy access, and a whole IM folder lets you chat using Blackberry Messenger, Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger or ICQ with pre-installed apps already on the handset.  Unfortunately, you can’t sign into all of these at the same time unless you download Blackberry App World.

 The Documents To Go suite of apps is pre-installed though, but as it only allows you to view Word, PDF, Excel and image files; you can’t create your own documents.  Viewing isn’t a problem, however – the screen is an acceptable 2.6 inches, and although it only boasts a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, it’s bright and vibrant – capable of displaying 65,000 colours.  You can also change the font to whatever suits you, adjusting the size where required.

 The camera is a bit of a letdown: only two megapixels, and it doesn’t have a flash or autofocus. This said, it perfectly adequate for outdoor shots – and let’s face it, people buy BlackBerries for their excellent email delivery and social media apps, not with photography in mind!

 You’ll be very happy with the battery life of this phone.  No more having to search for your charger every day with this little beauty – you’ll get three days use, which is amazing considering the reputation of other handsets from RIM.  There is a reason for this though – the lack of 3G or GPS in favour of Wi-Fi and EDGE.
 
 Apps and capabilities aside, this phone is also quite gorgeous.  It’s slim; weighs only 106 g, and is available in many colours – from the traditional black to purple, pink, blue, red, silver and even violet. If you like dressing up your phone, even Barbie doesn’t have this many accessories!