BlackBerry Curve 8520 Review
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Review: August 2009 |
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Phone rating: 
In a nutshell: An entry-level BlackBerry Curve, with a new-fangled
Trackpad to replace the annoying trackball on previous Curve models.
The 8520 offers a full QWERTY keyboard, mobile e-mail, a basic camera
and a media player, plus good memory and connectivity. But it cuts
corners with the display, camera and lack of high-end features that
are common in many smartphones.
Best buy: *Free* from BuyMobilePhones
(Black) or BuyMobilePhones
(Purple); or on pay as you go for £114.89 from Dialaphone
(Black or White).
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BlackBerry are trying hard. People like us have been
moaning for ages about the trackball that featured in previous curve
models. The trackball that often gets stuck and develops a mind of its
own. And now they've come up with an alternative: a touch-sensitive
Trackpad. Good work, but somehow they've fumbled the keyboard, and the
beautifully responsive keyboard that appeared on the 8900
has been replaced by one that just doesn't quite have the same sureness
of feel. What a shame! Still, the combination of trackpad plus QWERTY
keyboard isn't a bad one, and it sure beats struggling to write an email
with a conventional alphanumeric keypad!
Anyway, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's take
a step back and survey the BlackBerry 8520. What is it's place in the
BlackBerry family? It's not a 3G phone like the BlackBerry
Bold, and it's missing features like GPS that appear in the BlackBerry
8900. No, this is an entry level member of the curve family, equipped
with a basic screen and a really clunky camera. But it does have several
strongpoints - the push email application and QWERTY keyboard that have
made BlackBerries famous, excellent connectivity and some decent memory.
The connectivity includes WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data
Rate, plus the benefit of a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting headphones
or plugging into your car stereo.
As a budget BlackBerry, the 8520 has its place in the
line-up, but the cost saving compared with the 8900 isn't very much.
On balance, we'd prefer the BlackBerry
8900 to the 8520, despite the trackball vs trackpad issue. The 8900
is a better featured phone in several ways, and the outstandingly good
keyboard on the 8900 is a major plus for anyone serious about mobile
messaging.
Features
of the BlackBerry 8520 include:
- 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom
- Video camera (320 x 240 pixels)
- Internal display: TFT, 240 x 320 pixels (2.46 inches),
65,000 colours
- Media player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA formats)
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, instant
messaging, push email with attachment viewer
- Built-in speakerphone
- Voice dialling
- Voice memo recorder
- MP3 ringtones & LED call indicator
- Personal organiser functions
- Vibration alert
- Internet: Web browser, GPRS,
EDGE
- Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, USB, modem,
3.5mm stereo headset port
- Memory: 256 Mbytes plus microSD memory card slot
- Size: 109 x 60 x 14 mm
- Weight: 106g
- Quadband
- Talktime: 4.5 hours
- Battery standby: 400 hours
Compare BlackBerry
Curve 8520 deals and BlackBerry
Curve 8520 Purple deals at MobilePhoneChecker.co.uk.
BlackBerry 8520 Consumer Reviews
Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this
phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so
please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive
language, and please, no advertising!
Average rating from 153 reviews:
Reviewed by alex from england on 5th Feb 2012
Had the phone for little under a year, the qwerty keyboard is really
useful, makes texting so much easier. The BBM is also extremely useful
to get in contact with friends/family easily. The phone also features
essentials like music player and internet browsing. Now the bad, the
phone feels cheap. Too cheap, the casing is really tacky, the trackpad
is bad, and messes up on occasions, screen brightness is bad, camera
is AWFUL, and the phone often freezes. Internet (even connected to my
wifi) is painfully slow,I've had the white screen many times also. overall
the phone is incredibly addicting and useful/enjoyable too say the least.
However it does have many issues and annoyances but you have to remember
this is an entry level phone. I would recommend the 9300 as its a little
more dearer, but your definitely getting your moneys worth!
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Megan from UK on 4th Feb 2012
Oh my gosh, this phone is amazing, the phone itself is absolutely brilliant!
The trackpad is so much better than the Curve 8900's one, its so much
easier to use, i compared them both as my friend has the 8900 and to
be fair this one is so much better, even though its the younger one
of the two, the 2.0 megapixel camera is alright, its not the best but
i guess you'd expect that, its not with flash which is a shame but like
it says you don't want to take very important photos if your in the
dark. I love the qwerty keyboard its brilliant, I love the rubber around
the phone, which protects it from scratches which is a great idea. I
love this phone its amazing, its fast internet (not 3G) but still fast
and the bbm is outstanding its great for messaging your friends on the
go! I would definetly recommend this phone to a friend.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Ryan Cawsey from UK on 1st Feb 2012
This phone is an amazing entry level blackberry it features the brilliant
qwerty keyboard and the new trckpad instead of the infamous trackball.
It also has a mini USB 3,5mm headphone jack 2.5 megapixel camera, and
its all built into a tiny little phone that sits comfortably in your
hand the glossy plastic is nice but the back does get fingerprints so
I would suggest buying a cover/case for it.
Enjoy this amazing phone
I recommend to: High School teens
Buisness men/women
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Melly from UK on 1st Feb 2012
For the price this is great. if u have wifi at home and dont NEED fast
internet outside, great. BBM etc fine, battery life great, got my 12
yr old son one as a virgin media customer for £8.99 a month he gets
unlimited BBM and BB internet, 500 GB on top, 3000 mins to other virgin,
250 texts and 100 anyone anytime mins. Flimsier than a 9300, so keep
it protected. i would use one no probs, but do prefer the 9300. Dont
moan about no 3G - it clearly states it hasn't got it!!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by barry from n.ireland on 20th Jan 2012
i have the blackberry curve 8520 just over a week now and i've spent
most of that time in a very confused and frustrated state. i got it
from phones4u, where, upon asking if android phones were better for
the internet, i was told that a blackberry, in fact this blackberry
was the best for the internet.i got it home and after a lot ringing
o2 and registration and system downloads tried the internet. i tried
it on wifi which was fine, it played youtube videos instantly and page
loading while browsing was very quick. when using through o2 cellular
connection it may as well be non-existent. the tunein radio app took
5 mins of buffering to load and played for 5secs before another 5mins
of buffering. i was told this is because of no 3g availability in my
area but hav found out now that the phone isn't capabale of receiving
3g anyway. also, i can't believe that all the cheap dirt, bottom of
the range phones i've had in the past have fm radio access as a basic
feature, but on a magnificent smartphone you hav to go online and download
an app(which must be done at home because of the wifi only internet)
that eats 100mb of data per hour while streaming radio.
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by Molly from England on 16th Jan 2012
At first this phone was brilliant and was fast and had good audio quality
and photo quality. After a few months the bettery started to die faster
and the battery started to swell. After buying a new battery a few weeks
ago, the battery is still dying quickly but no longer swelling. The
price of the apps and games are too expensive so I oonly go on the App
World for updates on important apps, the phone also takes around ten-twenty
minutes to re-start after downloading an update. Overall its a good
phone if you don't use it very often and don't need it for important
buisness reasons, But I would definitely buy newer versions of the Blackberry
Curve. Not for me or many people for that matter.
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Emma from Wales on 16th Jan 2012
Got this phone a little over a year ago, Cons: Takes AGES to switch
on when fully switched off, freezes alot, when trying to change my theme,
the message tone stopped working for months, slow internet, search bar
on internet broke, rubbish camera with temperamental zoom option. Constantly
making connections so comes through speakers, bluetooth can be awkward
to use, poor blackberry apps. PROS: good keypad, bb messenger, large
expandable memory, good for playing music. So the Cons outweigh the
pro's by far. Not the worst phone Ive had but certainly not the best,
trading it in for a smartphone this week, will not be going for blackberry
again!
Rating:
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Reply by Ryan Cawsey from UK on 1st
Feb 2012
This is a smartphone!
Reviewed by Devonte from UK on 14th Jan 2012
I must say after owning this phone for nearly 3years now i must say
its below average. The keyboard is so good, that now i dont have to
even look at the keyboard when texting. BBM is a good way to text people
on BBM of free. Feels nice in the hand. Speaker is loud. HOWEVER Very
bad internet, becomes very slow if not connected to wifi sometimes it
donestn connect at all. Battery life seems to drain out after a while.
BLACKBERRY CURVE is too unrelaible and breaks easily. Takes 5minutes
to load up. Constant freezing and clock appaears. Very breakable. BBM
sometims slow and unreliable however, its a good phone but its so old
now, and if u want a more relaible BB this one aint for u.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Ellie from Japan on 14th Jan 2012
Cool
Rating:
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Reviewed by chismass from scotland on 14th Jan
2012
when i got this phone i thought it was really good, when connected to
a wifi hot spot the internet worked really well and txting is really
easy once you get used to it. making a call is easy aswell. But on the
down side the battery life is rubbsih iy dosent even last a day. i have
only had mine for about a year and after about 7-8 months it started
playing up. now it keeps crashing about 4 times a day and it takes about
20 minutes to load again. it rejected my sim card so i had to get a
new one,the little clock that comes up when its taking its time to load
to get onto anything comes up all the time then resets its self. and
everymorning it dosent switch on so i have to take the battery out.overall
its a really annoying phone and i wish i hadnt got it to be honest,but
it dose look smart i'll give it that.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Mark from UK on 13th Jan 2012
I got this phone free on Virgin Mobile for only £10.99 a month and that
gives me 300 minutes, 2500 texts and 1 gig of data. The phone is excellent
for calls, texts and banging off emails. Blackberry messenger is excellent
and the phone is an excellent music player. On the negative side the
camera is not much good and only suitable for snaps outside in good
light conditions. Lack of 3g is another drawback with internet being
pretty slow but you can connect via wifi which is very fast. Overall
this is a good phone as long as you aren't bothered about a great camera
or super fast internet.
Rating:
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Reviewed by myrtle gregory from jamaica on 12th
Jan 2012
I cannot download a flash player for my blackberry curve 8520 phone
Rating:
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Reviewed by JustJode from Birmingham on 7th Jan
2012
It is a brilliant phone apart from the battery :/ and the trackball
freezing then the whole phone freezes on me... wanted a phone which
didn't do that and now its worse than my old phone :/
Rating:
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Reviewed by Laurs from England on 6th Jan 2012
I have had this phone for a little over a year now and personally i
think it is a massive let down and would advise anybody thinking of
buying this phone to not buy it! For the first few months i had it,
the phone was fine but now its forever playing up. Its very slow and
you wait ages for it to sort itself out and then an error comes up on
the screen and you have to wait for it to restart. Also the camera quality
is very poor! And there is no flash so that makes it even worse. You
can upload your photos to facebook or myspace which is good though,
but you can do this on most up to date phones! Also if you ever need
to take the battery out for some reason (eg to get to the memory card
or to restart it when it has hung up and nothing else will work), it
takes foreverrr to restart.. you have to wait at least 5 minutes before
it comes back on. The internet is very slow and the screen is small
so i always have to zoom in and then you have to scroll around the page
which is annoying. Iv also had a lot of trouble with the keyboard letters.
Right now the backspace button is not working at all so it is very frustrating
when texting! Iv had trouble with other letters too that just wont work
or it puts too many of them in.. I will say the speaker is good on it,
i use it as my alarm and it does play music quite loudly. I also like
the BBM (Blackberry Messenger) but sadly thats all i can say is positive
about this phone!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by hannah from uk on 5th Jan 2012
i luv my berry i would be lost without it however my battery only lasts
2 days but who cares BLACKBERRYS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by moabi from south africa on 4th Jan
2012
my berry 8520 is good, only upset me with one thing the battery is bad
and i am game addict, so it has very few games compitable to it, but
i love my berry.
Rating:
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Reviewed by preolin from south africa on 4th Jan
2012
blackberry a very popular outstanding software but can it beat google's
Android -->the only problem i have with a blackberry is that most of
the apps are not free from the blackberry app world and there is to
little to choose from -->android most of the apps are freeand theres
alot to choose from but other than that blackberry rules!!!!!!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by charlotte :) from England on 3rd Jan
2012
this phone is rubbish to be quite honest i was very dissapointed with
mine i had it about 3 months and it was constantly running out of charge
i got new batterys new chargers everything but then at the beggining
of december it stoped working and i then found out that it had a system
error... the camera is okay when you are out and about in the day but
come night time its rubbish because there is no flash... over all i
didnt like this phone i am now saving up for a HTC or and iPhone i think
i will wait till the new model comes out... thanks for reading
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by zaki from united kingdom on 1st Jan
2012
i love my blackbery curve because i enjoy communicating with people
around the wold using the scoial networking and the blackberry messenger
and get in touch with any of you find.
Rating:
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Reviewed by david from england on 31st Dec 2011
Well I'm on it now and I must say outdated as it is this is a very nice
phone for the lower end in pricing for a phone however its laque of
3G is very annoying for internet apps usually the internet although
jagged is nice to browse on.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Jake from England on 31st Dec 2011
its a brilliant phone i love it but the battery life is rubbish :) hope
it helps
Rating:
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Reviewed by rania from canada on 29th Dec 2011
nothing is perfect ,people should say they want an upgrade,it is a great
phone
Rating:
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Reviewed by Abi from England on 27th Dec 2011
My name is Abi I'm from Phones4U, Bristol. In my opinion this what I
think of this phone....... The BlackBerry Curve has something for everyone,
a full qwerty keyboard, document applications allowing access to Word,
Excel and pdf files should keep the corporate among us happy; for everyone
else there’s a 2 mega pixel camera, up to 32gb external storage
and a brand new music player complete with that all important 3.5mm
audio jack and media sync to hook up to itunes. This model is clearly
the flagship of their non-3G range. But with Wi-Fi Bluetooth and Edge
technology at hand I dare you to notice it’s missing. The Curve
is sleek, simple and practical. And being the lightest BlackBerry yet,
it won’t weigh you down........... Thats why teens desire this
phone
Rating:
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Reviewed by Johny from bulgaria on 27th Dec 2011
This is one incredible phone. It have more functions than i ever needed.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Unknown from Malaysia on 23rd Dec
2011
PROS: Worth the money. Durable. Trackpad. CONS: Battery life. Internet
speed (2G). Keyboard. To those hating on the 8520, remember, this is
a pretty cheap phone. There isn't anything special to it. If you guys
are comparing this to the Bold 9700, you're pretty stupid because that
phone has a superior CPU, keyboard, camera, screen and so much more.
Rating:
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Reviewed by maruf from austria on 22nd Dec 2011
It is a good phone bit since i updated it to os 5 it started to hang
up when i open 2 apps at the same time by showing me a clear white screen
then i must remove the battery to make the phone work what's the problem?
Rating:
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Reviewed by asdfghjkl from england on 20th Dec
2011
had this phone nearly a year now. It was brilliant at first, always
worked, loved it, now it's not so brilliant, i have had it sent off
for repair a few months ago, i got it back and it was still broken.
I recently, well this morning, updated it through my laptop, unplugged
it after- My bbm had disapeared, then when i got onto the computer i
loaded it back on- i'd lost my contacts! Luckily i saved them a few
days before. I now have my contacts back but a really old version of
bbm, i cannot make statuses or anything. So get a newer blackberry,
this one will soon mess up:-/
Rating:
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Reviewed by Irfan ali from India on 18th Dec 2011
Beautiful handset
Rating:
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Reviewed by md manzar hussain from india on 13th
Dec 2011
nice cell thanks from md manzar hussain anjuman construction jamshedpur
Rating:
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Reviewed by Rachel from England on 13th Dec 2011
OMG, how are you people saying this phone is bad?? It's amazing! If
you don't want one of those new, fancy EXPENSIVE Blackberries, this
is the way to go. Its a greaat BB. Its one of the cheapest, with a trackpad.
Its just...amazing!
Rating:
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Reviewed by jimmy from south africa on 12th Dec
2011
I love my 8520 curve. Sure it freezes sometimes after 10 months and
the battery isn't that great, but its cheap, looks good and does lots
of things that other, more expensive phones can't do. I use my curve
for all my social networking and it serves its purpose excellently.
This is no businessman phone but is more for the 'fun' side of blackbeRries.
Hence the various colours, simple layout and basic OS. Don't be fooled
by complaints. You get what you pay for. If you're looking for a showstopper,
get the 9900.
Rating:
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Reviewed by katie from england on 12th Dec 2011
I have had this phone for 11 months and I am now having to replace it
due to the trackpad not working. I would keep this phone for longer
if it wasnt for the trackpad. the only other thing i can say negative
about the phone is the battery life. i have to charge it every night
regardless of how much i use it during the day.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Simon from England on 11th Dec 2011
Ok for all you users that slate it for the internet, buy 3g if you want
internet on the move. However this phone is really quick when attached
to wi-fi, another thing when you use apps from BB app world these work
quickly on the 8520 like facebook, twitter,sky news,weather widgets
the reason for this is that they use Blackberry servers the same servers
that send your emails to you. As for freezing update your Blackberry
to version 5 this stops it and you get Blackberry Maps. I swapped to
a Blackberry from Android and I am really impressed. Read how to use
your Blackberry Properly before giving it a bad review.
Rating:
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Reviewed by vivek vaghela from india on 8th Dec
2011
nthng like anythng..@@@!!!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by camille from england on 5th Dec 2011
it is very rubbish as my sister owns one and i would reccomend the 9300
as it is faster and very fanc
Rating:
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Reviewed by c-tyler from england on 4th Dec 2011
i had this phone and it was replaced 6 times as everyone i got had the
same problem; it would constantly freeze for hours on end and take up
to half an hour to turn on. It even started to stop sending messages
to people which got really annoying as i had to call people if i wanted
to say something. There was also a period of 2 months when the internet
just refused to work. The battery life is terrible and the app world
is extremely slow. Also, blackberry messenger hardly ever works as there
is always something wrong. If there was the option to give it no stars,
i would as it isn't even worth one star.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Richard from UK on 1st Dec 2011
A really good little phone - camrea might not be upto much, but the
web browser and e-mail function is spot on. Using Tesco I get excellent
coverage - far better than 3. Te phone is really easy to use for texting,
e-mail and even making calls. No problems with the keyboard or trackpad
and still working despite dropping it a couple of times. A really good
little phone for the money!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Louise from UK on 30th Nov 2011
I have owned a blackberry curve 8520 since august 2010. It is awful.
If it wasn't for my contract still going i'd of got a new phone months
back. In April 2011 (phone only 8months old here) the a button broke.
Over the next three months, my L, ALT, DEL, Q, S and P button are broke.
The internet is pathetic and so slow, i never bother using it. BB app
world is also very slow. BBM is great but messages never send. My back
light is starting to break, meaning i sruggle to read my texts etc.
The battery life is AWFUL i've already replaced my battery once but
yet it still needs charging at least twice a day. My memory card is
playing up good style, even the phones memory is going. Sometimes i
cannot view my photos, and have to have the default picture as my background,
which is awful. Don't listen to them 5 star reviews about how good their
phone is, because until march-april i thought the same, this phones
great. Wait six months. Its A W F U L.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Kim from Australia on 29th Nov 2011
Do your research people, you cant expect a prised show jumper if you
own a clydesdale. This phone is a work horse without the fuss It is
at the lower end of the smart phones and should be judged as one. For
work i need realiable phone and email/text sevice and with the qwerty
keyboard this phone is quite capable. Also when used in a secure area
(NO CAMERAS) the camera is really easy to remove.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Aidycheo from UK on 28th Nov 2011
Terrible phone, slow internet browser never bother using it, like watching
paint dry, wi-fi dont bother, camera very low quality no flash so dont
bother taking any pics indoors, video is good outside only, the phone
is light and mine has never broken, mind you I do keep it clean and
wrapped in cotton wool, a friend of mine has got a HTC Desire,I wish
I had got one also, I gave the phone 1 star because I couldnt give it
a 0 rating
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by amy from england on 28th Nov 2011
this phone is really good, but when you have it for maybe 3 months it
starts to freeze, it is a good phone for people who just want to bbm
their mates of text friends, but if you want it for buisness get a bold,
as they are better. The camera isn't very good but its good enough to
go out and take pictures with your mates. You should buy it if you are
a teenager like me but you should get a better one if you have got a
higher budget than this. Not the best for apps and games as they are
of a high price some of them, and some arent even that good. Amazing
for apps such as facebook and twitter, but bad on the internet as the
screen is too small and you have to go on the menu bar several times
if you havent got amazing eyesite. But dont let this put you off, you
should buy if you are a teenager but not if it is for buiness.
Rating:
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Reviewed by prince from south africa on 26th Nov
2011
Its not such a bad phone if I had to rate it out of a hundred I would
say maybe 86, becoz the battery has a tendency of running out realy
fast considering the fact that I do almost everything with this phone
from bbm,mxit,twitter,facebook,email and evn more so its nat such a
bad phone accept it needs a long lasting battery
Rating:
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Reviewed by tammy from england on 26th Nov 2011
very good and battery is really good and messaging is good the best
thigh is all of it? thank's for reading it
Rating:
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Reviewed by StAce from England, London on 24th
Nov 2011
8520 is lame, don't bother better off with 9300. At least you have 3g
and trust me, 9300 has a way faster internet. Can't do much with a 8520
):
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by sheona from britain on 22nd Nov 2011
If blackberry curve that good thenwhats all the fuss its the worst fne
I have ever purchased only a few months n I am so p. D off with fne
can't get most apps to download n miss out on good sites its totaly
PANTS u hav to b in with the company to say somthing good about the
blackberry curve no one cud change my mind get ur act together or bin
the excrement thing
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Nathan from UK on 20th Nov 2011
I think this phone is great value for money. I've had it for over a
year and have had no problems with it whatsoever. The only negative
aspects of the phone are the lack of 3G which makes the internet frustratingly
slow, and the poor quality camera, but you get what you pay for.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Ariane from England on 17th Nov 2011
I think it's a really trendy phone and most of the kids in my school
have one, they're really bricky chunky phones, I used to have one, I
had it for about 3-4 months and it fell out my bag as I was running
and the LED screen smashed. I don't really recommend this phone because
it freezes MOST of the time and the in browsing on the internet is really
difficult due to the phone not having 3G. I think it would be much better
if the screen was stronger and the phone it's self didn't freeze as
much, if I'm totally honest they're not the best phones to have. The
camera is bad quality I'd say, 2 Mega-pixels isn't enough for a phone
of that value because the phone itself costs around £140. The good points
are I would say is the keypad because it's easy and fast to type with
and isn't as complicated as an alphanumeric phone. If I'm totally honest
I really regret spending most of my Birthday money on a Blackberry.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Tasmin from Uk on 15th Nov 2011
all 'bad' reviewxs r xsamje xso i think that people r mjaknig up xsamje
ancd xsamje poxstcd! QXSORRY ABOUT MJY WRITING KEYBOARCD IXS NOT WORKING
ATM
Rating:
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Reviewed by Ian H. from England on 14th Nov 2011
This is my first 'smartphone'. What's all the fuss about ? I can send
texts, make calls and pick up my emails, take poor photo's and video's
and that's about it. Like every other phone costing less than £300,
the internet is almost unusable. The only difference between this and
a regular phone is the email. Why the excitement about Blackberries
?
Rating:
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Reviewed by M S from UK on 14th Nov 2011
I have had the 8520 for 5 months now, internet is VERY slow will not
even pick up my home internet(BT)or wi-fi when it dose the pages take
10mins + to load just to come up with 'Timed-out'or Error',set up Email
only recived two Emails then nothing, will not connect. BB App world
site is also poor.Regret buying a blackberry.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by apple pie from Swizerland on 13th
Nov 2011
Very good phone really useful . Havent had a phone like it!:)
Rating:
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Reviewed by Kodee from U.K on 13th Nov 2011
This phone freezes all the time! And the Apps are terrible so yawwww:)
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by dee from uk on 11th Nov 2011
had the 8520 for 5 months now, (though they have twice replaced it..)
nothing but trouble sending it back yet again.!! internet is VERY slow,
& wont even pick up my home internet(virgin media)or wi-fi connect,
pages or Apps sometimes taking 20mins to load just to come up with 'Timed-out'or
Error' & dont get me started on their own BB App world site...., ringtones
often come up 'invalid or corrupt' then work again & change settings
all by themselves, Any 3rd party apps that i have added to my phone
has only been possible through the data cable connecting the Blackberry
to my PC, the unlimited internet allowance in my contract has been a
complete sham, now i know why i got such a good deal! they knew id never
be able to use it???!! oh & for even more BB fun it also freezes often.,i
hate, hate this phone.. sorry Blackberry its a BIG NO from me..
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Duncan Maile from UK on 14th May 2010
I've had this phone a total of 5 hours and I am impressed with it. I
thought long and hard with it up against a 9700 but the fact I didn't
want to enter a contract swayed me to the 8520, and I'm not disappointed.
I got mine on T-Mobile with 6 months free web & BIS (had trouble setting
it up due to clueless customer service reps, but asked nicely for the
money back for the calls). I recommend turning the font down to 7 in
the settings, and upgrading to the 5.0 firmware (google it) as it will
give you a boost in speed and some nice extras. I live out in the sticks
so 3G isn't much of an issue to me & Google Maps & Blackberry Maps can
lock on to a rough location to find things around you. Try it, you won't
go far wrong.
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Reviewed by Gavin from England, UK on 13th May
2010
I've avoided getting a mobile phone of any type over the years, but
because of family member health reasons, I've finally caved in and today
bought myself a Curve 8520. For someone who's never used a mobile, it
was suprisingly easy to use and navigate through. I live out in the
country as well so was suprised even more to find that I can connect
to the Net through it. The only annoying thing so far is how to get
to your text inbox folder. So...unless there's a shortcut way of doing
it, I'll just have to get used to it. But all in all, I'm very happy
indeed; and for £15 a month; well I must say I've scored a pretty good
deal there!
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Reviewed by Josh from UK on 9th May 2010
I lost my Blackberry 8900 so was able to claim a temporary Blackberry
Curve 8520. I was shocked at the difference! The 8900 seemed easier
and better to use in all areas. Typing was easier, trackball I preferred
(although this is personal prefrence). And i felt lost without my GPS.
Its worth shedding about a few more pennies to get the better Blackberry
8900, the 8520 REALLY IS A BUDGET BLACKBERRY!
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Reviewed by Sabina from England on 9th May 2010
I loveee it soo much, it is actually the best phone that I've ever had!
It's my first blackberry and I love it! I've only had it for a week
now and it is soo much fun just playing with it, you can never get bored!
I would recommend this phone to absolutely anyone. I thought the phone
would be really hard to use (it is a blackberry) but to my surprise
I actually got used to it in the first 10 minutes! :) If anyone needs
a new phone, YOU HAVE GOT TO BUY THIS ONE :D
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Reviewed by Kay from England on 8th May 2010
Guys, If only you'll believe me...buy BB Bold 9700. It's worth the extra
pay. I feel bad for buying this phone when I realised what a huge diff
b/w this and BB Bold 9700. Trust me, 8520 is a low quality phone.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Jay from England on 4th May 2010
Absolutely amazing phone. This is the first blackberry phone ive purchased
and its brilliant. People complain that its not as good as other blackberrys
but it is an entry level phone. Im 23 and its perfect for internet,
emails, uploading pictures to facebook etc on the go. The aps are great
as well. Get one, you wont regret it. :)
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Reviewed by kim from uk on 3rd May 2010
i just got it and bb does not work do you have to pay for this extra
:SSSS
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Reviewed by Miley from America on 1st May 2010
I swear it is awesome!!!!!!!!The blackBerry curve 8520!!!! I swear swear
swear swear swear swear
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Reviewed by CiCi from U.K on 27th Apr 2010
I also used to be committed to Nokias like other reviewers, and was
going to get the E71 but all my friends told me to get this BB. Taking
the risk was a very good decision! It's perfect for a student with the
£25 a month 02 Dolphin plan, so I'd definitely recommend it to the younger
generation who aren't generally fussed about tech. The camera isn't
bad at all, everything is easily accessible after you get used to it
which doesn't take long and the bonus is that you can get some fancy
little covers for it! The best phone I've had so far.
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Reviewed by Josh from United Kingdom on 25th Apr
2010
The phone itself is a brilliant piece of technology. It's light easy
to use BUT there are a few things they don't tell you when you get it.
(I'm on orange pay as you go but I believe that it's the case for other
networks aswell.) 1) They don't tell you that if you want "unlimited
internet & blackberry messenger - as advertised" you have to pay and
extra £5 a month. E.g. if you top up £10, 5 of that goes towards your
internet. 2) The unlimited internet is only 50MB :S 3) Blackberry messenger
doesn't work til after a few days. But after all that hassle it is a
brilliant phone!
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Reviewed by Anilu from Brazil on 21st Apr 2010
Ok, I have to confess that I'm addicted to technology but I don't have
the money to afford the latest so I usually go for the next best thing...
I have a DELL Studio XPS, instead of a MAC, I have an iPod touch instead
of an iPhone and I have to have a smartphone because I can't live without
Internet and all the perks (messenger, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter). I
bought my first BB in 2008, a Pearl with no WiFi, no GPS, lousy camera
and a difficult keyboard. Yet I learned to work with it and became my
bestest friend. Then it was stolen (I live in Brazil, what can I expect)
and I got a Nokia E63, which is a good smartphone but after using the
BB I felt like I was stuck at my grandma's house during vacation. It
may be sweden, wifi, fast, 3G, and blah blah blah, but I love my BB
too much and just couldn't get used to it. Besides, if you run more
than 3 apps at a time, it just crashes, and then you have to pay a pretty
penny to get it fixed. So after a loooot of complaining I finally got
my carrier to feel sorry for my frustrations and decided to give me
enough credit to get a new phone. My options were Bold 9700, Bold 9000
and this beautiful Curve 8520. My husband has the 9000, we call it "the
brick". I've played a while with the 9700 and let's be honest here,
I'm a culinary arts student who works part time and the other part time
I spend with my kids and friends, I don't have nor need a corporate
email account, I use my gmail and that's it, I use Facebook, Twitter
and Weatherbug so why do I need to pay so much for the 9700? Just 'cause
it's pretty and a little bit more sturdy than the 8520? Nooooo!!!! So,
to those who are complaining about having a cheap look, go and buy the
9700; to the ones who say that you can't download this and that (which
is a breeze, seriously!), go and get an iPhone; and to those who say
that the camera is bad, go and buy an actual CAMERA! This is a phone
people! Smart, yes, but that's it, you just make sure that you can read
your mail, update your status, maybe listen to some music (or get an
iPod), maybe sync your schedule, but that's it. This is a really good
phone because it has the BB OS which is excellent, it's fast enough
for the aforementioned tasks and it's light and pretty I might add.
Like it was stated: ENTRY LEVEL PHONE. If you are a big corporate guy/lady,
then ask your company to provide you with the fastest, best BB. If you
just need a phone, get a RAZR. But if you want to be connected, don't
like to struggle with size, yet look cool with a BB in your hands, then
get this phone 'cause it's totally worth it. My only complain and actually
concern is the escape key, feels like I have to really push it to make
it work and I'm afraid I'll break it... anybody else has this problem?
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Reviewed by Mr Singh from UK on 19th Apr 2010
Absolutely tremendous i must, perfect entry level phone, ease of use
for those less technical minded. 10/10!
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Reviewed by Sara from ... on 19th Apr 2010
I love my phone very much. Buy it you wont be sorry :D
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Reviewed by Crystal from T&T on 19th Apr 2010
I got my BB 8520 today - I avoided getting a BB for the longest while,
for fear of becoming a slave to it - but I'm mandated now to get one.So
far I like the feel of it - its not as large my husband's 9000, which
fits my hand in an odd way, making me fear dropping it. Its my first
BB, and it took me all of 5mins to start maneuvering like I'd had it
for years. The camera is decent - my last phone had an 8mp camera and
photography is a hobby, so this a huge step away from what I'm used
to - but it's not bad. I look forward to my BB and I spending alot of
time together.
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Reviewed by steve n from uk on 18th Apr 2010
i bought a blackberry 8520 on payg vodafone,but i cant download apps
useing software cd provided,it tells me my phone's software not compatible.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by em from uk on 17th Apr 2010
i got my blackberry curve 8520 yesterday and i love it it is the best
phone i have ever had except for the quality of the camera. i found
it quite difficult to get my head around finding things at first and
there still some things i haven't figured out but its a great phone!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by elie maamary from lebanon on 16th
Apr 2010
i got this phone yestderday .... this thing is so amazing that it can
do anything (but not ANYTHING just anything :) )
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Reviewed by azz from uk on 12th Apr 2010
hey, i love my phone, in good it fits in my pocket when im on the ramps
with a bmx, it does what i want it to do and its very trustworthy! hasnt
broken, YET! LOL but ye i love it and i would advise getting it, u can
get it for 15pounds a month at tmobile, this is a uk based company
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Reviewed by crispar from australia on 11th Apr
2010
umm... ofcourse you'd rather the 8900 it's the top end curve, that's
like saying you'd prefer a top of the range car compared to the base
which is obvious. My previous phones have been an iPhone and a HTC Dream
my blackberry curve 8520 has an outstanding battery life compared of
both of them, the camera is better in the HTC Dream which is a top end
phone. And my dad has a 8900 the key boards are exactly the same except
for the detail. god!
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Reviewed by angie from grand cayman on 7th Apr
2010
I love my. Blackberry. So much I do not. What I. Would. Do. With out.
It
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Reviewed by gigi from united States on 7th Apr
2010
LOVE IT !!! i even like it better then the bold 9700.... <3
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Reviewed by Roti Sulthan from UK on 4th Apr 2010
Wifi does not work unless one takes a mobile phone plan which includes
internet. If one has internet already on the phone; it is then pointless
to have Wifi. Bluetooth does not work especially when one is trying
to send mp3 files or pictures to another phone via bluetooth. The only
way to add picture, ringtones or mp3 files is by taking the memory card
out and insert it in a pc and transfer the files across. Regret buying
a blackberry. Should have stayed with Nokia. Picture quality is appalling.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by beb from india on 3rd Apr 2010
Great phone... although it does feel a bit cheap and plasticy compared
to other blackberry models
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Reviewed by Sean from england on 3rd Apr 2010
This phone is terrible absolutely rubbish I hate this phone so much.
It's so annoying.
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Reviewed by haris from england on 31st Mar 2010
it is a good phone but a little bit heavier.
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Reviewed by m wyatt from england on 30th Mar 2010
Found the set up information in the booklets very vague but the biggest
disapointment was finding out that to send and receive pictures you
have to pay to go on blackberry services and pay a monthly fee,this
can not be right,I am now selling the phone and blackberry will not
be getting any more custom in future.
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Reviewed by martin from england on 29th Mar 2010
get one best phone i have ever had perfect.
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Reviewed by anita from scotland on 26th Mar 2010
this phone is great. a had the 8900 but this one is a lot better the
only thing a miss about my 8900 is the camera :):):):)
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Reviewed by a.k from uk on 25th Mar 2010
have always had nokia phones, thought id give myself a change and have
a blackberry, BIG MISTAKE!! sould have stayed with nokia, not what i
expected at all from a blackberry!! will be defo going back to nokia....
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Eilidhdawn from scotland on 24th Mar
2010
This phone is amazing. The battery life lasts for days unlike normal
modern phones!! You can search for a word throughout your messages which
is great for me! I've had mine for just under a year and never had a
problem with it!
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Reviewed by nvdude from india on 18th Mar 2010
hmmm.... bb 8520, is just a amazing phone, have more features for making
convenient on the go n more convenient while using desktop manager,
it does lots of work by its own by just click , like backing up the
personal stuffs, updating the softwares, uploading media or downloading
media from n to desktop, directly can download media, files, pics into
phone using internet.
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Reviewed by charlie from Lesta on 18th Mar 2010
wicked phone
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Reviewed by Brian Nicholas from Wales UK on 17th
Mar 2010
Key pad to small for big fingers
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Reviewed by chelsie from england on 15th Mar 2010
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT :):):):):)
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Reviewed by william w from stoke on 12th Mar 2010
i had the phone just yesterday and the phone is very very good i know
that some apps are basic but the phone is sleek and slim best phone
iv had in a while i had iphone that was just a nightmare!! id reccomend
this phone for everyone!!
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Reviewed by Chris from Uk on 7th Mar 2010
Excellent phone for what really is a budget BB. For £20 a month on Virgin
I have to say this is much better than the Nokia E63 IMO. To Matt ref
5.0 upgrade - didn't think the 5.0 OS (offical) was available yet and
am reluctant to try an unofficial version as not sure how safe/network
provider specific the software is? Where did you upgrade yours from?
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Reviewed by Matt from Uk on 2nd Mar 2010
Good battery life camera poor texting + e-mailing easy Signal good web
browsing excellent
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Reviewed by Mathew Aitken from Scotland on 23rd
Feb 2010
this is actualy the first phone iv had in the past 5 years, with loads
of features that all work! everything just does what its supposed to
do and with the 5.0 update it gets even better :D
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Reviewed by Jesse from UK on 13th Feb 2010
This is my first bb and i have to say that it is better then expected;
it has everything you need in a mobile phone
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Reviewed by greatBB! from UK on 6th Feb 2010
Well, this phone is fabulous it isnt as hi tech as the other recent
BlackBerries, but it is great and anyone ca use it, yeah the keys are
quite small, it is for anyone who is on a budget, on orange it is only
£149.99 + credit £20.00 it's really good + it has Blackberry messenger
to keep in touch really easily for free! Love the phoone and planning
on getting it!!
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Reviewed by David S from U.K on 5th Feb 2010
I really like this entry level B.B I have big digits and was worried
about the small key board but after an hour or two I realised that if
you type away, 99% of the time you hit the right key due to the raised
keys. Simple to use compared with many other phones does what it says
on the packet. Really like it so far.Camera not great but you know that
before you get it if you read the spec!!
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Reviewed by Ryan from England on 3rd Feb 2010
Its a decent phone. Takes a while to get used to the keyboard but you
get there in the end and the trackpad is best when set to sensitive
leve 40 or 50. The canera is decent to and adding wifi is great. It
wont run MSN though it says something about the phone not being enabled
but maybe thats cos im on PAYG. All in all a quality phone I'd recommend
it for those on a budget who wanna look flash XD
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Reviewed by nick from England on 31st Jan 2010
Just getting the hang of it - it's my first blackberry. No problems
thus far, i think it is a excellent phone, and would recommend it to
anyone! :)
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Reviewed by iluvBB from UK on 30th Jan 2010
has a real entry level feel about it and some of the features are just
not up to scratch considering what we have seen on previous blackberry
models, personally i am going to trade it in for a blackberry bold which
is actually worth the money you pay for it. Big mistake blackberry...
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by rick from UK on 24th Jan 2010
I am amazed that nobody has mentioned the surcharge that Blackberry
levies each month just for using the phone for what it is designed for.
My serice provider – 02 – offers me unlimited web bolt-on
as part of my package, and yet BB expects me to pay another £10 to do
the same thing.. The phone is good in may ways, but the perspex screen
is plasticky and cheap, ad I don't loke that way it bends at the bottom
when it doubles as the buttons. Definitely has an entry-level feel,
and in no way compares with any of the vastly superior Nokias that I
have had before. Would rather throw it in the canal than pay BB for
the internet. (Have you also noticed the way they get you to advertise
their service, after you hae paid them for it, by placing a message
at the end of each email, saying that it has been sent on your Blackberry.
Anyone who is si bewitched by the Blackberry brand that they will oay
to advertise it is being conned.)
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Reviewed by mohamed from u.s.a on 16th Jan 2010
This phone is amazing and recomend it to anyone!!
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Reviewed by Adol Eusoffe from Malaysia on 13th
Jan 2010
An excellent phone, being an entry level BlackBerry it functions as
it suppose to be...
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