BlackBerry endeavor. People like us for ages about the track ball, the curve had been in previous models featured groan. The trackball, which gets stuck often and developed a mind of its own. And now they have to get an alternative: a touch-sensitive trackpad. Good work, but somehow they have fumbled the keyboard, and the beautiful keyboard response, which appeared on the 8900, been replaced by one that just do not feel quite the same security. What a shame! Nevertheless, the combination of the trackpad plus QWERTY keyboard is not bad and it sure beats struggling to write an e-mail with a conventional alphanumeric keyboard!

Nevertheless, we overtake us. Let’s take a step back and survey the BlackBerry 8520th What it is place in the BlackBerry family? It is not a 3G phone like the Blackberry Bold, and it lacks features such as GPS, which appear in the BlackBerry 8900th No, this is an entry-level member of the family of curves, equipped with a basic screen and a really clunky camera. But it has several bases – the push e-mail application and QWERTY keyboard, Black Berries made famous, very well connected and have some decent memory. The connectivity includes WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate, plus the advantage of a 3.5 mm audio jack for connecting headphones or plugging in your car stereo.

As a budget BlackBerry, the 8520 is its place in the line-up, but the cost savings compared with the 8900 is not very much. On balance we would prefer the BlackBerry 8900 to 8520, despite the trackball vs. trackpad problem. The 8900 is a better featured mobile phone in various ways, and the exceptionally good keyboard on the 8900 is a major plus for anyone seriously 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 colors
* Media Player (MP3, AAC, AAC +, eAAC +, WMA formats)
* Messaging: SMS, MMS, Instant Messaging, Push e-mail with attachment viewer
* Built-in handsfree
* Voice dialing
* Voice Memo Recorder
* MP3 ringtones & LED call indicator
* Personal Organizer Features
* Vibration alert
* Internet: Web browser, GPRS, EDGE
* Connectivity: WLAN, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, USB, modem, 3.5mm stereo headset port
* Memory: 256 MB plus a microSD memory card slot
* Size: 109 x 60 x 14 mm
* Weight: 106g
* Quadband
* Talk time: 4.5 hours
* Battery Standby: 400 hours

My Review:

I got my BB 8520 today – I avoided a BB for the longest time, for fear of a slave – but I am now come far one.So I like the feeling of responsible IT – its not so great is my husband’s 9000, the my hand fits in a strange way, to drop what I fear. Its my first BB, and it took me all of 5 minutes to start the maneuver, as I had had it for years. The camera is decent – my last phone had an 8MP camera and photography is a hobby, so this is a huge step away from what I’m used to – but it’s not bad. I look forward to my BB and I spend much time together.