Is Blackberry 8530 really that new? Both Sprint and Verizon think so.
With the ever-heating press coverage of Android vs. iPhone raging along, it’s good to see another smartphone manufacturer getting its foot in. Yesterday and today have seen two releases from RIM, maker of the Blackberry. We covered the 9700 last night, but today sees two different operators announce they will be carrying the newest Blackberry Curve - the 8530.
The Curve series:
The Curve series of devices has been around since 8300 came out in 2007, and as you can see from the image below, RIM has really stuck to the old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” method of phone design:
The form factor is pretty much identical, so you might wonder what is actually new in the 8530. It has only been a few months since the 8520 was released, so I went and had a look at the specs and compiled what has actually been upgraded in the newest Curve 8500-series phone.
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8520 |
8530 |
| Improved features | - 512Mhz processor
- Bluetooth (2.0) |
- 528 MHz processor
- Bluetooth® (version 2.1) |
| New features | - 3G-enabled (EV-DO)
- GPS support for LBS, geotagging and Verizon Wireless’ VZ NavigatorSM service - Dedicated media keys on top of the handset, for one-click access to music and videos |
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| Shared features | - Full QWERTY keyboard with touch-sensitive trackpad instead of rollerball
- 256 MB flash memory - Bluetooth support for hands-free and other peripherals - 2MP camera - Media player for music, pictures and videos, and 3.5 mm stereo headset jack. - Access to BlackBerry App World - Access to e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS and popular social networking sites - MicroSD slot |
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And, in fairly typical RIM fashion, the company itself is completely up front about these differences on the website itself:
Sprint and Verizon:
Both Sprint and Verizon have announced they will be carrying the new device. Verizon will be selling it from the 20th of this month, for $199.99 (you can get a $100 rebate with that), and Sprint has announced neither date nor price yet.
What we think?
Hey, if you’re a Blackberry fan with an older model Curve then this is perfect. It’s got everything you’re already used to, just updated a bit and with much better mobile data capabilities. Although it doesn’t seem to come with new Blackberry OS 5.0, so your mobile browsing experience will probably be a bit clunky.
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