Blackberry Curve 8530 Review
By Blake Sanders on March 2nd, 2010
The design of the BlackBerry 8530 Curve is similar to other phones in the Curve series; it measures 4.3 by 2.4 by 0.6 inches and weighs about 3.7 ounces, which is a little thinner and lighter than the 8330. Although the size and weight difference isn’t much, it is noticeable when you are holding it in your hand. Even though this phone is constructed of black plastic and rubber, it still feels like a high quality phone.
One of the major improvements in design is that now you have dedicated media buttons on the top of the device. The BlackBerry 8530 comes with a 2.5-inch screen, which isn’t very large but is still nice. There is also a QWERTY keyboard, which makes typing out email and text messages fast and easy, though it is a little cramped if you have large fingers.
This is a dual band phone at 850/1900 MHz, and this model does include WiFi, which is a welcome addition. With this you can actually make free phone calls using hotspots, if you have a calling plan that includes this option. With a data transfer plan you can use the BlackBerry Curve 8530 Black as a portable modem Internet connection.
There is no doubt that the BlackBerry 8530 Curve is a great voice phone, reception is very good and voice quality on calls is loud and clear, even when using the speakerphone. Some additional features of the 8530 include threaded text messaging, an updated browser, plus there are new email enhancements. You can have up to 10 email accounts, and will have access to your corporate email in real time. In addition to this, you can download some of the most popular instant messaging programs.
For multimedia, the BlackBerry Curve 8530 Black comes with a music player that supports a variety of file formats. There is also a video player that supports MP4 and AVI files. As for a camera, this model has the same basic 2-megapixel camera, but it now features LED flash so that you can get better quality photos when taking pictures in low lighting.
If you don’t mind that the BlackBerry 8530 Curve has a smaller screen, and the fact that it isn’t a touchscreen, you will like this phone. It gives you a lot of superior features, and the price isn’t too unreasonable. It may be possible to get the Curve 8530 at a discount if you buy on contract.
