We've been dying to know more about that crazy
BlackBerry Curve 8520 with the optical trackball in place of the usual spinner, and the crew over at CrackBerry's finally posted their pre-release review. Overall, it seems like a nice enough phone, and the optical trackball apparently works well, which is a nice surprise given our experience with them. On the downside, it's not nearly as nice as the
Curve 8900, and while the overall design has been updated, components like the screen, battery, and camera are carryovers from the Curve 8300 -- a particular shame considering the raves RIM's been getting for its amazing screens lately. Of course, we can't complain too much considering this thing is EDGE-only and potentially destined to be a pay-as-you-go phone, but it sure does look nice, and we're interested in seeing how this design philosophy translates into higher-end sets... like, say, the
Storm 2. Check the full review at the read link.
posted May 4th 2009 5:49PM
I have the 8900 and even though I prefer it over all the other BBs, the keyboard shifts a bit because they're not their own keys like in this one. Or maybe I have a weird BB8900.
What do you mean they're not their own keys? The 8520's keyboard looks almost exactly the same as the 8900's, save for the coloration.
My only complaint with the 8900's keyboard is that it's flatter than the 8320's--somehow, I seem to make more mistakes now with the 8900 than I did with the 8320. I would never go back, obviously, but it is a big enough complaint.
It's a shame they removed the trackball.
Iron Man will be pissed about it...
(http://mobilespoon.blogspot.com/2008/07/truth-about-blackberry.html)
On the other hand, the optical D-Pad is fun to use as well... (used it with the Samsing Omnia and it's actually fun!)