Donald Rossberg

Last week I became eligible for a phone upgrade and like any good techie, I went straight to a smart phone.  After spending considerable time looking at the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment, I concluded my needs were best with the new Blackberry Curve 8530. 

I want to make it clear up front, I am not comparing the new Curve to any other phone on the market.  I think that Blackberry has a purpose and class all its own and comparing it to a touch screen phone like the Hero or iPhone would be like comparing apples to turnips.  I will however compare it to its predecessor because that is the phone I previously owned.  Also, I am not in the business of comparing carriers.  Some prefer Sprint others Verizon and for reasons I can’t explain some still have AT&T.   (nothing against their phones, I just hate them as a company)  With all that said, lets get started.

• The new trackpad is perhaps the most noticeable improvement and it is amazing.  For any of you who have owned a Blackberry in the past, that trackball was probably a source of pain and frustration.  They removed the ball and replaced it with an infrared trackpad that senses when you move your finger over it.  Same function as the ball but with far greater speed, accuracy and best of all no moving parts.

• One of my other favorite features is the addition of WiFi.  Not having WiFi on the original Curve was a great source of pain for me so this is a welcome addition.  I realize that other carriers offered WiFi with their original Curve but for some reason Sprint neglected it on theirs.  I am glad to see them remedy this mistake on the 8530.

• The new Blackberry OS has a clean and easy to use interface that while resembling the original, is far superior.  Most notably the browser is greatly improved and I am happy to say is very quick.  On previous models the browser was not worth much and installing Opera Mini was your only hope of a decent web experience,  not anymore.

• There are some good improvements to the case as well.  Those side buttons that used to have exposed cracks are now encased in rubber making the phone easier and more comfortable to hold while keeping dust to a minimal inside the case.  The case has a distinctly plastic feel to it but few phones today can claim otherwise.  It is lighter and thinner than the original Curve making it easy to carry around.

• Social media applications are readily available and most are free to download through the App Store.  I suggest using Uber Twitter for twitter management and highly recommend Poynt for mapping and finding where you want to go.  Blackberry is a secure, stable and nimble platform that I would recommend to any of my clients.

I have been a pretty die hard Blackberry fan since I got my original one last year.  As I mentioned above, I am not interested in comparing this device to other smart phones however I prefer a keypad to a touch screen and that makes this one of a very few to make that criteria.  If you are in the market for a new phone and with either Verizon or Sprint, I highly recommend looking at the new Blackberry Curve 8530.  If you don’t have to have a touch screen it is a perfect phone for business or personal use.

I hope this review was helpful to you, please post your thoughts or comments below,  I appreciate your feedback.  For anyone interested, I got my phone through Pro-Mar Communications.  I reccommend speaking with Jeremy Buck if you are in the market for a new device, my experience was fantastic.