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While it’s not the first time we’ve seen the BlackBerry Curve go on sale for free with a contract, it may be the first time a carrier has partnered with a BlackBerry app to give them away.
Slacker has partnered with all the major carriers to discount the Curve to free with a new contract or a contract extension.
See the Slacker page for more details about a free BlackBerry Curve from Slacker.
[Hat tip @nanpalmero]
The T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8520 is incredibly cheap at Wal-Mart. For only $48.88, on a two year, you get a high-powered smartphone that looks really slick. The device is also available in the T-Mobile Store for $129.99, but I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t just go to Wal-Mart.
Now, a lot of you are probably saying “but it doesn’t come with GPS.” Well this goes back to something we’ve said several times on BlackBerry Cool: you may not love every device from RIM, but there is always a device for you.
The demographic that will be picking up a Curve 8520, is likely someone new to the smartphone market, and not quite used to email on a phone, but loves to text message. This phone will be perfect for this individual.
Check out our review of the prerelease device, and we’ll have the official review up shortly.
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Rogers have just announced the debut of their HSPA+ network in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). This is incredible news for mobile Internet users, as they can now get access to speeds roughly equivalent to 3.75G with a mobile Internet stick.
From a BlackBerry perspective, this isn’t immediately pressing news. Back when Rogers announced their 3G network, called HSDPA and announced April 2nd, 2007, it took RIM around a year and a half to release a BlackBerry that was capable of taking advantage of the network: the BlackBerry Bold.
From the Press Release: “Rogers has begun the Canada-wide deployment of the 21 Megabits per second (Mbps) high-speed HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access Plus) wireless network, following the successful expansion and doubling of speed of its high-speed network to 7.2 Mbps last year. Starting in August, Rogers will progressively increase wireless network download speeds up to 21 Mbps in the Greater Toronto Area, and expand quickly over the coming months to other cities across the country.”
The question is: will RIM even bother to make a device that utilizes the HSPA+ network? Currently, 3G seems to satisfy the needs of the market. We know that RIM has plans to make LTE compatible BlackBerry devices, which could mean we’ll skip HSPA all together.
What applications do we envision with an HSPA+ enabled device?
[Special thanks goes out to RogersDude69]
It looks like the BlackBerry Curve 8520 will start off at a very reasonable rate at Walmart. The device will sell for $48.88 with a two year T-Mobile service contract. T-Mobile stores will be selling the device for $129.99, therefore charging their own customers a fee of $100 for using the retail outlet.
Starting at around $50 on a 2 year contract is a fairly clear indication that we’ll see this device being offered for free within the year. Not a bad device for that price.
[Via]
The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a turning point for RIM. They have clearly realized that they have parts on their devices that can still remain perfectly functional while reducing their replacement and repair costs, as well as those of their customers. The 8520 is also a lower end device as noted by the cheap battery panel that pulls off without requiring a slider or a button. Since you’ve likely experienced the Curve 8900 at some point, I’ll use it as a point of reference.
Lets go through the new features with the BlackBerry 8520, and get a discussion going about the device. We want to hear your thoughts!
Click though for a breakdown of the major talking points surrounding the BlackBerry 8520
The BlackBerry Curve 8520 has been announced in both the UK and North America today. The latest device in the Curve series is an evolutionary step for devices with a new trackpad and a rubber bezel.
The device should be available for purchase in the UK at the beginning of August and T-Mobile has set a launch date at August 5th. Just over a week away!
The BlackBerry 8520 features:
Personally, I thought the lack of a flash on the camera was strange. Why go all this way to build a consumer device, and leave out a key feature that consumers like?
Will you be trading in your BlackBerry Curve 83xx for the 8520?
The T-Mobile BlackBerry Gemini 8520 is slated as a low-end BlackBerry Curve, and it will definitely suit the intended market. While Power Users are going to yawn, early Pearl owners are going to want to upgrade to this device, especially because we’ve heard it’s going to come in some beautiful colors.
Before reading this review, as usual it’s not a commercially available device and therefore may not be the device you pick up from T-Mobile.
The 85xx Series Devices
The BlackBerry 8520 is a new-generation Curve and while the xx20 is the only device in the series so far, it surely won’t be the last. In the coming months (year), we can expect a rollout similar to that of other BlackBerry devices. The BlackBerry 8510 will have GPS and the 8530 will be CDMA.
About the OS
The 8520 that I’m using is running OS 4.6.1.227, which seems to be the consensus around other sites who have got their hands on the device. While OS 4.6.1 is decent, it isn’t the OS 5 that we’ve all been waiting to use. Because this is a pre-release device, it could possibly ship with OS 5, which would be a dream come true.
Click through to continue reading a review of the BlackBerry Gemini 8520
The guys at PhoneArena put up a pretty lengthy review of the BlackBerry Gemini 8520. I’ll break down their review by section but if you want to read the full review, just head over to their site.
While the 8520 Gemini is one of the newest devices to be released by RIM, the only thing truly new about it is the design. The 8520 is slated as an introductory Curve model and comes with a 3.4” screen which sits above a full QWERTY keyboard. Two convenience keys adorn either side and a simplistic back with the 2 megapixel camera at the top. The unofficial size is 4.25”x2.3”x0.5”, which makes it even smaller than the Curve 8900, and perhaps a touch lighter.
Click through to learn more about the BlackBerry Gemini 8520
Simon found a pic of the BlackBerry Gemini that is incredibly frustrating in its poor quality. If you’re sitting there looking at an unreleased device, here are a few tips:
I have to give it to Kevin, he’s done the best job to date giving us some high rez images of the 8520. From that review, we see that the Gemini 8520 features rubber side keys, top-mounted media controls, and an optical pad replacing the classic trackball.
We’re expecting this to be an introductory smartphone device with a fairly low price point. Release dates aren’t exactly set yet, but we’re likely looking at an early August launch. Looking forward T-Mobile users?
More of those high rez BlackBerry Gemini 8520 images after the jump
T-Mobile customers will be happy to know that the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is $50 cheaper than it was a few days ago, settling in at $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. Does this change anything? Are you buying now?
[Via]
The voice of the BlackBerry community.
