Now introduced by Sprint is the BlackBerry Curve 8530. This phone definitely has it's up and downs. For starters, the 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, the Optical Trackpad, OS 5.0, a 2 Megapixel Camera, Full QWERTY Keyboard, and a few design changes are all very amiable qualities. Unfortunately any 3G usage cuts down on the Battery life, and there is a definite build difference between the 8530 and what would be a higher-end BlackBerry.

Carriers: Blackberry	Retail Price: $499.99
Manufactured by: Verizon	Contact Price: $199.99

Pros: RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 8530 features 3G and GPS support (T-Mobile version does not support these two). It is a compact device that comes with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity, and a 2 MP camera.

Cons: Same old design, it doesn’t feel like a premium device and its low-resolution screen is such a deal breaker. One more thing, you won’t be able to save all your downloaded apps into your memory card as it can only be saved in the phone's main memory.

Remember the RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 8520 that has been released a few months ago? It’s an entry level smart phone that did quite well sales wise but really does not lived up to its promises. Now, RIM has a new offering and it is the successor to the 8520 called the BlackBerry Curve 8530. Verizon Wireless carries this dev ice and since it is a basic smart phone, there’s no high-end features that can be found here. However, the Curve 8530 it has a few worthy upgrades to its predecessor and the Curve 8330 like a new processor, optical trackpad, and media controls. One more thing, it now has Wi-Fi support. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 has taken the same design cues from the latter model releases and for me it is not a crowd pleaser. Anyway, it is now available over at Verizon for only $99.99 with a two-year service agreement, making it an excellent choice for basic users. Let us talk about its design. RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 8530 for Verizon Wireless almost looks the same as with the Curve 8520. In my review of the device, I will concentrate on its features as well as its performance. First thing worth mentioning is that the BlackBerry Curve 8530 is presented in a neat and compact design. It somewhat feels a bit cheap in the hand though compared to Android devices and iOS. It is available in black & smoky violet colorways and the package comes with AC adapter, USB cable, a software CD, and the user’s manual. For more accessories, please check CellPhoneTrek’s accessories page. RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 8530 is an entry-level smart phone that features more than its T-Mobile version. It offers the usual speakerphone, voice-activated dialing, speed dial, smart dialing, conference calling, and text and MMS. You can avail of the Big Red’s Visual Voice Mail service for only $2.99 per month. Its address book is limited and it depends on the available memory of your device. Each contact has room for multiple numbers, home addresses, e-mail addresses, work, and more. You can also assign a picture, group ID and a ringtone for each contact. There’s a shortcut to VzwTones preloaded on the device which you can use to download more ringtones. Other essentials available on the BlackBerry Curve 8530 include a a memo pad, a voice recorder, calendar, a task list, and a calculator. This smart phone has Bluetooth functionality and has support for Bluetooth headsets, wireless headsets, handsfree kits, serial port, and dial-up networking. It also has A-GPS support, and 3G/Wi-Fi connectivity. This really is a great change for Verizon, adding up Wi-Fi-compliant smart phones to their lineup, which provides users other ways to access the Web. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 runs on BlackBerry OS 5.0 and I noticed some minor improvements to its browser as it loads faster and renders pages more quickly. The main reason behind this probably is the faster JavaScript and CSS processing. BlackBerry devices are known as the best messaging device, since its keyboard layout is user-friendly. Messaging is the Curve 8530's best selling factor. It allows users to sync with their company's BlackBerry Enterprise (BES) server, which allows them to access their office emails. It also offers support for Microsoft Exchange, Novell GroupWise. You can set up, up to 10 personal & business POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail accounts with this smart phone and it comes preloaded lots of instant-messaging clients such as Yahoo, Google Talk, AIM, Windows Live and BlackBerry Messenger. It also has an attachment viewer which will allow you to open Word, Excel, PDF, JPEG, PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, and GIF files. Morevoer, the smart phone comes with DataViz's Documents to Go Suite Standard Edition and productivity tools, travel aids, games, and a lot more. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 also features media controls on top of the smart phone. It is equipped with a microSD expansion slot which is located behind its battery cover that is capable of accepting up to 16GB cards. The BlackBerry Curve 8530's media player now supports MP3, AAC-LC, AAC+, WMA9/WMA9 Pro/WMA10, eAAC+, AMR-NB, as well MIDI, H.263, MPEG4, WMV2, and H.264 video clips. Its photo viewer supports PNG, TIFF, BMP, JPEG, and WBMP files. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 is a powerhouse with lots of multimedia functions and features. It also comes with a 2-megapixel camera that features 5x digital zoom. Its camera is also capable of recording videos but not in HD. I am not surprised with the photo and video quality of the device when I tested it, for I know that it is not going to be awesome since it is only 2MP. Most of my photos, whether it’s indoor or outdoor shots look dull and dark. I did test my dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO) BlackBerry Curve 8530 review unit in our area running on Verizon’s network, and the call quality is OK. Clear audio, volume is ok but there’s a bit of background noise and voice distortion. On a brighter side, I had no problems pairing the BlackBerry Curve 8530 with my generic bluetooth headset. I did like the speed that it offers, since its tied up with Verizon's blazing fast 3G network which made it easy for me to browse the Web. CellPhoneTrek's full site loaded in just 20 seconds NBA.com and BlackBerry's mobile sites loaded up in 12 seconds and 10 seconds, respectively. I also tried downloading a song (2.39MB) over at V Cast Music, and it took me almost a minute. Overall, the BlackBerry Curve 8530’s performance was snappy. The device was able to perform most of the tasks accordingly, but with some delays. I also tried to play some games, and fortunately it didn’t crash. Music and video playback is OK too and its speaker functions well as expected. One thing I like about the device is that you can use any Bluetooth headsets, as well as standard headsets since it comes with a built-in standard 3.5mm jack. I also love the external media controls provided on top of the smart phone which made it easy for me to control its built in player. I don’t like its 1,150mAh lithium ion battery since it can only provide 10.5 days of standby time and a talk time of 4.5 hours. In my tests, the BlackBerry Curve 8530 only, I am quite surprised that it has surpassed its rated talk time, as I was able to get 5.5 hours of continuous talk time. I would recommend this phone to those first timers and basic users. It has all the basic features and functionalities but if you are a hardcore user, then your best bet is an iOS or an Android device.