The BlackBerry Curve 8500 is a great phone and mobile computing system for people on the go, that do not want to carry the larger notepad or laptop devices. The Curve 8500 allows you to stay connected while you are on the run, in a package just a little bigger than a credit card.
Research in Motion of Canada developed the hardware and software for the BlackBerry smartphone in 1996 and today is one of the industry leaders with a worldwide market share over 20%, used by over 41 million people in 175 countries around the world, their vast network of carriers and distribution partners number over 550. Their first introduction to the market was a 2-way pager in 1999 with their first BlackBerry smartphone, as we know them today becoming available in 2002. Original use was mostly centered on phone and e-mail but has grown to encompass full mobile computing with even President Obama using his BlackBerry smartphone extensively throughout his 2008 presidential campaign and continuing its usage afterwards making him the first POTUS to use mobile computing and mobile e-mail.
The Curve 8500 measures only 4.29” (109 mm) H X 2.36” (60 mm) W X .55” (13.9 mm) D and weighs in at 3.7 oz (105 g) making it only a little bigger than a credit card. Despite its small size the Curve 8500 has a 320 X 240 pixel high-resolution transmissive TFT LCD Display with over 65,000 colors. The Curve 8500 has a 2 MP camera with 5X digital zoom, which can also shoot video, and a media player supporting MPEG4, WMV9, H.263, and H.264 video formats and MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCELP EVRC, WMA9, Windows Media 10 Std./Pro, AAC-LC, AAC+, and eAAC audio formats.
The Curve 8500 has a 256 flash memory, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g allowing connectivity to networks as well as cellular, and is Bluetooth enabled. The Curve also has a 35 key QWERTY keyboard that is backlit, media keys, and a trackpad allowing you to use the built in e-mail, browser, SMS/MMS messaging, organizer, thousands of free and paid Apps available from BlackBerry App World such as Apps like BlackBerry Maps and Apps for Facebook, Twitter, and E-Bay, and oh yea, the cellphone with it’s polyphonic MIDI & MP3 ringtones. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 model has GPS capabilities and 3G-network access and Mac compatibility allowing Mac users to sync contacts, calendars, and notes.
Security on mobile computing devices is important as many are lost or, stolen, BlackBerry’s security starts with a simple Password to operate the device, encrypted data on your phone and media card, locking the phone automatically, Bluetooth lockdown, and SSL encryption on transmitted data. Corporate & Government users needing higher levels of security can use AES and Triple DES encryption for safe data transmission with optional support for S/MIME, and BlackBerry has smartphones that are FIPS 140-2 validated.
The Curve 8500 has an integrated speaker and microphone, hands-free headset & Bluetooth headset capable, and speakerphone. The Curve 8500 has a 1150 mAh removable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery that gives you a talk time of about 4 ½ hours with standby times of 17 days on the Curve 8520 and 10 ½ days on the Curve 8530.
The Curve 8500 has a full line of accessories available such as a SanDisk 8 GB microSD card, Polaroid PoGo instant mobile printer, skins, leather swivel holster, pocket merlot, visor mount speakerphone, tote, BlackBerry multimedia headset, wireless headset, and even the BlackBerry Presenter, which allows you to plug into a projector and deliver presentations.
The BlackBerry Curve 8500 can be obtained from Amazon, Alltel, AT&T, Best Buy, Cellular One, Cricket, Cellular South, Credo, LetsTalk, Metro PCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, Virgin Mobile, Walmart, and Wirefly in the US. In Canada the 8500 can be obtained from Bell, Koodo, Rogers, SaskTel, TbayTel, and Telus.