The Blackberry Curve 8520 Pep Talk: First Impression ~ SCRATCH e-PAD!

If your following my account on Twitter (gregg003) you might already have the idea how my first impression article would be like, but if not, then this is a very interesting article you should read if you’re planning to buy a Blackberry Curve 8520.

Let’s begin with hardware, if you’re familiar or have a notion at least of a Blackberry device, then this phone is no different, you'll get the same classic first glance impression on it that speaks elegance, toughness and serious business. I would regard it as a military tank that always signifies war and supremacy, that the phone is always ready for a tough day ahead. A pretty significant impression here for people who are born leaders or individuals who wants to get ahead of everyone else.

Holding the phone up close speaks the other way, it feels plasticky, cheap and vulnerable, that I felt betrayed, totally not somewhere near the tank impression that I mentioned earlier. Well, it’s reasonable somehow given its low price, but I honestly believe that the market strategy of making an entry level midrange phone that contradicts its high end impression is the biggest mistake that Research in Motion made. I just can't stand the phone’s build construction, it’s like anytime, one way or another, the phone will get scratched or cracked without me knowing.

The QWERTY keypad on the other hand was pretty average, it’s well outlined, well lit and well-spaced and has an impressive tactile feedback, I'm just not into plastic keypads as they are rough to press. Screen Display was average as well, about 2.46 inches, just enough to show what it intended to do but the resolution fell short with only its 65Thou color capability. The screen is not as crisp and clear as compared to the 16Millioncolor display of competing phones with the same price tag.

I'm a big fan of its touch sensitive optical tract pad, it’s very accurate and controllable that I find it fun to use, I never tough it would as usable as I previously perceived. I also like the stylish side button implementation where all buttons were covered with rubber mat making the buttons softer to press.

Turning the phone on and scrolling the Blackberry OS 5.0 for the first time totally enraged me, I never thought it was the worsiest, the most difficult and the most confusing Operating System (OS) in the mobilephone world. I can't believe that with the advancement and levelling up of other competing systems, Blackberry OS remains archaic, obscure and arduous to use that I want to throw and crashed the phone to pieces. Believe it or not, as simple as WIFI connection, until now I still don't know how to make it work with a SIM on.

Picture this out, I configured the WIFI connection of the phone and it’s fully connected, then I turn off the Data service of my SIM network, but when I open the browser to surf, it won't connect because it says that I don't have a Blackberry Service, same applies to its Twitter and Facebook clients. Funny about this was that when you take the SIM out, WIFI works perfectly fine for the aforementioned applications. How crazy was that?

Archaic! My God, try to open the web browser, Twitter or Facebook, and you will know, it’s like going back to the 90's with its web page implementation. Twitter and Facebook application page weren't too different rather; it looks so boring and outmoded. Can RIM at least put a competitive browser version on it; most of the competing brands with the same price point offer 5 times better browsing and social network experience.

Well, I know the blog post was already long so I have to cut it from here. Make sure you follow these posts for more no holds barred insights and revelations. Stay tuned! For the meantime, enjoy these first few shoots of the device.