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Sprint And Verizon To Offer BlackBerry 8530 Curve

Buried in the coverage of Verizon's second Android phone (HTC Droid Eris) today was news about a new, entry-level BlackBerry that's headed to both Sprint and Verizon Wireless. The 8530 is a smaller, less expensive Curve that should appeal to the mass market more than the enterprise user.

The Curve 8530 has a big feature set in a small footprint. It packs 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth under the hood. Stereo headset jack? Check. MicroSD card support? Check. Two megapixel camera? Check.

How does it stack up? The 8530 is small. Very easy on the hands, and highly pocketable. Though it supports all the enterprise services that its more advanced siblings support, the 8530 is clearly aimed at the prosumer/consumer market.

The biggest disappointment is the display. Not only is it small, but it is not exactly what you'd call high definition. It doesn't look bad, but it doesn't hold a candle to the 360 x 480 display on the newly announced Bold 9700.

The 8530 is rimmed in a rubber coating, which makes it stick in the hand well. Media keys at the top of the phone make it easy to cycle through your music playlists.

As for the keyboard, it feels a bit tight for my larger hands, but those with smaller hands should have absolutely no problems with it.

Sprint hasn't said when its 8530 hits the streets, but Verizon Wireless' version will cost you $100 starting on November 20.

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