Blackberry Curve 8520 Tips Tricks & Apps Thread

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Astound

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For what it's worth, I believe that this phone is going to make a major impact on Blackberry sales because of it's availability, price levels, with the included Blackberry Internet Service as a bonus.

Make no mistake, this is the entry level Blackberry, it does not have GPS, nor 3G and all the bells and whistles, but if you are wanting a good phone, and want to be able to have your emails pushed to you on the go, quickly get a website update, then the Blackberry Curve 8520 is well up to the task.

So, I went ahead and got one, free on my upgrade, and it is indeed quite a sharp looking phone, with an all inclusive rate of R149 at VC on Weekender :D

Blackberry Internet Services will only kick in as of the 1st of next month, as it works on a Calendar month system, or so I was told.

The screen seems to be quite clear and the track pad is awesome to use.

So without further ado we will now the launch this thread and let's post experiences, tips, apps etc.

Welcome to the Blackberry 8520 Tips Tricks & Apps Thread :D
 
Astound said:
Blackberry Internet Services will only kick in as of the 1st of next month, as it works on a Calendar month system, or so I was told.
Click to expand...

Thats not how it worked with me, activated mines immediately, and paid 20 bucks for the 10 days it was on. Maybe they changed it, but i doubt it. Check if it says EDGE or edge, if its full caps, you are on BIS if its lower case you are on normal internets.
 
phiber said:
Thats not how it worked with me, activated mines immediately, and paid 20 bucks for the 10 days it was on. Maybe they changed it, but i doubt it. Check if it says EDGE or edge, if its full caps, you are on BIS if its lower case you are on normal internets.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, thanks for the info, that was what I was told by the salesman, but I just called VC and they have activated it for me, just have to wait for 24 hours.

This is quite an amazing phone, simplicity itself, can't wait till it is fully activated so that I can put it through it's paces :D

Have activated Wifi but it does not seem to want to use Wifi for browsing, insists on using GSM, Vodafone.

Then deactivated GSM and only Wifi enabled then it tells me that it cannot connect, possibly due to battery being low :erm:

Well, will be reporting back once I have all the quirks cleared up.
 
I got my 8520 yesterday, first blacberry after about ten years of Nokia after 4 years of Ericsson.
Happy with the widescreen screen compared to my Nokia N73. makes browsing a better experience. not much of a music guy anymore so that I wont comment on.

I got a request from all my fellow 8520 users, what is our options for GPS. My other upgrade option was a E75 nokia with slide-out keyboard which does have GPS, the BB8520 does not have 3G or GPS.
What do I do ?
 
MR.C said:
I got my 8520 yesterday, first blacberry after about ten years of Nokia after 4 years of Ericsson.
Happy with the widescreen screen compared to my Nokia N73. makes browsing a better experience. not much of a music guy anymore so that I wont comment on.

I got a request from all my fellow 8520 users, what is our options for GPS. My other upgrade option was a E75 nokia with slide-out keyboard which does have GPS, the BB8520 does not have 3G or GPS.
What do I do ?
Click to expand...

It is true that the 8520 does not have 3G but the performance is negligable in terms of getting email and general on device browsing.

Blackberry uses special compression algorithyms to allow for a much faster data transmission across Edge or GPRS networks.

Browsing is not bad at all, pages load quite quickly, but it will be a more enriching experience using Opera Mini, I feel.

Just make sure you use the blackberry.net APN as advise in the Bold Tips & Tricks thread to ensure OperaMini does use the BIS ;)

My Nokia 5800 which has 3G, just pips the Blackberry 8520 by one second according to the email alert beeps :D

No voice guided GPS, but there is Blackberry Maps, similar to Google Maps, which can give you directions which you can email and print out before taking a journey ;)

Another option for GPS is if you get a simple GPS and activate Bluetooth on the 8520 for the maps.
 
Can Opera Mini use the BIS apn? I'm also thinking of getting this phone but I use Opera Mini a lot because it works well for browsing.
 
seedat77 said:
Can Opera Mini use the BIS apn? I'm also thinking of getting this phone but I use Opera Mini a lot because it works well for browsing.
Click to expand...

Well, it certainly does, since this post is coming directly off the 8520 via Opera Mini.

Deal maker for me was the fact that it comes Free on Weekend from VC, BIS included, push email, unlimited on device browsing etc.

No GPS, 3G, but it is compact and light.

You don't have to have a holster with this BB, just slip into your pocket :)
 
Astound, how do you find the internet speed on the Vodacom network? Do you pick up EDGE, or GPRS?
 
I hardly get Edge coverage, mostly GPRS and it is not quite as snappy as 3G on my other phone, but it is also not so slow to cause frustration :D

The Blackberry Bold has 3G, larger size - keyboard, screen and higher resolution, same or similar camera, but the price is also higher.

There is not much between the 8900 and the 8520, like no GPS, smaller screen resolution, but improvement on the trackball - trackpad is awesome etc.

But, it is not a bad phone at all, call quality is good at a great price ;)

Maybe try to get first hand experience by checking out one of your friends.

There will be many, this is going to be popular, the camera is not the worst I have seen even if it does not have flashlight, also no radio, but it is what it is, Blackberry's entry level phone mostly targetting students I suppose.
 
I've been a Nokia user for bout ten years and the pricing basically blacberried me.
Happy with basic usage but its not a Nokia so I'm still learning, not yet disappointed so far
 
Pushed news?

With Blackberry, pushed email is its mainstay, now it seems that there is an option for pushed News via web, on your Blackberry go to:

http://getviigo.com/privatebeta

This is essentially a news, entertainment aggregation software that is 100% BIS compatible, so no extra billing :D
 
Astound said:
Have activated Wifi but it does not seem to want to use Wifi for browsing, insists on using GSM, Vodafone.
Click to expand...

Set your browser default settings to wifi. it should work fine on wifi then
 
SOS!

Please please help me.
I got my 5820 today, and I'm pleased but browsing is proving to be a nightmare.
I don't know if I'm just stupid or if I've been spoiled with a versatile Nokia E series but There are some problems that I need to fix immediately.
Firstly, default browser will not connect with ANYTHING but WiFi, fortunately I have a network at home so I was able to connect, but if I'm not connected to a network (which I can't be all of the time, obviously) it prompts : "This is a wiFi service. Please connect to a network" or something to that effect. How do I change it to EDGE or GSM so that I can browse from anywhere and download the ever-outstanding Opera Mini?

Please help, the situation is becoming somewhat desperate...:(:confused:
 
Roxi said:
Please please help me.
I got my 5820 today, and I'm pleased but browsing is proving to be a nightmare.
I don't know if I'm just stupid or if I've been spoiled with a versatile Nokia E series but There are some problems that I need to fix immediately.
Firstly, default browser will not connect with ANYTHING but WiFi, fortunately I have a network at home so I was able to connect, but if I'm not connected to a network (which I can't be all of the time, obviously) it prompts : "This is a wiFi service. Please connect to a network" or something to that effect. How do I change it to EDGE or GSM so that I can browse from anywhere and download the ever-outstanding Opera Mini?

Please help, the situation is becoming somewhat desperate...:(:confused:
Click to expand...

If you just got your 8520 today, it may mean that your BIS is not active yet and you may need to contact your service provider (VC or MTN) to activate your simcard and also to activate BIS.

You will need your IMEI number as well as your PIN which you can find by following:

Menu > Options > Advanced Options > Status

Under Advanced options you will also find Host routing table, choose register now option for your GPRS and Wifi Services

Also check via Menu > Options > Mobile Network if Data services is ON

All of these steps should normally be what you will be guided to do by your SP helpdesk support staff as it may differ from one provider to another.

MTN: dial 808
VC: dial 111 follow prompts for BB options

If your signal reading at top is in lowercase gprs then BIS is not active, if it show GPRS - uppercase then BIS is already active.
 
I am quite happy with my 8520, upgraded VC contract that otherwise would have ended. Everything works fine from day 1. Now I added BIS to my MTN contract to use the BB for my main phone, now everything is not working so fine, BIS is working, I get EDGE and can browse so registration is ok, but I cannot get GMail working, in fact, I cannot access the eMail part of setup, it complains about registering. I deleted the info in Host Routing Table and regestered, the same info reappeared. Still not working, the next step would probably be to "reset" the BB, I am not very exited about doing that.

And then last night MTN BIS died, this did add to my confusion...lol

Any other ideas
 
i got my 8520 yesterday and i am absolutely loving it.

keypad will take a bit of getting used to tho... and i still need to find a decent case for the phone !
 
The missus' 8520 just arrived - what's up with the new style charger/usb port? :confused: Was there something wrong with the uber convenient mini-usb that all my previous blackberrys had?
 
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