Claiming to be the first US network carrier to offer BlackBerry Service, AT&T adds the BlackBerry Curve 8520 to its existing lineup of smartphones
The stylish BlackBerry Curve 8520 handset is a user-friendly, compact smartphone that will appeal to both consumers and business professionals. For quick typing and easy navigation, the device offers a full QWERTY keyboard and a touch-sensitive trackpad. It also brings an advanced media player with dedicated media keys, embedded along the top of the handset to provide a simple way to manage favorite music and videos. The Wi-Fi enabled Curve 8520 flaunts a 2 megapixel camera with video recording, 320 x 240 high-resolution display and equips a 512MHz processor and 256MB Flash memory.
“AT&T was the first choice for BlackBerry in the U.S. and we continue to expand our offering of BlackBerry products to suit the different needs of business and personal users,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “The BlackBerry Curve 8520 offers the best value by combining the essential features of a BlackBerry smartphone with access to AT&T’s network, which includes best coverage worldwide, as well as the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network.”
Users can keep in touch with friends and family, thanks to the pre-installed applications that include email, text, IM, picture messaging and social networking site like Facebook and My Space. With the new BlackBerry Curve 8520, AT&T users can access the Wi-Fi network, claiming to be the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network, with over 20,000 hotspots including nearly 7,000 Starbucks locations. Like other Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry smartphones, the Curve 8520 lets users with a qualifying data plan to seamlessly enjoy unlimited access to domestic hotspots without additional charges. Specially for users traveling abroad, the device offers exceptional coverage with wireless voice coverage in nearly 215 countries and wireless data coverage in 185 countries.
“The new BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a great choice for first-time smartphone users and offers easy-to-use messaging, social networking and multimedia features with a full-QWERTY keyboard that makes typing fast and comfortable,” said Carlo Chiarello, vice president, product management, Research In Motion.
The BlackBerry Curve 8520 promises to deliver longer battery life, voice and data capabilities while using Wi-Fi connectivity. Users can also access around 10 corporate and personal accounts. The device allows users to edit powerful Microsoft applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint along with DataViz Documents to Go suite.
The BlackBerry Curve 8520 will soon be available for $99.99, after a mail-in rebate. Users ready to shell out $199.99, receive a $100 AT&T Promotion card. A two-year contract with $69.99 plan is required.