Blackberry Curve 8530

Blackberry Curve Features | Blackberry Curve Tips and Tricks | Blackberry Troubleshooting Resources | Blackberry Accessories

The BlackBerry Curve 8530 has a fashionable design aimed at a younger consumer audience. The Blackberry Curve has a rubber strip around the side with convenience keys that are located along its sides. On the top of the device you find a set of media-control keys.
The front of the phone shows off what is perhaps its best feature -- the trackpad in place of the traditional trackball. Whether you're a seasoned BB veteran or a newcomer, you'll appreciate the intuitive, easy to use reliable performance of the trackpad. This one feature alone might be enough to knock the Tour out of contention.

The keys on the keyboard are a "chicklet" holdover from the previous generation.

The Talk, End, Return and Menu keys are redesigned as if they are part of the screen a feature that I enjoy

Available Features
2.0MP Digital Camera
Video Camera Capabilities
Supports BlackBerry App World
256MB Flash Memory
Wi-Fi® enabled
BlackBerry® Maps
Built-in GPS capabilities*
3G network access*
Bluetooth® enabled
Multimedia Player
Wireless Email
Organizer
Browser
Phone
SMS/MMS

Navigation around the apps within the Blackberry Curve is fast and easy With The optical trackpad and is a really great feature, I think its better than the trackball. Not only does it allow for a smoother design, it is a pleasure to navigate with only a gentle touch of the tackpad. Even more important is that it doesn't get clogged up with pocket lint, dust, or food. Applications open and close very fast and general scrolling around the interface shows no sign of lag with the faster CPU.
With the dedicated media buttons on the top of the Curve 8530 and volume control on the side. Being able to play, pause, rewind, and fast forward without having to look at the screen or even be in the Media Player is a great idea. Listening to your favorite music is so much easier now.
Switching between the many different applications available on your Blackberry curve is very smooth and easy, you can listen to music while browsing the internet. When there is an incoming phone call the music pauses and resumes when the call is ended so you don't miss a single beat of your favorite song.

The aspect where the 8530 really hits it out of the park is with its operating system. The Curve 8530 features BlackBerry OS 5.0, currently the only device on the Sprint lineup to do so.

The 5.0 operating system isn't revolutionary, but offers nice little improvements, such as wirelessly syncing of contacts with popular email providers, the ability to flag messages for follow up, better application permission management, and vastly improved ability to manage ringing profile settings.
This BlackBerry boasts a 3G Sprint antenna, GPS, Bluetooth, and best of all Wi-Fi. The latter of these is not available on the Tour -- another point in favor for the Curve.
Additional Software
Of course, this smartphone includes the now-standard BlackBerry apps: the DataViz DocumentsToGo office suite, Pandora, BlackBerry Maps, and a slew of social networking apps.
Sprint's version of this BlackBerry also comes preloaded with lots of Sprint-specific apps, including Sprint Navigation, Sprint NASCAR, NFL, TV and music apps.

Blackberry has so many built in shortcuts that I have been discovering more and more and wanted to mention a few that I thought might be useful to some of you. The vast majority of BlackBerry devices have buttons on their side or sides that can be programmed by individual users to activate functions of the user's choosing. These buttons are better known as convenience keys. Program one of your convenience keys to be your Application Switcher. The Application Switcher displays a taskbar or "ribbon" with all of your active applications, so you can switch back and forth between programs without closing them out or ever returning to your Home Screen this is a great feature for the multi-taskers.

To set a convenience key to the Application Switcher, simply click your Options icon on the BlackBerry Home Screen, choose Screen/Keyboard and scroll down to the Convenience Key Opens field(s). Then open the corresponding drop down menu and choose Application Switcher. (Tip: You can also access Application Switcher at any time by holding the ALT key and hitting Escape.)

To put your BlackBerry into Standby Mode, just hold the Mute key found on the top of your BlackBerry--at least if you're an 8xxx series user--for three seconds. Then you can toss your device in a pocket or purse without worrying about unintentional dialing or messaging. And to remove the device from standby, just tap the Mute key again briefly.

Find specific contacts from your BlackBerry home screen by pressing keys for first and last initials, with a space between them. If more than one contact has the same initials, scroll to the appropriate contact.

Multitask while on phone calls by hitting the BlackBerry menu key during a call and then selecting Home Screen. You'll then have access to e-mail and other documents--though most BlackBerrys don't allow for simultaneous voice and data transfer, so Internet access is unavailable while on calls.

Web browsing with the Blackberry Curve has never been easier with so many built in keyboard tricks and shortcuts you will enjoy the web as you never have before on the Blackberry.with tricks like pressing "T" while on a web page will take you to the top of the page, while pressing "B" will take you to the bottom of the page making it faster and saving your trackball from extra use extending its working lifetime.

Return to Your BlackBerry Home Page with One Click: The simplest and fastest way to surf to your home page via BlackBerry Browser: click your "H" key while on another page. (Note: Modify your BlackBerry home page by hitting Menu--directly to the left of your trackball--and choosing Options, then Browser Configuration. On the following screen, scroll down to the Home Page Address field and enter in the correct URL for your new home page.

Page Up, Page Down in BlackBerry Browser:To jump down a page length in the BlackBerry Browser, simply hit the Space key. Do so repeatedly to quickly move down a page. Or you can "page up" by holding a Shift key while pressing Space.
Zooming in on a page is as easy as pressing "I." to zoom back out, hit "O." To refresh any page in your BlackBerry Browser, click the "R" key. To stop a page refresh, hit your Escape key. Open up your BlackBerry Browser Options by hitting the "S" key while on any Web page.Quickly display your BlackBerry Bookmarks by clicking "K" at any point while on a Web page.

To rapidly determine the URL for a Web page you're visiting, click the "P" key. A prompt will appear that displays the page address and asks if you'd like to either copy the URL or send it via e-mail. To create a new BlackBerry bookmark press your "A" button while on the Web page you wish to add to your list. Set the appropriate options in the following pop-up box, hit save and you're good to go. To quickly exit your browser, either hit your BlackBerry Escape key--located directly to the right of your trackball--or click the "D" key.

By default, the BlackBerry Browser is set to display a thin banner across the top of Web pages, but you can get rid of it to free up more screen real estate. To do so, click the "U" key while on any Web page. The banner shows the title of the page you're visiting, along with device status information, such as the number of unread messages and network signal status, so you might want it. To display the banner again after removing it, just hit "U" once more.

The BlackBerry "Go To" page displays a URL bar for specific page addresses, a search bar, your bookmarks list and BlackBerry history. You can access the page via your BlackBerry Menu key, but there is also a quicker way: Just hit your "G" key on any Web page. As with a desktop browser, you can search for specific text on a Web page via BlackBerry browser. Hit "V" or "F," type in the text you're looking for and click the trackball. You'll be directed to the first appearance of the text on the page, assuming it appears there. You can then continue to hit "V" to see where else the text shows up on the page.

These are just a sample of the tricks and shortcuts that you can find on the Blackberry Curve 8530 some may work on other Blackberry models I haven't been able to try other models yet

Examine Your Notification Profiles

The notification alerts that you use to signal new phone calls or messages can have a significant impact on your BlackBerry battery life.

If you use a custom ring tone you're also using more battery life than with a traditional ring. The most energy efficient way to employ call or message notifications? Set your ring tone to the lowest volume you can and reduce or eliminate the use of vibration alerts.

We all need to set or devices to vibrate occasionally while in meetings or other locales that require quiet, but you can modify your vibrations settings.

Adjust Your Screen Backlight

Newer BlackBerry devices enable you to heighten or reduce your display's backlight brightness. The brighter your screen, and the longer that screen stays lit, the more battery life you're using.

Use Power-Hungry Applications Wisely

The larger the number of BlackBerry applications you use, the more power you're going to need. If you constantly use a couple of apps, say the Slacker Radio and Facebook for BlackBerry, you need to consider how much power those specific applications employ. If battery life is of the essence, you may want to use them sparingly.

Keep Battery Connections Clean

Over time, the battery connections within your device can gather dust and other particles and impede the transfer of power to your hardware. Every few months, it's a good idea to remove your battery and wipe clean the small sections of metal through which battery power is transferred, as well as the metal prongs inside your device's battery slot that connect to the power supply.

Blackberry Curve Features | Blackberry Curve Tips and Tricks | Blackberry Trouble shooting Resources | Blackberry Accessories

Don't panic if your BlackBerry seems to have turned into an expensive paperweight. Your BlackBerry's symptoms, though severe, probably point to an easy-to-fix problem.

If the BlackBerry does not seem to function at all, make sure you're pressing the power button. A powered-off BlackBerry 8820, for example, won't respond when you press the End Call key (which has a red phone icon). Instead, you'll need to press the Power button that sits on the very top of the device. (If you've used standard mobile phones before buying a BlackBerry, you'll be used to pressing the End Call button.) The BlackBerry Curve 8320, on the other hand, has an End key that doubles as the Power key (much like standard mobile phones).

Drained batteries also cause handhelds to do the dead-dog routine. If you haven't used the BlackBerry lately (or if it's been running power-hungry components, such as its wireless features), the device may be nothing more than tired. Plug the BlackBerry into a power outlet or even into a computer (via the included USB data transfer cable) to recharge it.

If batteries and buttons aren't to blame, perform a Reset. BlackBerrys have a Reset feature that can shake the device out of a freeze or crash in many situations. The Reset doesn't wipe out any files you created, which means your programs and files will still be on the BlackBerry after you reset the smartphone. To perform a Reset, press the button at the back of the smartphone and slide off the back panel. Remove the battery from the smartphone (be sure to pull it completely free so that it isn't touching the phone's pins) and then reinsert the battery. The phone should restart and display the Home screen.

Because email is a critical communications tool, you'll need to solve email problems right away. If you aren't able to send or receive messages, make sure your BlackBerry has a network connection and make sure you've received a registration message. If you haven't registered your device on the network, click Settings, Options, Advanced Options, and Host Routing Table. Press the Menu key and then click Register Now.

If you use BlackBerry's Internet services and you have an integrated Yahoo! Mail account, you may encounter a problem that prevents you from sending emails. To solve this problem, make sure your account has a Sent Items folder (if it doesn't, add one or contact Yahoo!'s tech support so it can add one). If this doesn't solve the problem, refresh your BlackBerry's service books. For more information about solving the integrated Yahoo! Mail problem, visit BlackBerry's online Technical Solution Center and see document KB04989.

Blackberry Curve Features | Blackberry Curve Tips and Tricks | Blackberry Troubleshooting Resources | Blackberry Accessories

Blackberry Curve Features | Blackberry Curve Tips and Tricks | Blackberry Troubleshooting Resources | Blackberry Accessories