
One day before its retail launch, UPS delivered Verizon Wireless’ BlackBerry Curve 8530 to my doorstep. I’ve been working with it all morning, and as the replacement to the Curve 8330, I’m very pleased with it. It’s a needed stepping stone in the BlackBerry line, and I’m excited that it’s joining the ranks at Verizon (with Sprint picking it up soon).
Admittedly, I was a bit upset that I didn’t get the “smoky violet” color. Just kidding.
It’s the third retail unit to ship with an OS 5.0 build (after the Storm2 and Bold 9700), and the third to feature a trackpad (after Curve 8520 and Bold 9700), both of which symbolize RIM’s new design direction. Like the other two, threaded text messaging is now a regular feature, along with small changes (revamped icons, a refreshed “home” screen, and more). Aside from threaded text messaging, the improved boot time should please most users (especially BlackBerry users that are familiar with the 4-5 minute boot times of the past).

