4 Aug 2009: Airtel and Research in Motion have announced the launch of their latest Smart phone Blackberry Curve 8520.  This new smart phone will be available exclusively with Airtel throughout India and for the first time Blackberry will be also available with a prepaid service plan.  The phone may also be available with other service providers too, but no date has been specified for the launch.

The Blackberry Curve 8520 is priced at Rs. 15,990 which is the cheapest at which any blackberry device has been launched in India. The device is sturdy enough to handle moderate to rough handling, and for the first time a touch pad has been used as a pointing device instead of the familiar trackball. The touch pad has a 10-minute learning curve and is a joy to use.

The 8520 is a multimedia ready device and is for the first time targeted towards youth as well along with the executives.  For the youth the 8520 can be customized according to one’ needs with the snap-on color covers, available in 6 different colors. One complimentary cover will be available to the buyer along with the purchase of the blackberry 8520.

The only problem area is the display. For device that has stand alone buttons for multimedia, the screen is simply no good enough. This phone also supports an onboard 2megapixel camera but without a flash. Overall this device is a good bundle with advanced features like Wi-Fi in a good price.  As for the monthly charges, Airtel has announced special plans for this device that start for as low and Rs. 299, with unlimited email access.