Nokia Lumia 520 or BlackBerry Curve 9320? (1 Viewer)

[lightthefuze]

Hi! I'm considering to buy me a new prepaid phone (preferably from Telstra) and I was wondering which phone to purchase:

Nokia Lumia 520

or

BlackBerry Curve 9320

I'm looking for a phone that is practical to use in High School and Uni, better phone OS and range of apps, any further suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks

 

[seremify007]

Don't know much about the Lumia but not a fan of recent Nokia stuff.. but that being said, it can't be worse than a Blackberry. My Blackberry has to be one of the biggest regrets in terms of my technology purchases over the years. Given I have a 9900, the older models are ridiculously slow and useless. The apps are crap, you need to restart it to do things, email support is great but not that unique/special anymore, etc.

IMO get an Android or an iPhone if you want a smartphone.

 

[brent012]

The new Nokia WM8 phones are supposedy decent, but afaik the 520 is more of a budget phone so I probably wouldn't reccomend it. I concur with Seremify - get an Android or an iPhone! But be careful with the lower end Android phones - some of them were designed as low end phones already have old versions of Android and never get updates. Usually aren't supported as well by the community as other phones if you are into tinkering too. Tbh though, the average user probably wouldn't care for most of it except maybe poor battery life (which the Galaxy Ace, a popular low end android phone, is notorious for).

 

[OMGITzJustin]

tbh iphone 5 or s4 is where it's at right now...

I know nokia and blackberry have tried to revamp their branding of phones, but it just doesnt compare to an iphone or s3/s4

 

[seremify007]

I think OP needs to elaborate more about why they chose those two particular options for HS/Uni.

I honestly can't think of any reason to recommend a BB to a high school student. Ever. The interface is rubbish to use, you don't get normal internet connections (it has to be routed through a BIS/BES which costs more and is very slow relative to a normal data connection over 3G/4G on any other phone), the key advantage is the enterprise features like remotely enforced security policies (which is of zero value to a student I'd believe), the App World is rubbish (like GENUINELY rubbish), the phone itself is slow due to poor design, etc. The only thing good about BB is the keyboard and BBM- but the keyboard isn't that great especially if you value bigger touch screens more (especially given the 9320 has a puny screen; even smaller than 9900), and BBM is so yesterday given the popularity of other cross-platform messaging apps (e.g. Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger). Also note the BBOS included on this is redundant now given the new Blackberry Z10 is out which revamped the OS a lot. Don't worry, I have BBOS 7 on my BB 9900- it's meaningless that it's outdated because there weren't any proper designed apps for the BB in the first place. People say Android is fragmented- at least developers are willing to spend some time/money on adjusting; BB is fragmented with absolutely nothing being done.

The Windows phone apparently is quite decent and in this case the Lumia 520 got decent reviews. The OS is also much newer, and whilst the Apps are still relatively infant in development and developers haven't warmed up to the platform that much, it's got much more potential than the Blackberry. If it were my money I'd get this, but I'd really think about whether a mid-range or previously flagship Galaxy phone or iPhone might work (e.g. Samsung Galaxy S3 would still be VERY good, and an S2 is decent; and an iPhone 4S or newer).

 

[RunsWithScissors]

seremify007 gave probably the best view on BlackBerrys you'll get.

As a WP7/8 user (I had a Nokia Lumia 800) I'll give you my spin on it.
Nokia's physical handsets are actually really nice, the buttons are responsive, the screens are high resolution and are sturdy as all hell ie. dropping from pocket, etc.
They also come with a case in the box which is really nice as it matches perfectly and doesn't add too much thickness
Calling and messaging quality is the same as any other phone. It links really will with Facebook creating a FBMessenger experience inside the native messaging app which was a nice surprise.
Having had an iPhone previously, data speed isn't near 4G but its bearable (for me at least) but I guess that varies depending on how reliant you are on mobile data.
The Carl Zeiss camera is functional and you do get the odd good shot but it falls short of cameras on the iPhone/other high end smartphones as the images generally turn out grainy.
The app store is limited, being new on the scene the depth in the market is lacking. Admittedly, you will be able to find an equivalent for basically any app you want (Sidenote: As of the time I stopped using my Lumia there was no Instagram or if your big into mobile gaming WPOS is a definite no-no)
Facebook is pretty mediocre. The 'official' Facebook app (or at least Microsoft's version) is just a link to the Facebook website. Other apps give a slightly better experience but it's still clunky and generally pretty average.
One good thing about the WPOS is it gives you a bit more freedom as far as customisability is concerned. The ability to change the colour scheme and re-size apps is nice.
I think IGN or some place like that described WPOS really well "WPOS was never striving to beat Android or Apple, the goal was to settle in third, an alternative, yet mainstream enough to gain developer support"

Would I recommend a WP to anyone?
Depends. If you are after a phone that has all your favourite apps on it (Google Chrome, Instagram, games, etc.) your most likely going to be disappointed.
If you want a phone that text, call, FB, do the random internet search and is happy for a generic version of an app then sure.
A phone OS that is different from Apple and Android, WP is probably your best bet.

Acronyms:
FB = Facebook
WPOS = Windows Phone Operating System
WP (7/8) = Windows Phone (7 or 8)
OS = Operating System​

PS; I'm selling my Blue Nokia Lumia 800 16GB for $175 (neg.) if anyone wants it.

 

[rajcool]

Both Nokia Lumia 520 and Blackberry Curve 9320 phones are good. But I like Blackberry curve 9320 Because it's functions are very user friendly. It has all features for the modern users. It's online price Rs.- 14290/- on shopbychoice .
Features :-

1. BlackBerry 7.1 OS
2. 3.2 MP Primary Camera
3. 2.44-inch TFT LCD Screen
4. QWERTY Keypad
5. FM Radio
6. GPRS and EDGE Enabled
7. Expandable Storage Capacity of 32 GB

 

[obliviousninja]

Both Nokia Lumia 520 and Blackberry Curve 9320 phones are good. But I like Blackberry curve 9320 Because it's functions are very user friendly. It has all features for the modern users. It's online price Rs.- 14290/- on shopbychoice .
Features :-

1. BlackBerry 7.1 OS
2. 3.2 MP Primary Camera
3. 2.44-inch TFT LCD Screen
4. QWERTY Keypad
5. FM Radio
6. GPRS and EDGE Enabled
7. Expandable Storage Capacity of 32 GB

iPhone or S4, nothing less. Maybes HTC One.

 

[OMGITzJustin]

iphone 5 or the 5s thats coming out in a couple of weeks (announced on american sept 10)

 

[obliviousninja]

thoughts on 5c

 

[seremify007]

thoughts on 5c

c is for cheaper than the 5s, but probably still not cheap relative to other phones. iPhones are great at maintaining resale value though.