We’ve known for the longest time that Rogers will soon be releasing the wallet friendly BlackBerry Curve 8520, but up until now we’ve (or anyone, for that matter) been unable to figure out the exact release date and pricing of one of the worst kept phone secrets in recent memory. The release date, as tipped off by Best Buy, is apparently October 9th, while the same source also indicates that the 8520 will be unreasonably expensive. We’ve no major qualms with the $499.99 non-contract price (other than it’s a rip-off and $200 more expensive than the $299 USD T-Mobile customers pay) but $99.99 on contract when the Pearl Flip 8220 is $9.99? That’s just not right, now is it. Anyway, hit the jump for some screenies.

Thanks, ILLIONAIRE!

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In case anyone had doubts that Rogers is on the cusp of releasing the BlackBerry Curve 8520, Rogers dealerships across the country have just begun receiving literature for RIM’s latest low-cost QWERTY smartphone. No surprises were included with the official documentation, but the appearance of the literature so early indicates that Rogers might be planning to push out the 8520 ahead of schedule. If this is the case, it’s likely because Rogers doesn’t want to draw attention away from the Bold 9700, which still seems to be on track for a release before November.

We recently told you that both the Curve 8520 and the Bold 9700 were entered in Rogers’ upgrade system, and now the former can finally be found in its natural habitat — and by natural habitat, we mean leaked shots on BGR. Currently running OS 4.6.1.274, the Rogers 8520 appears to have escaped from one of RIM’s manufacturing plants without having been horribly disfigured by physical branding. We think it would be foolish to assume this will be the case once the device launches, but at least there’s hope. You know the drill; hit the jump for a couple more pics.

Thanks, Guiscard!

Get ready, BlackBerry adoring Canadians, because both the Bold 9700 and Curve 8520 have popped up in Rogers’ upgrade system. There’s no official word yet on when we’ll see both devices launch, although the smart money is that the Curve will come sometime in early October followed by the Bold in late October (this could change at any moment). As for how much they’ll run for is even more of a guessing game, but we would imagine the Curve will be heavily discounted (likely under $100) while the Bold should go for around the same price as the Bold 9000 which should go down in price. Good stuff. Hit the jump for some larger pics.

Thanks, ILLIONAIRE!

While many of our readers think the BlackBerry Curve 8520 is about as boring as it gets, truth be told it’s infinitely more functional than most devices in its (Walmart or Amazon) price range and it invites a whole new demo over to Berry. One of our RIM ninjas hit us up this morning to let us know that within the next month it should be available for purchase in France from Bouygues Telecom. A hard price and street date have yet to be set, but we can’t imagine that it will cost all that much, if anything at all, considering the $0.01 – $48.88 pricing we have here in the states. Vive la Curve.

You know the deal… A big box retail store receives stock of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 a few days before it’s due to go on sale so an overzealous employee throws caution to the wind and sells one to someone. Obviously, the purchaser must then proceeded to go straight home and post an unboxing video on YouTube. The contents of the box provide no surprises either as the 8520 comes with nothing but the phone, microUSB cable, travel charger, stereo headset, installation CD and manuals. Hey, what can you expect from a smartphone that goes for $48.88 at Walmart? Hit the jump for the unboxing vid.

Thanks, Alex!

And yet another oft-leaked BlackBerry has become official as Research In Motion has finally announced the BlackBerry Curve 8520. Heading to T-Mobile USA and Vodafone UK in August, the BlackBerry 8520 is RIM’s latest attempt at luring in the average consumer to its line of smartphones with a very budget friendly price. In the UK, Vodafone UK subscribers should be able to get the 8520 at no charge provided they take on a contract with a monthly tariff of £25 or more (considerably cheaper than the average BlackBerry plan) while in the USA T-Mobile clients will have to wait a bit longer to find out just how much it is that they’ll be asked to pay. Since we’re sure that you’re all more than familiar with the specs of the 8520 by now, let’s just focus on one thing that that’s super cool about the 8520 — it’s compatible with OS X straight out of the box. Does this mean that the Mac version of Desktop Manager will debut before its scheduled September release? It certainly looks as if this is the case.

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We’re still waiting on official word from T-Mobile but with each passing day, the rumored August 5th launch date gets more plausible. This time around, an alleged leaked T-Mobile document reaffirms the date and rehashes the 8520′s specs. Pricing is noticeably absent from the sheet so for the time being all we have is the Walmart price of $78.88 through October, at which time the price should drop to an incredible $48.88. Of course if you are a really cool kid you’ll have already received a voucher for a free 8520, but then again that voucher did come at a high cost — you had to sit through Transformers 2.

Thanks, Jake!

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Remember those BlackBerry At The Movies events happening in practically every major city in the country? Well, they’re definitely for the BlackBerry 8520. One our readers was nice enough to send in some photos of what they received at the event and was one of the few people who actually won a BlackBerry 8520. No, they didn’t receive the device then and there. Instead, they’re being shipped out in the mail. But the BlackBerry 8520 was shown on a presentation which was quickly followed by the movie Transformers 2. Nice touch, RIM.

Thanks, ACon!

According to the guys and gals over at BlackBerry Rocks, T-Mobile USA will be releasing the BlackBerry Curve 8520 née Gemini on August 5th. This latest in a series of yet-to-be-confirmed 8520 release dates flies in the face of a previous report by Engadget, which mentioned a two-month Walmart exclusivity period for the 8520 (you do remember it’s headed to Walmart, right?). Either way you slice it, since the the FCC has already signed off on the new budget Curve and it’s currently being shown off across the country to VIP customers at BlackBerry Night at the Movies, we know this is one BlackBerry that is just about ripe for the picking.

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Having managed to get our hands on Walmart’s 2009 T-Mobile line-up a few month back, it comes as no surprise that RIM and T-Mobile are putting the final touches on BlackBerry Night at the Movies — 51 parties that will take place over two weeks starting July 20th — to celebrate the launch of the BlackBerry Curve 8520. A bunch of stuff is planned for the parties including a movie screening, contests, door prizes and more, but the main focus of the night will be a preview of the Curve 8520 aka Gemini. No word yet on whether or not the device will be released during the two weeks of shindigs or shortly there after, but we can’t imagine it being much longer based on the increasing number of devices we have seen in the wild. As for whether or not people will be able to walk away from the party with the device or if they will get an IOU for one is also also unknown, but unless there is an abundance of Handi Wipes on hand at each event to cleanse people’s hands of buttery movie popcorn, we think an IOU is probably more appropriate.

Thanks, David!

[Via BerryReview]

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Yeah, we’ve already confirmed that the BlackBerry Curve 8520 will be dropping on T-Mobile next month but while the Tour trolls are occupied with a flurry of new fodder, why not take a moment to enjoy it once again? Mmmmm, optical trackpad. T-Mobile customers are often forced to wait what seems like ages for hot new devices so it’s always nice to see what looks like a timely release shaping up. Today, another piece of the puzzle slides into place as the sleek little handset receives the FCC’s blessing. Yay. So, T-Moblers, is the Tour going to be enough to pull you away from Tmo or will you be showing off your budget, optical trackpad-rocking 8520 with Pink pride? Cu, Cu, Curve?

[Via Cell Phone Signal]

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We just got our hands on an internal T-Mobile roadmap that is specifically for Walmart stores. This indicates what devices Walmart will carry, when, and at what price. Lucky for us, there’s some good stuff on here! Starting off is the BlackBerry 8520 — a device that’s not too new to us. What is new however, is that the launch date seems to be much earlier than reported. How does July sound? How does $78 for pricing sound with a drop to $48 a few months later? Thought so! While we get the rest of the goodies together, take a look at the first actual computer image of the BlackBerry 8520 after the break!

We just got some hands on time with the now infamous BlackBerry 8520 (code-named Gemini). Optical trackball? Ooooh yeah. While there hasn’t been too much time to play with them, early impressions are definitely fitting in with what CrackBerry reported; real solid feel and the optical trackball is awesome and makes your brand new BlackBerry feel outdated. Literally. It makes what you have feel primitive. We’ve been able to confirm the handset is going to hit T-Mobile USA in Q4 of this year, obviously don’t have a price yet, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see this device hit one of those “BlackBerry In A Box” thingamajigs. It’s definitely aimed at the low-cost/emerging market segment, so it’s a bit odd T-Mobile USA will carry it out the gate, but hey, the more BlackBerry users the better, right?

Thanks, Brian!

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about the much-rumored BlackBerry Curve 8520, codenamed Gemini, but there’s no question that when it rains it pours. We showed you what now appears to be an early prototype back in March and gave you some preliminary specs, but it looks like quite a few things have changed since that image was snapped. Namely, it got itself an optical trackball. CrackBerry got a hold of some new shots and this little guy could definitely be shaping up to give 8900 owners a healthy dose of buyer’s remorse. Beyond what we’ve already reported — and the optical ball of course — the Curve 8520 is going to hit the streets with dedicated media buttons, Curve branding and a rubberized finish surrounding the metal battery cover. It will indeed lack 3G as we reported but maybe the allure of an optical trackball is enough to compensate. Hit the jump for a few more shots.

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