I agree with comments made about the LED indicator on the Curve 8530. It just looks like a mistake. The LED is located to the right of the round window it is intended to shine through. In daylight, when viewed from the right side, it can hardly be seen. It is much brighter when viewed from the left side.
The processor, memory and software upgrades are great improvements, giving much faster performance. The addition of wi-fi is a big plus. The exterior of the phone, however, is a much cheaper build than the Curve 8330 it replaces.
In my opinion, the battery cover is the biggest disappointment. It makes the phone feel poorly constructed. Out of the box, the battery cover is loose, moving slightly in all directions. It sometimes makes a creaking noise when you use the keyboard, as the act of typing causes you to "squeeze" the phone, putting pressure on the battery cover which rubs against the phone body as it bends and moves around. There is no foam under the battery cover to cushion/isolate it and keep it snug. The snap-fit plastic clip will wear each time the cover is removed, exaggerating the loose fit of the cover over time. With a lot of wear, it could fail to hold the cover on the phone, or weaken and break off when pressed onto the phone. You have to pry the battery cover off on the 8530, compared to 8330 which has a release latch. Removing the cover tend to scar, or dent the edge of the battery cover as the prying action pushes against the plastic material.
The thin plastic film covering the screen and first row of keys beside the touchpad appears unsecured along the bottom edge, and seems like it could snag on something and get bent upward away from the phone surface.
Compared to the Curve 8330, the bottom row of keys is much smaller, making the use of the qwerty keyboard more difficult.
The touchpad seems to work very well, and is just as functional as a trackball. Is is not difficult to adjust to the touchpad if you are a trackball user. The touchpad doesn't light up, however, and this can make use in low lighting difficult compared to an illuminated trackball.
I like the performance improvements of the phone, but my older 8330 is a much higher quality phone in the hand. I am considering returning to my Curve 8330 and waiting for the Tour 9650 to get a similar feature set in a better quality build.
