I gave my 15 year old neice my spare bold 9700 when her iphone broke, within days she had 37 friends on bbm, nuff said.

i totally AGREE!!!!!!!! i loove my blackberry im 17 and im obsessed with it! me and my friends comunicate trough BBM all the time!!! and we also have a twilight fanclub and we all can cordinate activities and chat trough our BBM group! blackberry its the perfect device for anyone who has an active social life!!! and bussines life!!!!!!! I ♥ BLACKBERRY!!!!!!!

I think a BB is a perfect first phone for a teenager. It may sound odd, however, I don't really believe in watching movies or playing games on phones. Maybe it shows my age but I feel that if I have the time to sit and watch a movie than I would much, much rather do it at home on TV. Same goes for gaming. To me a phone is communication; and if I bought one for my child (and assuming my child isn't a prodogy, in college by age 17 working on his/her doctorate degree) that would be the best option for that. There are just enough options and apps on these phones to keep them up to date and cutting edge without bordering what I consider ridiculous for a teenager. Not to mention I'd want their attention on their studies not the new HD movie they just uploaded in class. I absolutely love my BB and would never trade it for anything else... except for the 9900 when that comes out!

As a communication tool, BB is top notch. I honestly feel that movie watching and gaming should be left to tv's, consoles and pc's, otherwise people get too wrapped up in all the gloss and loose sight of substance. My wife has the Incredible, but I would pick my Bold 9650 over it 10 times over because my phone just does, and it does it well. At the end of the day, people will pick a phone that will suit their needs, and for me, BB does it all the time and never leaves me dissatisfied. My thoughts, from a South African living in the U.S.A!

Proud to be South African and use a Blackberry :) if only we'd get the 9900 the same time as overseas and not wait 3-5 months once it's been launched.

Thanks goodness for this article! South Africans love BB's. In a college class of 250, 70 use Blackberries with 67 of those being 8520 curve. (Approximation)

I myself am South African and I love my BB to bits! But I would never use any BB lower than the one I'm using now, the Bold 9780. All these 8520's with appalling screen resolution and no 3G and no WiFi is just crap.

I am Canadian, and live just down the street from RIM.
Us RIMMIES can feel what is coming down the pipes.
It will blow your mind if you see what RIM has in store over the next 6 - 8 months. The road map is unbelievable!
Your BB will be your source for EVERYTHING! That is why the security level has to be raised a notch.