The BlackBerry 8520 at last has an American carrier and a release date, according to a report. The phone should debut for T-Mobile in the fourth quarter of 2009, where it is expected serve as a cheaper alternative to phones like the Curve 8900. No detailed pricing has so far been confirmed, but this is not unusual for a phone with a distant release date.

The device is thought to be directly related to the 8900, sharing common features such as Wi-Fi, a two-megapixel camera and cellular data limited to EDGE. The 8520 should introduce 802.11n support however, and it is known to use an optical trackpad in place of RIM's signature trackball. Lowering the cost may be the display, whose resolution is said to be less fine.