[redriot]

I am planning to buy a new BB (this will be my first one). My major requirements are:

1. Awesome battery life
2. A good keyboard
3. A decent camera

Now I have zeroed on BB Bold 9780 (OS6) instead of any of the models in the Curve series which operate on the latest OS7.1. My budget is 20k INR. Frankly I’m not really impressed with the models from the Curve family except for Curve 9360. But the reason why I ruled out Curve 9360 is its poor battery life. The rest of the models that satisfy the above requirements (from the Bold family) and at the same time operating on OS7.1 are touch type which I don’t want. This is why I am thinking about buying Bold 9780 which seems to be a decent phone as per my needs. The biggest reason why I am inclined towards BB 9780 is its awesome keyboard (I am a chat freak).

Is it advisable to go for a BB equipped with OS6 even when OS7.1 is being appreciated in the market for long? What are the pros and cons?

Expecting a reply from anyone who’s kind enough to help me out here.

[capers1962]

Hello,

I have used both OS 6 and 7.1.

A bold 9780 on 6 will take about 4 to 5 days before the battery needs charging (dependant on usage)

OS7.1 battery lasts 2 to 2.5 days on my 9790.

Both are very good phones and would recommend either depending on what you want it for - which of course is a personal choice.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9790 using Tapatalk

[redriot]

Thanks man.

But since you have used both, are there any noticeable differences (performance wise) when it comes to working with the two platforms? Also, should I also consider the fact that with a device operating on OS6 I have less options for upgrading it to newer versions of OS?

[Ben1232]

I had a Torch 9800 which I thought was fast at browsing etc until I got a Bold 9900....then updated my Bold to 7.1 and for me have seen even more speed and fluidity with the 7.1 updates over 7.0.

If you can get an OS7 Blackberry.

[redriot]

My main priority is not web browsing. And since this will be my first BB i dont think i'd find OS6 slow.

Attributes that matter to me the most are-

1. Awesome keyboard (which is much better in the Bold series)
2. Long battery life (since i am a chat freak i need it to keep itself alive atleast for 1 day)

The newest phones in the Bold series which operate on OS7.1 (9900, 9790) are touch n type phones but i dont want a touchscreen phone. Also they are beyond my budget (20K INR)

The phones boasting OS 7.1 in the Curve family are either low end phones (9220, 9320) or have a poor battery life (9360). And ofcourse the Curve family is best known for its clicky keyboard which i didnt like much.

So i came down to the best possible option i have i.e. BB Bold 9780 (as per my assessment)

I am also aware of the fact that i wont be able to upgrade my OS6 to OS 7 or higher. Is that an issue to be worried about?

Am i thinking along the right tangent? Pls advice.

PS i am not interested in the Torch series.

[Batter Pudding]

The way to look at OS6 on the Bold is it is now a mature and tested OS. I personally doubt we will see many more updates. The very latest is .723 and I don't see many complaints about it.

Personally I run .666 and it has been great for me and I don't want to swap phones. Quality shines.


I have been very impressed with this tough little phone. (Had mine for 16 months now). The solid construction is also a big plus. I have dropped this from four foot directly onto concrete and tarmac before. Landed on the corner, bounced, span, landed back hard on another corner. Apart from a little scratch the phone laughed this damage off. Now try to do that with an iPhone (or even many of these Google phones).

This is a phone designed for business and communication. Communicating is the core design in this device. So is perfect for a chat addict. IMHO too many modern phones get lost in the "smart" part of a smart phone and want to offer me too many junk apps instead of concentrating on getting the core part of the device right.

[redriot]

Thanks for the advice. It really helped.

Personally even i am inclined more towards BB 9780 falling for its excellent hardware. Did some online research and found out how marginally the OS 6 and OS7 differ from each other, just some cosmetic changes and a faster browser.

Just a lil worried over the fact that i wont be able to upgrade my OS to 7 or higher versions. Should that really be an issue to be worried about?

And i have read in many forums that very frequently this phone slows down and needs to be "cleaned" regularly and the battery needs to be pulled out to get it back on track. Is that true?

[tang63]

Hello,

I have used both OS 6 and 7.1.

A bold 9780 on 6 will take about 4 to 5 days before the battery needs charging (dependant on usage)

OS7.1 battery lasts 2 to 2.5 days on my 9790.

Both are very good phones and would recommend either depending on what you want it for - which of course is a personal choice.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9790 using Tapatalk

Wow. How the do u last urs for 4 to 5 days?

Mine lasts max 1 and half days. :O

Moreover, I hardly do any surfing and hardly any smses recieved. My hourly meterberry discharge is ranging from sometimes 0.8% to 2% on standby.

[Batter Pudding]

I'm another person here with a good 2 to 3 days battery. Probably even four on a good day. Battery is so good I don't notice. If I hammer the music player all day that will of course eat up battery quicker, but still never run out on me. (I leave Bluetooth off as I never use it, but WiFi is always on as I use UMA a lot due to no phone signal at home)

Bad battery life can be due to many things. For example - if you are in an area with a low phone signal you will find the phone (like all mobiles) will boost power and eat the battery faster.

I also don't have tons of extra apps on my phone. I strip out the IM I don't need. And I certainly don't have a battery monitoring app as I have never understood the point of them. They will also be eating up your battery to tell you that you are eating up battery. (And for the weather I look out the window)


Meanwhile - rumours of slow downs and constant battery pulls are exaggerated. I never pull my battery. The phone behaves well. Remember, when you read a forum, most of the posters are here because of a problem. All the happy phone users will not spend time on a forum as they are out using their phones. So this can skew the comments at times.

[tang63]

Thanks for the advice

I also heard about frequent top-ups on the battery would be better than leaving the battery to drop to 30% or lower. Is this advised?

[Batter Pudding]

Thanks for the advice

I also heard about frequent top-ups on the battery would be better than leaving the battery to drop to 30% or lower. Is this advised?

Modern batterys can take more abuse than in the past. I know some people put it on charge every night.

My phone is now 16 months old. I don't use MeterBerry or any of those daft tools. I just watch the battery meter on the screen. For me, when I see it looking low I charge it. I don't charge every day. Usually every 2 or 3 days. I generally attach to the charger when I am under 30% or lower. Sometimes I see the yellow or red warnings, but usually still in the white. I'll also charge it if I know I have a long trip coming up.

In practice I feel as if my battery is as good today as it was when I bought it.

Generally I charge from the wall plug, but there will also be charge from the PC when I am syncing. I have also done the odd "emergency topup" from my laptop and car charger.

My battery also gets a bit of abuse at times. I have woken some mornings to see the battery too low to survive the day. So I whack it on the charger for an hour or two in the morning and then disconnect before it is full as I have to go. When I do this I will then try and complete the top-up later in the day.


So - my advice? Don't stress about it. Find a good routine for yourself. And keep a spare USB cable in a work draw/school bag/etc so it is there for that emergency top up if ever needed. (I think in the time I have had my phone it has only ever run out of charge twice.)

[redriot]

The way to look at OS6 on the Bold is it is now a mature and tested OS. I personally doubt we will see many more updates. The very latest is .723 and I don't see many complaints about it.

Personally I run .666 and it has been great for me and I don't want to swap phones. Quality shines.


I have been very impressed with this tough little phone. (Had mine for 16 months now). The solid construction is also a big plus. I have dropped this from four foot directly onto concrete and tarmac before. Landed on the corner, bounced, span, landed back hard on another corner. Apart from a little scratch the phone laughed this damage off. Now try to do that with an iPhone (or even many of these Google phones).

This is a phone designed for business and communication. Communicating is the core design in this device. So is perfect for a chat addict. IMHO too many modern phones get lost in the "smart" part of a smart phone and want to offer me too many junk apps instead of concentrating on getting the core part of the device right.

But i understand that i wont be able to upgrade OS 6 to OS 7 or higher versions. Should i be worried about that??

[Batter Pudding]

But i understand that i wont be able to upgrade OS 6 to OS 7 or higher versions. Should i be worried about that??

Short answer - No.

As far as I understand it, there were not that many dramatic differences in OS 7. It is the next gen OS that was going to be a more dramatic change. (QNX? Or some combination of letters like that? Whatever - that is for a phone of the future)

OS 6 works great on this phone. I really don't see you are missing out on anything. But then I don't use OS7 so can't comment.

You want an OS that works reliably. Designed for the hardware that it is running on. This is not based on numbers, or constant updates. This is based on tried and tested code.

[jmd.aKBar]

I have been very impressed with this tough little phone. (Had mine for 16 months now). The solid construction is also a big plus. I have dropped this from four foot directly onto concrete and tarmac before. Landed on the corner, bounced, span, landed back hard on another corner. Apart from a little scratch the phone laughed this damage off. Now try to do that with an iPhone (or even many of these Google phones).

Mine dropped twice on Friday, and once of which was from about two meters.. The only proof that mine fell was a hairline scratch on the bottom left corner that is visible only if you know where to look for it... Which i won't tell you.. This phone's body is almost as strong as a Nokia 3310's!! :P

But all in all, get a 9780, update its OS to 6.0.0.723.. And you are good to go!!

[Batter Pudding]

Mine dropped twice on Friday, and once of which was from about two meters.. The only proof that mine fell was a hairline scratch on the bottom left corner that is visible only if you know where to look for it... Which i won't tell you.. This phone's body is almost as strong as a Nokia 3310's!! :P

But all in all, get a 9780, update its OS to 6.0.0.723.. And you are good to go!!

Ahh... memories... I remember when I used to regularly drop my Nokia 6210. After a few years it would split when dropped, but after a bit of clipping together at the road side I would be up and running again.

This Bold 9780 has a metal band around the edge of the phone. That takes most of the impacts when it hits the ground. I can see the dents on the corners from the tarmac, but the strength of that outer edge protects it well.

I have clients with iPhones and Androids which may look "pretty" but don't seem to have designed any kind of rugged feel into them. One client has an iPhone with a totally smashed back to it. A lot of the glass is actually missing on the rear of his phone. Some androids are so thin that I'd hate to think what would happen if you sat on them. This Bold 9780 clearly wouldn't care.

[Tank1978]

I find the 9780 has a pretty decent camera, zooms in pretty damn good. The video recording i found pretty crisp and good sound. Its small and compact. Speed wise its the same as a iphone 3gs.. But if messaging is your thing, then get it..

[redriot]

I find the 9780 has a pretty decent camera, zooms in pretty damn good. The video recording i found pretty crisp and good sound. Its small and compact. Speed wise its the same as a iphone 3gs.. But if messaging is your thing, then get it..

Since i can use the SD card only for storing media files, is 256 mb of internal memory on BB 9780 enough for running the OS and applications?? The newer versions are getting 512 mb instead..

[jmd.aKBar]

Since i can use the SD card only for storing media files, is 256 mb of internal memory on BB 9780 enough for running the OS and applications?? The newer versions are getting 512 mb instead..

I have 512 internal mem..

[redriot]

I have 512 internal mem..

How come?? You're using a 9780 right??

[jmd.aKBar]

How come?? You're using a 9780 right??

Haha! Yup! I can't show you a screenshot though, cuz I'm inside the escreens now, for the next 25 days! :P but, yea, I am using a 9780!!

[redriot]

Haha! Yup! I can't show you a screenshot though, cuz I'm inside the escreens now, for the next 25 days! :P but, yea, I am using a 9780!!

I'm sorry but i really didnt understand how u managed 512 mb of internal memory on ur 9780..

[Daveyyyy]

I'm sorry but i really didnt understand how u managed 512 mb of internal memory on ur 9780..

He probably means RAM and not storage.

[redriot]

He probably means RAM and not storage.

Thats what i think. And my area of concern is the internal memory and not RAM.

[diegonei]

I'd give the 9790 a serious look. Taken the necessary steps to make the battery last, it should do very well.

If you can't find/afford one, 9780 all the way.

[redriot]

Can anyone out here give me 3 details about Bold 9780 correctly?

1. How much is the internal memory/ROM?

2. How much is its RAM?

3. Whats the speed of its processor?

I am sorry to have asked a question about the specs but none on the sites have clearly mentioned this data.