[bobauckland]

You won't regret it. At least, I haven't.
I switched from a 9780 to a 9900 about 2-3 weeks ago.
Was very reluctant to move because of 2 main reasons, the camera and the battery life.
Decided to do it because my 9780 was an absolute beast for me and I thought I have to stick with RIM for the joy that phone gave me, so I upgraded to their new flagship.

First off, I ran the device on day 1 with stock OS 7, and sure enough, the battery was dead by 5PM. I immediately bought a second backup battery and charger bundle, I went into this with eyes open so I was fine with it.
What did really surprise me is I tried taking pictures of documents as I need to with my 9900, no zoom, no fancy tricks, it does a more than serviceable job. Its not crystal clear on every pic but its more than readable which is all that I need and a lot, a lot better than I was expecting, which as a great surprise.
Did a wipe and installed OS 7.1 on the second day, and the battery life since has been phenomenal, I now go through a full day very easily on a single charge, and don't need to worry about the battery unless I go through heavy (for me) usage.
I still have the backup battery but haven't needed it once.
The keyboard is just a dream, and I absolutely love typing on it, no stutters, no errors, its more fun to use than my laptop keyboard.
The marriage of a touchscreen and a keyboard in OS7 is brilliant, its just the pinnacle of mobile phone OSes for me. Straight from the home screen, I type away the name of the app I need, its localised, I touch the one I want, job done. Just selecting something makes me feel so happy to be using this phone.

Overall I give it two thumbs and two big toes up because its, yet again, the best phone Ive ever owned. Its surprised me and exceeded my expectations in every way.

There are 2 negatives, Id say, neither of which affects end users.

- When I decided to get this phone I went all over the place trying to get a working display model to try it out before committing. I went to several CarphoneWarehouses, a Three store and an Orange store. No one had a working display model. Also, they all tried to convince me to get other phones instead.
I bought the phone blind in the end, but I can imagine a lot of users wanting to see what the fuss is about have to take the leap blind, which is a pity, and RIM needs to look at ensuring its devices are out there for people to play with and handle for themselves when they're considering it, or they will be led elsewhere. All I got in a Three store was one of those plastic dummy models which felt nothing like the real deal and actually put me off a little.

- OS7.1 has made a huge difference to me from a battery point of view. I can't help thinking that if its software that makes this much of a difference it was a huge mistake to release the initial version for as long as they did.
People formed very negative impressions based on the early build available, and now most people won't edit their review or viewpoints of give it a second try with the upgraded software.
Getting a customer to give your brand a try is a lot easier than convincing someone who's had a bad experience with your brand to come back. When someone tries a device they need to be hooked, the upgrades can't come so far apart for future devices.

Hopefully they'll learn from this with BB10 devices, but overall, the 9900 at the present moment is just a beast of a phone.
If you're even thinking about it a little, just close your eyes and take the leap. I can almost guarantee you won't be disappointed.

[PredatorGanaz]

Good points made above. I prefer TOrch screen as it is much more bigger than 9900 with of course horizontal and vertical view.

[pcotton]

I swapped from the torch to the 9900. It really is a case of being able to do more faster!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[starchit]

I too came from a 9780. Went to a TMO store and they had several working models. I wanted the Torch for the screen but hated the keyboard. Picked up the 9900 and fell in love. BUT the store was sold out ☹. TMO had one on my doorstep the following morning.

[DenimAndLeather]

I agree with the OP. I've had my 9900 for 2.5 months and I still get excited everytime I pick it up to type on the keyboard. The camera really does the job I require of it and I love being able to take HD videos and upload them directly to youtube right from the 9900.

The way I see it is that my 9900 is my dedicated phone, email/text and calendaring device. I have other devices with larger screens if I want to use various apps or leisurely surf the web.

For me, the ideal mobile tech combination is a BlackBerry 9900 for efficient reliable communication, a 7" Galaxy Tab Plus for e-reading and access to tons of apps on a larger screen wherever I am and an iPad2 for access to iOS and couch surfing.

[linuxbbm]

You bought a dummy phone model i can't believe it its just so funny! hahaha
But the phone speaks for itself i would say
Thanks for the great review.

[SC457]

I swapped from the torch to the 9900. It really is a case of being able to do more faster!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

Same here, I liked the 9810 but with keyboard shortcuts and the touch screen on the 9900 I can get things done a lot quicker. 9900 is awesome, really glad I have one. Just need to find a PC to upgrade to 7.1 or wait until AT&T releases it...

[Dim-Ize]

Well, you got me excited! My 9900 is awaiting my return home from spring break with the family. I have a Torch and I've really enjoyed it. I declined my company's "upgrade" notice to get it in January, since I wanted to wait it out for BB10 phones.

I created a thread in this forum asking for some insight to an upgrade to a 9900 from a Torch, specifically as it relates to my use with a PlayBook. I had simillar concerns with battery life.

I guess I need to do some srarching to discover which OS is the best floating around right now, because a BES upgrade with my company, which occurs at each OS update from my company, is a major time commitment. I'd prefer to do it on the front end.

Thanks for the post!

[bdguru]

You won't regret it. At least, I haven't.
I switched from a 9780 to a 9900 about 2-3 weeks ago.
Was very reluctant to move because of 2

main reasons, the camera and the battery life.
Decided to do it because my 9780 was an absolute beast for me and I thought I have to stick with RIM for the joy that phone gave me, so I upgraded to their new flagship.

First off, I ran the device on day 1 with stock OS 7, and sure enough, the battery was dead by 5PM. I immediately bought a second backup battery and charger bundle, I went into this with eyes open so I was fine with it.
What did really surprise me is I tried taking pictures of documents as I need to with my 9900, no zoom, no fancy tricks, it does a more than serviceable job. Its not crystal clear on every pic but its more than readable which is all that I need and a lot, a lot better than I was expecting, which as a great surprise.
Did a wipe and installed OS 7.1 on the second day, and the battery life since has been phenomenal, I now go through a full day very easily on a single charge, and don't need to worry about the battery unless I go through heavy (for me) usage.
I still have the backup battery but haven't needed it once.
The keyboard is just a dream, and I absolutely love typing on it, no stutters, no errors, its more fun to use than my laptop keyboard.
The marriage of a touchscreen and a keyboard in OS7 is brilliant, its just the pinnacle of mobile phone OSes for me. Straight from the home screen, I type away the name of the app I need, its localised, I touch the one I want, job done. Just selecting something makes me feel so happy to be using this phone.

Overall I give it two thumbs and two big toes up because its, yet again, the best phone Ive ever owned. Its surprised me and exceeded my expectations in every way.

There are 2 negatives, Id say, neither of which affects end users.

- When I decided to get this phone I went all over the place trying to get a working display model to try it out before committing. I went to several CarphoneWarehouses, a Three store and an Orange store. No one had a working display model. Also, they all tried to convince me to get other phones instead.
I bought the phone blind in the end, but I can imagine a lot of users wanting to see what the fuss is about have to take the leap blind, which is a pity, and RIM needs to look at ensuring its devices are out there for people to play with and handle for themselves when they're considering it, or they will be led elsewhere. All I got in a Three store was one of those plastic dummy models which felt nothing like the real deal and actually put me off a little.

- OS7.1 has made a huge difference to me from a battery point of view. I can't help thinking that if its software that makes this much of a difference it was a huge mistake to release the initial version for as long as they did.
People formed very negative impressions based on the early build available, and now most people won't edit their review or viewpoints of give it a second try with the upgraded software.
Getting a customer to give your brand a try is a lot easier than convincing someone who's had a bad experience with your brand to come back. When someone tries a device they need to be hooked, the upgrades can't come so far apart for future devices.

Hopefully they'll learn from this with BB10 devices, but overall, the 9900 at the present moment is just a beast of a phone.
If you're even thinking about it a little, just close your eyes and take the leap. I can almost guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Very well stated and honest. What an AWESOME phone.

[BDKira]

I'm glad your loving your new 9900
I've been using my 9930 for 3 months now but I have a very different problem that isn't RIM's fault. The reception in Bangladesh is atrocious! So to solve this I'm getting myself a white 9900 with 2 batteries. I only wish the battery life was better, that's it but I'm pretty sure the 9900 gets great battery life compared to the 9930. Not to mention you guys get good signal, good signal = good battery life.

[Ben1232]

I get excited every time I use my 9900 too.

I practically live on the thing. I also came from a Torch and at times I miss the screen size / landscape views etc. But the better resolution on the Bold has improved over my 9800 so don't mind.

*nonetheless the 9810 has a better screen res I know.

Cool post OP

[Thunderbuck]

I'm very pleased with my 9900. The industrial design of the hardware is fantastic; great style AND ergonomics.

I liked my 9800, but the physical keyboard was too narrow to be useful for me. The 9900 is also CONSIDERABLY thinner than the Torch (though wider).

I had considered holding out for a BB10 phone later this year, but I'll admit I expect the app situation will be a bit sparse when they launch; I decided to go with what is essentially the "ultimate" old-school BBOS device, and I've been very pleased.

[jamesbondOO7]

I love that phone. It is a constant pleasure to use it.