1. iLive an iLife's Avatar
    Howdy!

    So I switched to the Verizon iPhone whenever it was released back in March. I've been severly missing my BlackBerry and want to switch back. I've had my eye on the 9930, but the Canadian launch has me a little worried. Just wanted to know what some of you think.

    1) Is the camera really as bad as everyone keeps saying it is? I know auto focus is missing. I usually just take pictures when I'm out, nothing special. Will I be able to tell a huge difference? Is it a deal breaker?

    2) I've read mixed reviews on here about the battery life of the device. Is there a general consensus about the battery life? I am a moderate user and just want to be able to make it through a day.

    The iPhone has been great, but I'd really like a qwerty again. Thanks for the input guys!
    08-13-11 05:30 PM
  2. habs_fan's Avatar
    I think the camera is alright, obviously it could be better, but it is just a phone, also as far as battery life I got mine 2 days ago so its hard to judge but I can last a day for sure without a charge

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-13-11 05:35 PM
  3. dalton4L's Avatar
    1) It's a matter of personal opinion. Lack of auto-focus to me is a major mistake, but then again I take about 50+ pictures a month. If you're not too concerned with picture quality, you may be able to look it over, but I can assure you that going from your iPhone 4 to the Bold 9930 will be a pretty considerable downgrade in picture and video quality (yes I am aware the specs are the same).

    2) It seems to depend on which OS you're running. There have been people with awful battery life on .XXX and then they switch to .YYY and it's much better. However, the fact that the OSs can be such a significant change in the first place is an issue to me.
    08-13-11 05:36 PM
  4. _StephenBB81's Avatar
    Howdy!

    So I switched to the Verizon iPhone whenever it was released back in March. I've been severly missing my BlackBerry and want to switch back. I've had my eye on the 9930, but the Canadian launch has me a little worried. Just wanted to know what some of you think.

    1) Is the camera really as bad as everyone keeps saying it is? I know auto focus is missing. I usually just take pictures when I'm out, nothing special. Will I be able to tell a huge difference? Is it a deal breaker?

    2) I've read mixed reviews on here about the battery life of the device. Is there a general consensus about the battery life? I am a moderate user and just want to be able to make it through a day.

    The iPhone has been great, but I'd really like a qwerty again. Thanks for the input guys!

    Well we CAN NOT give you battery feed back, since the 9930 will be a different animal, it very much seems to be a radio issue with the 9900 with how the battery drains, I can't even say if the battery is good or not because 1 day the battery is crap the next day it is amazing, it is just odd right now.


    as for the Camera, I haven't found any issues with it yet, compared to my torch the image quality seems to be pretty close, the BIG plus for the 9900 is I can take 2 pics for every 1 pic with the 9800, the "shutter speed" is that much faster.
    08-13-11 05:36 PM
  5. OniBerry's Avatar
    1) Is the camera really as bad as everyone keeps saying it is? I know auto focus is missing. I usually just take pictures when I'm out, nothing special. Will I be able to tell a huge difference? Is it a deal breaker?
    AF is missing, the phone takes good quality photos still imo. Those that use the camera more for business and as their primary (quick photo taking device) may be disappointed.

    2) I've read mixed reviews on here about the battery life of the device. Is there a general consensus about the battery life? I am a moderate user and just want to be able to make it through a day.
    I did have some serious issues with the battery life when I first used it. I have since replaced the stock OS .261 with Vodofone's official release (.296), after that I have noticed my battery life is much improved.
    08-13-11 05:40 PM
  6. Masahiro's Avatar
    The camera issue is completely blown out of proportion. It takes pics, it takes them faster than auto-focus, and the quality is just fine for pics that probably won't make it beyond a Facebook wall in most cases (nevermind an actual print shop). As for close-ups, the zoom function and the right settings help tremendously.

    The battery life is a little erratic. I'm sitting on a 3.6% an hour discharge rate at the moment, but I didn't use my phone much today, and I have it connected to EDGE.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-13-11 05:41 PM
  7. Crucial_Xtreme's Avatar
    The 9900/9930 is overall a solid device. Definitely overall the best BlackBerry ever released. Of course that's until the 9850/9860 is released then it will be the best. Why? Because it does everything the 99xx does and has a better camera.
    The camera thing isn't being blown out of proportion, not in the least. It's absurd that the "Flagship" device doesn't have better hardware components than the previous years models. All in an attempt to help make it thin. This is part of the problem at RIM, sacrificing some things for others when it's not necessary.
    Consumers do care. It's just one more thing the already critical tech media have to dog on BlackBerry products about. And trust me the camera & OS 6.1 will be in all the reviews.

    That said it's a good solid device but will no longer hold the top spot once the 9850/60's are released.
    bhavi_jp, shupor and Blacklatino like this.
    08-13-11 05:53 PM
  8. hayito1's Avatar
    to your two questions:

    1) The Camera is better on the iPhone, no question. But the HD recording is very close

    2) Battery life is much better now for me over 24h

    Get one!!!
    08-13-11 05:55 PM
  9. bdad14's Avatar
    i disagree, the camera is not good if your taking close up shots in bad lighting. any other use and it's good for most peoples uses. I went to niagara falls last night and a did a few comparisons with my sisters iphone 4 and the bold takes better night shots of far away buildings but the iphone 4 takes better indoor shots. its a huge give and take and i definately dont think the camera is a dealbreaker unless you're set on having the best phone camera around..

    the battery life is just weird, first day i had it i barely got through 10 hrs with H+ only... today with the same settings and similar use i have 50% left and phones been off the charger for 6hrs already. so definately gotta wait for more thorough battery tests.
    08-13-11 05:57 PM
  10. Bold9930's Avatar
    How often do you take photos?
    08-13-11 05:58 PM
  11. OniBerry's Avatar
    If only someone made aftermarket lenses like photojojo does for the iphone, cept for BB.
    08-13-11 06:02 PM
  12. Stein357's Avatar
    Kevin's CrackBerry review is suppose to be up tomorrow, and I know he will address both of these in his review. I don't have a 9930 yet, but the camera isn't THAT big of a deal to me, and as long as the battery life is comparable to the iPhone 4, I'm good.
    08-13-11 06:03 PM
  13. sdguy101's Avatar
    I don't understand how they couldn't fit an autofocus camera? That's a step backwards, there are slimmer phones with multiple cameras.
    08-13-11 06:10 PM
  14. GapBoyPCS's Avatar
    I personally don't understand why people are quick to ditch a device just because of a bad camera. Personal choice, I guess. If I want better pictures, I'm taking my point-and-shoot out of my bag, or I'm toting my DSLR.

    As for battery life, I guess it will depend on how you use it. I'd say wait until more people comment. Even then, it will depend on how people use it and their expectations.
    08-13-11 06:10 PM
  15. OniBerry's Avatar
    Yeah, I agree, plus we should be seeing more official OS releases from the various carriers very soon.
    08-13-11 06:15 PM
  16. CGI's Avatar
    The camera is a mixed bag; it's not quite as sharp in some situations as the 9780 AF camera... but; it's faster, shoots better video, and low light photos are better.

    The battery isn't horrible, and coming from an iphone it's probably terrific... But compared to my 9780 the battery is not as good; 20-30% less stamina. I suspect a future software update will get it closer in line.
    08-13-11 06:28 PM
  17. Crucial_Xtreme's Avatar
    I personally don't understand why people are quick to ditch a device just because of a bad camera. Personal choice, I guess. If I want better pictures, I'm taking my point-and-shoot out of my bag, or I'm toting my DSLR.

    As for battery life, I guess it will depend on how you use it. I'd say wait until more people comment. Even then, it will depend on how people use it and their expectations.
    I don't honestly expect many people to not buy it because of the horrible camera. I think most will still get it because of what it does well. However that's not the point about the camera. Oh and most people don't want to tote a DSLR, they want what they had with previous Gen Bolds.

    As for battery life, it is for the most part pretty good. And trust me, it will only get better as time goes by. The new architecture is much more efficient than previous models in relation to the processor & power management and the code will be optimized to it's fullest potential which will provide a full days use. And in my book a full days worth is darn good considering how advanced these devices are becoming. )
    08-13-11 06:47 PM
  18. Crucial_Xtreme's Avatar

    The battery isn't horrible, and coming from an iphone it's probably terrific... But compared to my 9780 the battery is not as good; 20-30% less stamina. I suspect a future software update will get it closer in line.
    Dang didn't see this post or I would've multi-quoted. You obviously don't use an iPhone. Also you just tow the same ol junk about the iPhone having crappy battery life. It's best not to do stuff like that, especially when the device in question kills the others in battery performance in lots of cases. See pics below & see who's on top.

    Anyhow, the 9900's battery life is good and the 9930's is slightly better. Once a few new revisions are released it will start to get better and more hours of life.
    08-13-11 06:51 PM
  19. GG1's Avatar
    I had an iPhone for 3 days and although I prefer Android, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised about battery life. I don't know why so many bash on the iPhone battery (probably those who never used one) but it Is pretty good. That being said, the king of battery life still belongs to Blackberry.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-13-11 07:01 PM
  20. blackbirdxxcanadian's Avatar
    Dang didn't see this post or I would've multi-quoted. You obviously don't use an iPhone. Also you just tow the same ol junk about the iPhone having crappy battery life. It's best not to do stuff like that, especially when the device in question kills the others in battery performance in lots of cases. See pics below & see who's on top.

    Anyhow, the 9900's battery life is good and the 9930's is slightly better. Once a few new revisions are released it will start to get better and more hours of life.
    The camera thing is way overblown, it takes good pictures for a PHONE. My $300 point and shoot takes great pictures for a point and shoot and my dslr blows them both away yet both cameras suck when sitting at the side of the road out of gas and need to call someone.

    If you want a phone that works incredibly well, epic keyboard, touch screen, powerful processor for running multiple apps, great battery life in my experience and with proven durable build quality then the Bold 9900 is the item for you. If YOUR priority is pictures only find a better camera in some phone and enjoy.

    If the camera is a dealbreaker for you then it sounds to me more like you are just trying to justify not getting it and instead running with the pack on the latest i/droid/windows phone.

    Its a phone, its brilliant regardless of what some blogger in timbucktoo tells you.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    Siiid, merp23 and Skeevecr like this.
    08-13-11 07:02 PM
  21. dalton4L's Avatar
    Dang didn't see this post or I would've multi-quoted. You obviously don't use an iPhone. Also you just tow the same ol junk about the iPhone having crappy battery life. It's best not to do stuff like that, especially when the device in question kills the others in battery performance in lots of cases. See pics below & see who's on top.

    Anyhow, the 9900's battery life is good and the 9930's is slightly better. Once a few new revisions are released it will start to get better and more hours of life.
    As an iPhone 4(GSM) user, I can concur that the battery is phenomenal. Most avid BlackBerry users write-off any other smartphone as having horrible battery life, but iOS is incredibly optimized as to get a ton of life out of the battery.
    08-13-11 07:04 PM
  22. _StephenBB81's Avatar
    I don't honestly expect many people to not buy it because of the horrible camera.
    You keep throwing out "Horrible Camera"

    but I was snapping pics of a kiddo jumping on the couch with my 9900 while the god father of the kid was using the Torch, ONLY the 9900 was able to produce a non blurred image, the details of the non blurred parts of the blurred child was better with the Torch but the over all image of a Kid jumping on the couch was better due to the faster image capturing

    that said I probably can attribute some of that to the faster processor, I look forward to trying a 9810 out to see if IT is better than the 9900.
    08-13-11 07:05 PM
  23. Crucial_Xtreme's Avatar
    The camera thing is way overblown, it takes good pictures for a PHONE.
    No it doesn't take good pictures for "a phone". It doesn't take as good of a picture as it's predecessor or even it's predecessor. The 9900 doesn't take pics even close to the quality of the 9700 or the 9780. Lie to yourself all you want, but each new revision is supposed to better itself in all areas, not get worse.

    @Rusett You know I love BlackBerry & don't want to argue with you but the pics in the CB blog post say it all. I will agree it's great for video but not for pics. And it should've had auto focus. Many people complained internally but the powers that be didn't listen. (
    data77, bhavi_jp and pipotobe like this.
    08-13-11 07:12 PM
  24. vrs626's Avatar
    I personally don't understand why people are quick to ditch a device just because of a bad camera. Personal choice, I guess. If I want better pictures, I'm taking my point-and-shoot out of my bag, or I'm toting my DSLR.

    As for battery life, I guess it will depend on how you use it. I'd say wait until more people comment. Even then, it will depend on how people use it and their expectations.
    It's because a flagship device shouldn't be going backwards in terms of features. Other manufacturers have thinner devices with slimmer cameras so it's not unreasonable to expect RIM to have included an AF camera in its 2011 flagship device.
    08-13-11 07:24 PM
  25. _StephenBB81's Avatar
    No it doesn't take good pictures for "a phone". It doesn't take as good of a picture as it's predecessor or even it's predecessor. The 9900 doesn't take pics even close to the quality of the 9700 or the 9780. Lie to yourself all you want, but each new revision is supposed to better itself in all areas, not get worse.

    @Rusett You know I love BlackBerry & don't want to argue with you but the pics in the CB blog post say it all. I will agree it's great for video but not for pics. And it should've had auto focus. Many people complained internally but the powers that be didn't listen. (
    Posed PICS I agree FULLY that an AF camera would have been better, but for "action" pics the Bolds Camera + (processor) are providing better images than that of the AF camera's on previous models

    I DO say that that can be proven to be other hardware once we see the 9810/50/60 devices. but until then I am not disappointed yet.

    lucky you have that iPhone for those posed shots
    08-13-11 07:27 PM
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