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(Probably a few of these out, but I felt like writing a quick one up to share. WARNING: I jump around.)
Lets start this off with a story. I orginally didn�t want the Bold. At&t didn�t have any of their new 8900 Curves in stock, so I went ahead and bought the Bold. After a long three day wait without any phone, my Bold finally arrived at 6:30�.
I am so glad I chose the Bold over the 8900. This device is everything you could want in a phone. Be it the 3G data, Wifi, or the screen itself, this device has it all. The screen is vibrant, the keyboard is fantastic, and the build quality is superb. I guess it�s time to start moving into the �guts� of the device?
I have had a constant 3G signal wherever I go. I never thought having 3G would make a difference in the ways it has already. The speed is great, and the reliability is also there. For a quick test, I used the application called Speedtest to see how well my service was in my area:
Connection Type: Carrier
Avg. Download Speed: 137.12Kbits/s
Max. Download Speed: 328.73Kbits/s
Avg. Upload Speed: 38.88Kbits/s
Max. Upload Speed: 38.88Kbits/s
As you can see, it�s really not too shabby. For a person like me, that�s more than perfect for a mobile powerhouse like the Bold.
The screen has to be the main feature I enjoy most on my Bold. At the half VGA (480x320) resolution, colors pop out on the screen in rich detail like no other device I have seen. Videos are easy to watch, and the detail is amazing (if you have the right format, of course!). The brightness (set at 100%) is super clear, even in the sunlight. Wallpapers can define the certain look you want to achieve in such style, you just want to show it off!
The keyboard on the bold is amazing. The keys have just the right spacing and it doesn�t take too much effort to type away. They don�t click as loud as they would on a chicklet style keyboard, such as the Curve and 8900 models. I feel as if I could type out long emails with much more ease than with a Curve. Speaking of Curves, I have a comparison shot of the two right next to each other:
The Bold is obviously bigger, but the Curve feels like it was made for your hand. The keyboard is bigger on the Bold, too.
Moving on to what actually came with the device; accessories. In the box comes a leather (or pleather?) belt holster that holds the Bold in style and with safety.
Along with the holster comes a pair of high quality earbud style headphones. They have BlackBerry logos all over them, along with an inline mute/answer/end button. These fit nicely in the ear, and are great for listening to music, or taking a call.
Now for more features of the phone. The Bold comes with BlackBerry OS 4.6 (.167 in my case). As many of you know, 4.6 has a more updated feel to it coming from OS 4.5 on the Curve. The icons have a more visual appeal than that of 4.5 icons. Underneath all of the new UI upgrades still lies that dreaded (to some) settings menu which may come off as intimidating. The messaging app still looks relatively the same with some more UI enhancements that come with 4.6.
The camera on the device isn't really that much to talk about, but it isn't terrible.
Memory is next on my list. The Bold comes with 128mb of flash memory, which isn�t bad. I�m currently at 32.28mb, which will change with an OS upgrade. Still, that�s more memory than I ever had on the Curve!
The last thing I want to talk about is the battery. Now, I�ve only had the phone for a day now, so I can�t accurately judge the performance, but I will say that it�s not too bad. I�ve used Wifi a little here and there, quite a bit of web browsing, a couple phone calls, and heavy texting. After a few hours (6:30am to about 4:00pm) I was down to 37%. Now, granted I was in a low-to-no-service area in a big building, that�s not bad for me. I know the �looking for service� banner and function drains the battery quite quickly. If I wasn�t in the building, I believe I would be at or around 50-60% right now.
Over all, I love the BlackBerry Bold. I�m happy with my decision, even with a few gripes here and there. I�m sure as time goes on, this device will be more and more useful than anything I have ever used. Thanks for taking the time to read my review!
Here are a few more pictures of my current configuration: (Black Trackball from CNN.CN, and an OEM BlackBerry silicone skin from BestBuy.)
05-28-09 07:56 PM
