1. BigNL's Avatar
    just got my 9900 today... i came from a 9800 and prior to the 9800 i had a 9000 as a backup when my 9700 broke..

    the keyboard is soooo much better, no longer are you digging your thumb nails into the keys... the glass battery cover looks cool but i think ergonomically the rubberized battery cover on the 9800 was a lot more comfortable when holding the phone.. this thing is FAAAST! i find myself just scrolling through the screen just admiring how smooth it runs.. i do miss the size of the 9800 screen but the higher res & dpi make up for it..

    the EDOF camera.... although there are advantages to it say goodbye to macro shots... text on page, small items on a table.. anything close-up will not be in focus.. you can use the digital zoom and hold the camera further but that degrades the image quality.. no more cool artistic up-close shots... i'm willing to give this all up though because the HD 720p video is SO worth it... all those HD youtube videos with the "uploaded by an andriod phone" finally have some competition..

    the speaker.... i don't know about you guys but since the bold 9000 sound quality of the loud speaker went downhill... this phone is a prime example.. the audio is loud and crisp but at times (especially with the phone on a hard surface) the highs on some songs/ringtones will distort and if you're an audiophile it will make you cringe a little.. my 9800 nor my 9700 ever distorted @ high volumes but i think it has something to do with the glass battery cover than it does with the speaker itself.. if any of you ever heard music play out of a 9000's dual speaker it's glorious... much louder than the 9800 speaker though

    i use my phone A LOT in my car as an mp3 player and i find the volume keys take a little longer to switch songs now when you hold the button otherwise it just changes the volume which can get annoying when you're driving.. no big deal... i also noticed that bedside mode won't stay on in the media player with a charger plugged in anymore.. hopefully a newer os build will fix this

    the browser... i won't be asking for my girls iphone 3gs from now on whenever i need to check full size sites... i'm now confident in web browsing any site... one problem though, sites that require a login i find if you make a mistake the delete key won't delete keys it will just scroll back... VERY annoying and i can't figure out why this is happening (even with .317 leak) - i'm on bell (payed 169 for the upgrade) and for some reason my bell.blackberry.net email won't work on the phone anymore.. the icon is there but in email setup the account is nowhere to be found to authorize.. i'm kinda pissed at that because i had all my login passwords saved in emails on that account..

    can't say too much about battery life since i've only had the phone for a half a day but man the battery is THIN!

    also my 9900 didn't come with app world 3.0, i had to grab it off the beta... and there are no signs of this roller coaster 3d game... i feel like i should have waited a little before getting the phone (i was pretty content with the 9800) but the speed and the 720p camera is enough to keep me satisfied.. even if i am broke till next pay
    Great review... Very toight! Getting more and more stoked for this phone.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-12-11 09:56 PM
  2. mhw100's Avatar
    For all the reasons provided I couldn't be happier as compared to the Torch. Sure the big screen was nice but the resolution was poor and the keyboard took up the entire screen when typing. If you want a communicator over a media device I would recommend the 9900. If you want a media device get an android or iphone.
    08-12-11 10:03 PM
  3. Masahiro's Avatar
    Oh shoot. Where to start... I'll try to keep my points brief, as I don't intend on this being a full review of the 9900. These are just the key differences I've noticed between the two models.

    Keyboard: This is the main reason why I switched. This keyboard is just so much better than the Torch. The keys are easier to press than the stiff Torch keys, without being too easy to press (if that makes sense). They're a lot larger and less likely to cause you to make typos.

    Screen: Obviously the screen is a lot better in terms of the resolution and colour depth, so let's talk about the size advantage of the Torch. While it's true that you get a larger screen with the 9800, I find that the landscape screen is more to my liking. I grew tired of having to flip my phone whenever I wanted to watch a video, and got really annoyed with the accelerometer when I was using my phone lying sideways in bed. I almost felt tempted to open up my 9800 and break the accelerometer, except I'd spill mercury everywhere, which doesn't taste good.
    To be frank, when I first go the 9900 and sent my 9800 in for repairs, I really did not notice the fact that the screen was smaller. I instantly felt at home with the horizontal screen, perhaps due to my experience with the 8900.

    Processor: Yeah, the Torch was slow and sluggish. The Bold is just faster in every regard. The only time the clock comes up is while installing apps, or using Google Maps which has always been slow and clunky. I've yet to run into a page that was too large to load, or having to close some tabs because of low memory.

    Browser: It's a great improvement. Websites don't hang at "requesting" anymore, like my Torch did quite often. Of course, it helps that the bar at the bottom that displayed all that info is gone now, so all you can see is a thinner bar at the top with no information. Oh well.

    Camera: This is a bit of a hot button topic around here, and I'm afraid of even mentioning it as I'm concerned the thread will derail from this point. I'll just say that the Torch had great shot quality and was obviously better at taking close-ups. With that said, while the 9900 may not have the same quality, taking shots is a lot easier overall. Plenty of times, the shots taken with my 9800 come out blurry due to any small amount of movement. Even close-ups were a little tricky, as moving even just a little bit will blur the entire picture to the point of illegibility.
    In short, the Torch takes better quality photos, especially for close-ups. The Bold is easier to take pictures with, and it's really not that bad for close-ups if you use the zoom.

    HSPA+: Honestly, I don't notice that big of a difference. Websites obviously load faster, but that's also due to better coding and a faster processor. I went all day with EDGE on to test battery life, and it's really not that bad. Speaking of that...

    Battery: It improves by the day for the 9900. It was pretty dreadful when I first got it, but it appears to have stabilized over the last few days. At this point, I'm sitting at a discharge rate of 3.8% an hour, but that's with EDGE. After a period of 12 hours, I'm sitting at around 55%. With HSPA+ enabled, I was going at around 5.8% an hour yesterday. In comparison to the Torch, I think I remember averaging around a 4.5% hourly drain. I'm really not sure what to make of the battery life at this point.

    Lock Button: The last point I'd like to make is on that damn lock/mute button on the Torch. It was ridiculously easy to press, and I'm disappointed that it wasn't redesigned on the 9810, along with the mute button. Bending over with the phone in my pants would pause my music a lot of the time, which got really annoying. I also had to download a custom lock app just so I wouldn't keep unlocking my phone in my pocket while I'm simply walking.
    The 9900 rectified this issue by having a stiffer lock button that's flush with the bezel, making it a lot harder to accidentally press. The mute button was also moved to the side of the phone in between the two volume rocker buttons.
    The only downside with the 9900 in terms of the hardware buttons is that the convenience key is a little harder to press on the wider body.

    That just about covers the main differences I felt between the 9800 and 9900 this far (again, this is not meant to be taken as a complete phone review). I'll probably think of more things as time goes on, especially when I get my 9800 back.
    Last edited by Masahiro; 08-12-11 at 11:29 PM.
    joewoo and Dafunkhead like this.
    08-12-11 11:26 PM
  4. Frosty_Power's Avatar
    Look forward to hearing what you think of the 9900 Frosty.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    I've had it for a couple hours now and loving it! Even though the screen is smaller, it actually seems bigger to me. I guess being wider, it just feels right and not missing my torch at all. This thing is blazing fast too and the keyboard is really a dream to type on as most have posted. Best BB I've had so far, and I've had a ton of them. Slim and lightweight and comes with a nice holster too so you don't have to fork out more cash for it, since I had to pay $550+tax for it(non-contract). If your looking for an upgrade(even though I was so happy with the Torch, and still would be if I this thing didn't come out), I do not think you will be disappointed. The feel and look of it is truly what a BB should be. I have yet to test battery life on daily usage but that's another thread! I say, go for it! Time to change my sig! I'll post a more detailed review of this in a couple days once the excitement comes down and put it though it's daily routine.
    Last edited by Frosty_Power; 08-13-11 at 12:16 AM.
    08-13-11 12:11 AM
  5. Shadrackc's Avatar
    I went in today to pick up the Torch 9810 and my buddy who works at future shop tells me that I have to try the Bold 9900. He is an iphone user and is going to switch. I had no interest in the bold. None. Held it. Tried the keyboard. Changed my mind. 10 hours later, no regrets at all.
    Couple of strange issues though.
    My first Bold 9900 had some issues. On the software front I used BB Desktop to transfer everything from my torch to the bold. Big mistake. App world wouldn't work, just sat and spun when you tried to do anything.
    Then if you were close to the pad, the screen would scroll. Like it was picking up movement from the shadow of my thumb and moving the cursor. Also, the top edge of the sensor was almost lifted up a slight bit and I could feel the top edge where the other three were flush.
    I had read a few others had this issue so I took the phone back and swapped for another one.
    No problems and I waited this time before transferring anything and didn't use BB Desktop to transfer info, just did a backup of my torch and then selectively brought over contacts.
    There were a lot of my apps that were causing issues. I don't know specifically which ones as I went clean and noticed that this time the bold asked me for my blackberry ID where as it didn't do that when I transferred all my data right away. Now app world works properly, as does everything else.
    One weird quirk is that once the back button was bringing up the running applications. Strangest thing. Finally powered off with the top button and then when I powered it up again things were fine, hasn't happened since.
    This phone just feels so much more professional. I was also noticing the Torch slider getting a little loose.
    I also hated typing on the torch keyboard as I felt that you were obstructed by the bottom edge that sticks up. I love this keyboard. My monitors are all landscape, as are my cameras, televisions, etc.
    Just seems more natural to have a phone in landscape without turning it to the side.
    This is my 3rd blackberry, storm 2 (I loved the click screen of the storm 2!) the torch, and now the bold. This is my favorite by far.
    08-13-11 12:41 AM
  6. buwee's Avatar
    I did the switch on launch day and have to admit at first I was a little skeptical because of the smaller screen but after playing around with it for a couple of hours I decided to buy it (I had the luxury of being able to try one out at home for a couple of days). The reasons I decided to buy were: MUCH MUCH better keyboard, fast & smooth internet browsing, really nice and sharp screen and the stainless steel band around the phone adds some class to the look of it. The screen is not actually that much smaller than he Torch and I figure if I want to do any serious browsing I would use my Playbook so all in all I don't miss the slightly bigger screen any longer and was really glad I switched because the Torch now feels like a slug compared to the Bold.

    I should also add the fact that the Bold is so much faster on the internet you can zoom in and out without lag makes up for the smaller screen (I just found zooming in and out on the Torch in most cases was pretty painful because it was so laggy)
    Last edited by buwee; 08-13-11 at 04:06 AM.
    08-13-11 03:57 AM
  7. SaMaster14's Avatar
    Any comments on the Bold 99XX vs. the Torch 9850/60? Is the screen size on the new Bold really big enough to have a useful touchscreen and browse comfortably, etc?
    08-13-11 04:07 AM
  8. Masahiro's Avatar
    Any comments on the Bold 99XX vs. the Torch 9850/60? Is the screen size on the new Bold really big enough to have a useful touchscreen and browse comfortably, etc?
    In terms of browsing, what the 9900 might lack in screen real estate, it more than makes up for with keyboard shortcuts. There's nothing more convenient than being able to instantly scroll to the top or bottom of the page by pressing "T" and "B" respectively. There's also the ability to go to the tab switched by pressing "W" instead of reaching into the top right corner of the screen.
    SaMaster14 likes this.
    08-13-11 04:13 AM
  9. buwee's Avatar
    Any comments on the Bold 99XX vs. the Torch 9850/60? Is the screen size on the new Bold really big enough to have a useful touchscreen and browse comfortably, etc?
    There will definitely be some getting use to, but after a couple of hours it's actually quite comfortable. The touchscreen with the trackpad makes this unit a breeze to navigate. I decided not to wait for the 9850/9860 because from the pics and videos that I have seen the phone looks like another iphone wannabe (to me unlike the iphone4 it looks kind of cheap and plasticky,almost like every Android phone and the fact that it doesn't have a physical keyboard. I really like the way the Bold 9900 looks - imo it has a unique identity because there is not another phone that looks like it other than the 9000 LOL
    SaMaster14 likes this.
    08-13-11 04:16 AM
  10. SaMaster14's Avatar
    One thing I like about my current bold is the keyboard. the screen is just too small (9650 was a stop-gap between my Storm2 which failed me and either the 9930 or 9850). So... I guess I'm just going to have to try out the phone in person and see if the screen is big enough for me.
    08-13-11 04:31 AM
  11. buwee's Avatar
    Coming from a Torch 9800 I first purchased the 9900, then just purchased the 9810
    The following are my observations based on having both devices to compare

    The 9900's best feature is the keyboard, it by far has the best keyboard, the screen is nice, crisp & vibrant, very fluid navigation throughout the phone and the web, nice touch with the ss band around it BUT because I used the Torch 9800 for almost a year I just could not get used to the smaller screen (scrolling way more than on the torch) so I reluctantly bought a Torch 9810 (Originally, I did not want to spend $600.00 for a phone that looked almost exactly like my old phone) and I'm really glad I did because the 9810 is like a night and day difference to the old 9800. It is just as fast and fluid as the 9900, to the naked eye the screen is just as sharp & vibrant as the 9900. I feel the user experience far out weighs the looks and the new phone feeling of the Bold 9900. I still love the Bold though and am struggling to decide if I should sell it on CL or just hang on to it to use as a spare phone or just to look at it once in a while. LOL
    08-31-11 08:08 PM
  12. footmatix's Avatar
    Coming from a Torch 9800 I first purchased the 9900, then just purchased the 9810
    The following are my observations based on having both devices to compare

    The 9900's best feature is the keyboard, it by far has the best keyboard, the screen is nice, crisp & vibrant, very fluid navigation throughout the phone and .....................e feeling of the Bold 9900. I still love the Bold though and am struggling to decide if I should sell it on CL or just hang on to it to use as a spare phone or just to look at it once in a while. LOL
    Agree with most here. I just can't get used to the thickness of the Torch. Seems like it belonged in 2007. Again, solid performer and love the larger screen factor with the option of sliding out a QWERTY when you need it.....but mamma mia, too thick.....I'm in love with the 9900 sleekness.
    Cheers,
    08-31-11 10:15 PM
  13. Robo3's Avatar
    Does the new bold have the no pad on the touch screen for dialing like the Torch does?
    08-31-11 10:31 PM
  14. danhnguyen1511's Avatar
    I'm currently debating whether to get rid of my torch for the 9900 or not. I've read the reviews and it sounds awesome, but I'd really like to know how crackberry users (people I respect greatly) are feeling about the 9900 please. Do you miss the larger screen at all? Does the processor make a huge difference? Keyboard? Anything else... Thanks!

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    The Bold 9900 is a great device, the best ever as in my opinion because of the feel of the keyboard, how fast and snappy the touch screen is. Moreover, it looks so sleek and elegant in your hands. You should give a shot and you will love it.
    08-31-11 10:45 PM
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