If you've never had a need to capture subjects in fine detail ( standard close-up ) and are satisfied with the low end of average, medium and long range picture quality this phone would work for sure.
If you are like me and love the BB U.I. and different than me ( didn't even need or want a camera ) the 99xx would be a no-brainer.
A large segment of the community who actually uses their phone as another tool ( actually a smartphone is multiple tools ) "at work" simply will not tolerate a smartphone that can't take a functional picture of those things related to work.
If I didn't need to take as many pictures as I did I would grab a 9930 without even thinking about it. In the end it's your path and you must choose. Just realize that the blackberry 99xx, as far as the camera is concerned, is in the Jurassic Period compared to the iphone / Droid and about any other smartphone. As I've said in other places this issue isn't about RIM not keeping up with the other guys making smartphones - the camera in the 9900 and 9930 isn't even the quality of cameras RIM was putting into their 2 year old PLUS phones.
I've been reading those same threads and I've noticed more positive comments from established members of the forum than I have negative - also, while there is UNANIMOUS agreement within the actual third party reviews that the camera is so much bloatware ( junk ) I've heard no negative comments as to the battery life.
If RIM was willing to keep that part of their device the same you can be sure the BB sips power instead of gulping it down and the 9900, as far as battery life goes, should blow out of the water anything else out there.
Yeah, I agree with you that RIMS QWERTY is second to none and the same goes for their BBM - that's one **** of a solid way to quickly communicate with people from all over the world - a poster here on crackberry from the U.A.E. was kind enough to show me the ropes on this feature I had not even used. That's what happens when you are about the only one at work left on a blackberry and ALL your friends drank either the apple or droid juice LOL!
If you don't care about a camera I would jump on the new Bold in an instant...
...In fact I'm still hoping that RIM can come up with a software fix that can at least bring the picture quality for close up to the functional level - I would bust a move if that happened.
Good luck.