1. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    Another reason i'm glad I reordered the parts is that I originally got them from sw-box which was great to order from. Took maybe 1.5 weeks from Hong Kong(I think?) which is speedy and it was exactly what I ordered. The bezel is the flat black which matches very nicely with the sides and back of the phone. But your bezel looks like it has some shine to it and I actually like that more. The bottom carrier piece was a flat black as well and I would have rather used the ATT logo because the flat black just looked awkward on the front with the top, screen, keypad, trackpad and everything looking shiny to be complimented by a flat color at the base.
    I ordered my parts from TrueSupplier. I got the Glossy black parts. I thought about the matte black parts since the bottom and middle plate are matte black, but chose instead the glossy as the front of the phone (keys/buttons) are all glossy as well as the screen. I think it goes well with the phone.
    12-29-09 01:19 PM
  2. jaanu2k's Avatar
    that looks hot mate, reaall hot
    12-29-09 01:23 PM
  3. Davidg.'s Avatar
    looks pretty pimp. *thumbs up*

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    12-29-09 02:20 PM
  4. Bettermost's Avatar
    Looks Great. Makes the handset look very sleek.
    12-29-09 02:27 PM
  5. JacobEdgerton's Avatar
    That's gorgeous! My new Bold 9700 arrives tomorrow and I am so excited! I think I might order this mod, it's just too nice.
    12-29-09 02:31 PM
  6. meilton's Avatar
    I used the original OEM top piece. I used precision tweezers on the plastic [prongs] holding it on and applied pressure to the parts that were glued. Mine came off without a hitch. Then I carefully reattached to the new bezel and used the tweezers to bend back the prongs and it came out flush.
    Looks tight. I assume the prongs are made of plastic too (since they can be melted). However, if you choose to bend them down, are they not susceptible to breaking off?
    12-29-09 02:47 PM
  7. Heifzilla's Avatar
    Looks great
    12-29-09 02:47 PM
  8. MattSpartans20's Avatar
    It's very hard to explain in plain text. I have been modding Berries for years so things that the average user might find annoying or difficult just doesn't seem to bother me.

    No, I didn't have to glue it to the new bezel. I would never use glue on a Berry. Glue makes everything harder; harder to take back off, harder to put back on. I have seen some people talk about gluing pieces back on and I laughed at them for doing so.

    When you take it apart you will see the [prongs] that have been 'pushed' down to hold the top piece in place. Again; I used tweezers to 'straighten' those out and remove the piece, then reattached and 'pushed' those prong pieces back down. Fits perfect like OEM.
    the prongs were actually melted on mine when i removed it and there was some glue holding the top cover in place as well, so when i reinstalled mine i used a little crazy glue and it worked out perfectly
    12-29-09 02:48 PM
  9. Heifzilla's Avatar
    Yes, there is a small white warranty sticker under the bottom plate just below the [ALT] key, but if careful; you can remove it with precision tweezers and then reapply it afterward as I did.
    I had precision tweezers and tried to remove mine in one piece but it broke apart into a bunch of little pieces as I started to work it off the screw. Oh well.
    12-29-09 02:50 PM
  10. knowledge_6's Avatar
    Here is an illustration to maybe help:


    Small plastic [prongs] on the OEM or aftermarket top cover go through here as 'guides', then the [prongs] can be bent down or you can 'melt' the very tip of them with a heat gun. I would strongly caution AGAINST glue as it would prevent future mods without damage.

    Sorry about the mouse pointer in the pic. My demo skills need some sharpening.
    thanks for the pics ; >
    12-29-09 02:51 PM
  11. MattSpartans20's Avatar
    i added to this photo in blue circles where my OEM top cover was glued to the bezel as well as all 8 tabs were melted flat as well, this is how it was done from the factory and was a pain to remove
    12-29-09 02:53 PM
  12. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    Looks tight. I assume the prongs are made of plastic too (since they can be melted). However, if you choose to bend them down, are they not susceptible to breaking off?
    I used an epoxy compound that can be removed with isopropyl alcohol. It's Hardman Green 04004 epoxy.
    12-29-09 02:54 PM
  13. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    i added to this photo in blue circles where my OEM top cover was glued to the bezel as well as all 8 tabs were melted flat as well, this is how it was done from the factory and was a pain to remove
    Yes, the factory used a hot pen to melt the very tips of the 'prongs' that slide through the guide holes illustrated in the pic.
    12-29-09 02:57 PM
  14. MattSpartans20's Avatar
    I had precision tweezers and tried to remove mine in one piece but it broke apart into a bunch of little pieces as I started to work it off the screw. Oh well.
    mine already had a little crack down the middle of the white circle, i tried very hard to get it off but it just started to crumble, it wasnt even like a sticker it was more like a very thin layer of plaster. that just crumbles if you try anything, i figure if something goes wrong with the hardware i can probably fix it myself and if something software goes wrong i now know how to do a full wipe and start from scratch if needed
    12-29-09 02:59 PM
  15. Heifzilla's Avatar
    People should follow your lead when taking pics of their device: A) wipe the damn thing off for crying out loud... B) Photos taken close up should be clear and not blurry and finally C decent lighting. I don't know how many pics I've seen where all of these said rules were broken.
    I took pictures of my 9700 yesterday to show off my pink housing, and it was a royal pain in the rear to get decent pictures, so I ended up taking around 50 pictures and only got a few that I thought were remotely decent to post. Either the flash washed things out, or the pic was blurry, or the flash bounced off the screen...

    As for fingerprints, I tried not to have many of those but I didn't even see some of them until after I took the pics, and once had some decent ones, I was too annoyed to take anymore

    It's not as easy as you'd think to get good pictures, though I do agree with you. I was really surprised at how crappy so many of my pics turned out. I am a pretty good nature/macro photographer but this little phone had me me pretty aggravated.
    12-29-09 03:00 PM
  16. MattSpartans20's Avatar
    Yes, the factory used a hot pen to melt the very tips of the 'prongs' that slide through the guide holes illustrated in the pic.
    yeah they were all very perfectly done, but there was also glue attaching the sections where i put the blue circles
    12-29-09 03:00 PM
  17. MattSpartans20's Avatar
    I took pictures of my 9700 yesterday to show off my pink housing, and it was a royal pain in the rear to get decent pictures, so I ended up taking around 50 pictures and only got a few that I thought were remotely decent to post. Either the flash washed things out, or the pic was blurry, or the flash bounced off the screen...

    As for fingerprints, I tried not to have many of those but I didn't even see some of them until after I took the pics, and once had some decent ones, I was too annoyed to take anymore

    It's not as easy as you'd think to get good pictures, though I do agree with you. I was really surprised at how crappy so many of my pics turned out. I am a pretty good nature/macro photographer but this little phone had me me pretty aggravated.

    take pictures outside, natural light is the best way to take pictures
    12-29-09 03:02 PM
  18. meilton's Avatar
    I used an epoxy compound that can be removed with isopropyl alcohol. It's Hardman Green 04004 epoxy.
    So you bend them down, then apply epoxy also? Where did you get it from?
    12-29-09 03:07 PM
  19. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    So you bend them down, then apply epoxy also? Where did you get it from?
    I didn't bend them down. I was suggesting what others might consider. I have no idea where I got it from, I've had it for years. Just Google it.

    From the factory, they melt down the tips of the prongs. I used my tweezers to remove the melted tips. When I reinstalled the OEM top piece I used the epoxy instead of remelting or bending. But not everyone has the same tools as the next so I suggested a common solution.
    12-29-09 03:17 PM
  20. doxa sub750T's Avatar
    Awesome work 3C and many thanks for sharing your finished great quality work photos and tips how to do it.

    Cheers
    12-29-09 04:04 PM
  21. curve247's Avatar
    Awesome work. And thanks for walking everybody through it and all the questions!

    Keep up the good work.
    12-29-09 05:06 PM
  22. Ronin_81's Avatar
    I'm confused a little, does that mean I have to do all that removal of the top cover with pins and melting stuff if I order this Blackberry Bold 9700 9020 Onyx bezel faceplate cover W/ bottom cover+Top cover (Glossy black) :: 9700/9020 Onyx :: Blackberry :: Housing/Faceplate :: Truesupplier - Blackberry Accessories & PDA Accessories wholesale Co.
    Or can I just take out the bottom screws and separate the sides and take it off and put the new one on?
    12-29-09 05:21 PM
  23. 3CISSBB's Avatar
    I'm confused a little, does that mean I have to do all that removal of the top cover with pins and melting stuff if I order this Blackberry Bold 9700 9020 Onyx bezel faceplate cover W/ bottom cover+Top cover (Glossy black) *::*9700/9020 Onyx*::*Blackberry*::*Housing/Faceplate*::*Truesupplier - Blackberry Accessories & PDA Accessories wholesale Co.
    Or can I just take out the bottom screws and separate the sides and take it off and put the new one on?
    How would we know? No-one has ordered that one. Why don't you be the first to tell us.
    12-29-09 05:51 PM
  24. Ronin_81's Avatar
    That's what I was trying to clarify, I was wondering why I would need to do all that stuff if I ordered that part because I thought that was what you ordered. I guess I'll give it a whirl.
    12-29-09 06:01 PM
  25. mandeepkavita's Avatar
    ^^ Can I recommend a STICKY on this thread?

    Judging by the GREAT pics, step by step instructions, quick replies by OP and excellent feedback...

    NICE WORK
    12-29-09 06:11 PM
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