[robertrulez]

I'm kind of scared to get this because the faux chrome plastic trim is peeling off severely on my 9650, will this be a problem on the new bold?

[Masahiro]

The band is stainless steel, so probably not.

[greggebhardt]

The 9900 is unlike ANY Blackberry you have seen in the past.

[Cheetablaze]

Buy a snap on hard plastic case if you want. It will help you get more life out of it... Me? I'm probably gonna get an otter box and pass the phone down to my family as a treasured heirloom lol

[jenks5150]

The metal band around the device is real stainless steel. They're rather proud of that so I'm surprised you haven't heard; durability won't be an issue.

[ibcop]

OP, have you not read any reviews on the 9900/9930? Not bashing you, just asking. Viewed any pictures? This beast is awesome!

[vtrieu]

I'm kind of scared to get this because the faux chrome plastic trim is peeling off severely on my 9650, will this be a problem on the new bold?

No worries, my friend. This Bold will be a premium device.

[DawgMan]

Embrace it.

I'm kind of scared to get this because the faux chrome plastic trim is peeling off severely on my 9650, will this be a problem on the new bold?

[anon(98566)]

The 9900 is unlike ANY Blackberry you have seen in the past.

Oh come on. I like BB's as much as the next guy, but you can't honestly say it's not like any other BB. It says BB, it's made by RIM, and has the same basic keyboard, trackpad, action buttons (Talk, BB Menu, Back, End), form factor, layout, etc as a dozen other Blackberries.

It is quite improved, I'm sure. I plan on using my fiance's upgrade to get one near launch. But it is still a lot like many other Blackberries.

[dasDestruktion]

Oh come on. I like BB's as much as the next guy, but you can't honestly say it's not like any other BB. It says BB, it's made by RIM, and has the same basic keyboard, trackpad, action buttons (Talk, BB Menu, Back, End), form factor, layout, etc as a dozen other Blackberries.

It is quite improved, I'm sure. I plan on using my fiance's upgrade to get one near launch. But it is still a lot like many other Blackberries.

The 9900/9930 is a lot like other BlackBerries in all of the ways you mention. Correct. This post, however, and even its title, refer to the build quality of the new device--specifically its bezel. The design of the 9900/9930 in terms of the stainless bezel, its much thinner form, etc. are in fact nothing we have seen before in a BlackBerry. We haven't seen a touch screen in any device like these either yet, have we?! How about almost doubling the processor? Be nice.

[greggebhardt]

Oh come on. I like BB's as much as the next guy, but you can't honestly say it's not like any other BB. It says BB, it's made by RIM, and has the same basic keyboard, trackpad, action buttons (Talk, BB Menu, Back, End), form factor, layout, etc as a dozen other Blackberries.

It is quite improved, I'm sure. I plan on using my fiance's upgrade to get one near launch. But it is still a lot like many other Blackberries.

The build quality and CPU set it apart from all my previous RIM devices. It is great how you can make these judgements and have never seen one much less held one.

[Pearl9100]

I hope they go back to building quality devices that are durable.

[anon(98566)]

The build quality and CPU set it apart from all my previous RIM devices. It is great how you can make these judgements and have never seen one much less held one.

I did not make a single judgement, only a visual comparison, which seems reasonable, since there are plenty of photos out.

Like I said, it looks like a great phone, and I'll probably end up with one soon after they are released.

But to make a statement like 'The 9900 is unlike ANY Blackberry you have seen in the past', especially with ANY in all caps, was simply a poor choice of words. Perhaps something like "this is the best Bold so far" or "a whole new generation in the Bold family" would be more appropriate.

In recent years, about the only BB that could be described as like nothing before was the Torch, and maybe the Style. We had seen no BB sliders, and no BB flips with full keyboard.

The point is, this is just another Bold. It'll be great, it'll be fast, and be touch screen. And I want one. But it is what it is; a Bold. And yes, we've seen Bolds before - many of them.

[sleepngbear]

I did not make a single judgement, only a visual comparison, which seems reasonable, since there are plenty of photos out.

Like I said, it looks like a great phone, and I'll probably end up with one soon after they are released.

But to make a statement like 'The 9900 is unlike ANY Blackberry you have seen in the past', especially with ANY in all caps, was simply a poor choice of words. Perhaps something like "this is the best Bold so far" or "a whole new generation in the Bold family" would be more appropriate.

In recent years, about the only BB that could be described as like nothing before was the Torch, and maybe the Style. We had seen no BB sliders, and no BB flips with full keyboard.

The point is, this is just another Bold. It'll be great, it'll be fast, and be touch screen. And I want one. But it is what it is; a Bold. And yes, we've seen Bolds before - many of them.

It may be another candybar form-factor phone, and it runs an updated version BB OS. But we're hearing this information from people who have hands-on experience, and everything I've seen of it so far suggests they're all pretty much blown away by it. I don't recall any other BlackBerry that garnered that kind of reaction from real people outside of the BB corporate realm. With all these guys are saying it's unlike ANY other, I'm inclined to think there's something to it. The only complaints I've seen are from people who have yet to actually touch one.

But I think the OP's question in general is garbage ... aside from security and messaging, durability is probably the next of BB's strong points. Every one I've owned has been built like a brick, including the Torch. I see no reason to suspect the next flagship phone would be any different.