BlackBerry Bold 9000 Phone has always been known for one very important thing: its advanced e-mail capabilities. It was ahead of its time when it first came out, prompting other cell phone companies to create a similar smartphone. Over the years, RIM has added features and functionalities that make the BlackBerry the leader in smartphones for business users as well as regular users. The Pearl is small and stylish, while the Curve has the QWERTY keypad and numerous features. The Bold takes things to a whole other level. RIM wants to send the message that BlackBerry isn’t just a smartphone for serious business types; they want to let us know that the BlackBerry could also be fun — a multimedia function as well as a PDA.
This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band UMTS 850/1900 MHz network, and this phone is also compatible with 2100 MHz 3G networks (found in international territories). The AT&T 3G network provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services. (For use outside the United States, an AT&T international data plan is recommended.)
Looks-wise, it is a beautiful device. With an overall sleek and stylish black design with silver edges, the back of it is made of some leather-like material, making it sturdy and resistant to scratches. It is also thicker and slightly taller than the Curve, making it somewhat bulkier. The QWERTY keyboard is a bit bigger as well, which in turn makes for a rather comfortable and pleasant typing experience. Your thumbs won’t hurt from typing long emails or texts, that’s for sure. And I don’t think you’ll suffer if you have large or fat thumbs/fingers. Mine are tiny, but it won’t make a difference to you if your hands and fingers aren’t small.
The most arresting feature in the Bold is its gorgeous LCD screen. With its cinematic resolution, it is the first of its kind, and the colors, picture and sound quality truly stand out. The Bold comes with some video samples, a couple of movie trailers and whatnot, and you can appreciate the wonderful LCD display with the Speedracer trailer. In addition to its bright screen, you get a great music, video and picture menu, where you can store as much stuff as you’d wish, depending on the amount of space you get in a memory card. You can sync from both a Mac and a PC, which makes this a must-have for both platforms. (You’ll have to convert your iTunes music to MP3s though.)
As far as other features goes, it gets better and better. The menu has a neon-like quality that makes it better than previous versions of the OS. AT&T’s 3G network is fast and reliable. Where I live, I get five bars 97% of the time. It depends on where you live, but AT&T has expanded their 3G network, so chances are you’ll get a decent signal. Web browsing has much improved with the Bold. The BlackBerry has never been known for its good browsing capabilities, but RIM has remedied that. The browser here is pretty good. Like in previous versions, you navigate with the trackball, scrolling through the page, zooming in and out, pressing certain numbers on the keypad for shortcuts, etc. It’s not as good as Mobile Safari on the iPhone 3G, but it’s getting there. This also has some good applications. You get the standard ones, like YouTube, Facebook, news, weather, stock market quotes, etc., but you can download some extra ones as well. Again, and I hate to compare this to the iPhone, but the aforementioned is my current phone and so it can’t be helped, it isn’t as good as the iPhone’s app store. Then again, this is fairly new for most phones, and I’m assuming that it’ll improve with time. The video recorder is also great on this phone. The built-in GPS is a great tool. I think it’s Google Maps, but I’m not 100% sure. This phone has wifi, a must-have tool for me. Battery life is terrific — one of the most long-lasting I have ever used. You can use most of the features and still have some juice left by the end of the day. And then there’s the standard stuff, like e-mail, IM and text messaging. They are all top notch, of course, and you get the great stuff you don’t get with the iPhone, like MMS and the ability to copy and paste. If these things are very important to you, then you’ll be happy to know that these features are still available in the Bold, as they were in the Curve and other BBs, only more refined.
The one Con for this device is that there isn’t a touchscreen. Touchscreen has become a popular thing since the iPhone, and any new phone that lacks this feature seems somewhat old-fashioned, almost obsolete. But this is no big deal if you’re not a fan of touchscreens. If a touchscreen smartphone is important to you, you could always try the BB Storm for Verizon.
And so, the BlackBerry Bold is, in my opinion, the best BlackBerry on the market today. (I haven’t had the opportunity to use the Storm, which is why I can’t comment on that one.) This is the phone I’d buy if I didn’t already have (and love) the iPhone 3G. But if you’re looking to upgrade your BB or other smartphone device, and you’re with AT&T, then the Bold is the way to go. No doubt about that. RIM has created a one-of-a-kind device with the BlackBerry, and they have taken a quantum leap forward with the Bold. You won’t regret the upgrade.