RIM BLACKBERRY BOLD 9700 (T-MOBILE) REVIEW
The original RIM BlackBerry Bold made its entry almost an year ago and its been a splendid device .Now, a device more attractive and better than the RIM BlackBerry has arrived called the “RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700”. It is the first 3G BlackBerry of the T-Mobile and has a lustrous design and improved performance. The cell phone provides UMA support for Wi-Fi calls, an updated operating system and a high speed processor.
The drawback of this Blackberry, similar to the other BlackBerry phones is the Web browser. Hence, it fails to compete with respect to functionality and convenient use. The BlackBerry is very powerful in messaging functions and is one of the best. High speed and amazing features form an integral part of this BlackBerry and is at the top list with all its features. The time of release of this BlackBerry device is not yet confirmed by the T-Mobile, but the RIM BlackBerry should be available on time for holidays with a two year warranty at a price of $199.99.
DESIGN:
The looks of RIM BlackBerry are completely different from its previous models. Its body is thin and is a compact mobile device that will attract men and women having various kinds of tastes. The RIM BlackBerry is tiny and very light as compared to the ‘BlackBerry Tour’. At the back, it adds a classy leather touch and feels very smooth. The edges made of chromium and the neat lines in between the keyboard add to the BlackBerry’s beauty. The RIM BlackBerry device has a display of 2.44 inches and its resolution of 480 x360 pixels with 245 pixels / inch makes the view neat and clear.
But, to view videos and Web pages, we definitely expect a larger screen. Other than that, the text can be comfortably read and the images look bright with radiant colors. There are some slight changes with respect to the user interface. For instance, drop-down lists are present for convenient use of the calendar to create new or edit old appointments; a spinning wheel is made available to set/reset the alarm clock etc. The home screen can be customized with various themes and background images and six shortcuts are available.
Just below the display, standard BlackBerry controls are present: aback button, the ‘Talk’ and ‘End’ keys and a shortcut to the menu. Unlike the conventional trackball navigator present in the BlackBerry Curve 8520, the RIM BlackBerry device has an optical trackpad which is more comfortable for use. The sensitivity of the trackpad can be adjusted to your choice using the Options menu. To navigate the menus, select the desired item and scroll through lists, the trackpad feels neat and soft. The RIM BlackBerry Bold has decided to utilize this trackpad in its upcoming devices.
The BlackBerry has a full 35 key keyboard. The big, comfortable buttons are most suitable to type short messages and long emails. Each key has a small elevated edge which makes typing more convenient when compared with totally flat buttons. They might seem firm to press, but it gives a nice, flexible feeling. A customizable shortcut key, a 3.5mm jack and a power connector / microUSB port are present on the left side. The camera is assigned to the right key by default and a volume rocker. At the back, camera and flash are situated, while the top consists of lock and mute buttons.
Other features in this BlackBerry include: a USB cable, an AC adapter, a wired stereo headset, a belt holster and a 2GB microSD card in the package.
FEATURES:
The RIM BlackBerry introduces the first 3G (UMTS/HSDPA 900/1700/2100) BlackBerry for T-Mobile. Similar to the RIM Blackberry Storm 2, this Blackberry relying on the operating system 5.0 version is capable of bringing advance technology in the aspects of messaging, calendar and the Web browser. The device offers quicker JaveScript and page loading is done faster by CSS processing. Bur, the device does not provide flagged browsing or enhancements in navigation tools.
Additionally, the browser allows Google Gears and BlackBerry gadgets along with streaming protocol in real time through which streaming videos can be watched from websites like the Mobile Youtube. The device is yet to compete with the iPhone, Android and Palm Pre devices though the RIM has made recent advances in its latest acquisition of Torch Mobile and by collaborating with Adobe’s Open Screen Object. Along with 3G, the Bold 9700 provides UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) and Wi-Fi support.
That is, you can make and receive any number of calls through the wireless medium without having to use the minutes of your calling plan. To avail this, you have to sign up for the T-Mobile’s Unlimited HotSpot Calling plan, starting from $10 for a month. The other nice features of the Blackberry are: a speakerphone, smart dialing, quad-band world roaming, speed dial, voice activated dialing, visual voice mail, conference calling and multimedia and text messaging with threaded view of chat.
Also, a special is included in the BlackBerry called ‘Background Noise Suppression Technology to facilitate clear audio.’ Bluetooth is available and the RIM device supports mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, serial port profile, audio source, hands-free kits, AV remote and dial-up networking. The device is also featured with GPS/A-GPS. The messaging feature is great in the device. To support Novell GroupWise, IBM Lotus Domino or Microsoft Exchange, this device can be used to synchronize with the company’s BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and sends corporate emails on time.
If you are working for businesses which use BES 5.0, you can avail advanced email functionalities with the operating system 5.0 and the Bold since you can manage emails, access the remote sharing of files, view calendar appointments and forward them. The Internet Service provided by BlackBerry helps you in accessing a total of ten business/personal IMAP4 or POP3 email accounts. Preloaded instant messaging clients are available for ICQ, Windows Live, AIM, Yahoo, BlackBerry Messenger and Google Talk.
An attachment viewer is made available to open Microsoft Excel, Word, Corel WordPerfect, PowerPoint, JPEG, GIF, PDF and lots more. To enhance the attachment viewer, the device teams up with DataViz documents to switch to the standard edition, the same way Excel, Word and Powerpoint files can be edited. If you upgrade the Premium Edition, you will be able to create new documents. Tools to manage personal information like the memo pad, calendar, calculator, task list and voice recorder are loaded beforehand.
By using the BlackBerry Application World, you can download the desired applications while utilities, games and other applications are already present in the device. The downloaded applications have to be precisely saved in the phone’s internal memory and you can check its status by choosing Settings > Options > Memory. So, its better if you store all your downloaded multimedia files on a 2GB memory card which is compatible with the device.
The media player that is inbuilt supports WMA, AAC, MP3, WMA ProPlus, eAAC+ and AAC+ files and WMV, H.264 and MPEG4 video clips. Various functions like playlist creation, shuffle and repeat and a search function, which results in a full screen for videos. Your personal library can be synchronized either through Windows Media Player or iTunes with BlackBerry Media Sync. Recently, the BlackBerry Desktop Manager supports both Mac and PC’s.
The BlackBerry device provides an enhanced camera of 3.2Mega pixels. Its special features are auto focus, flash, video recording and zoom. Standard options for editing are available with different choices of quality and sizes, color effects and white balance controls. GPS facility enables you to geotag the snaps. The quality of pictures is amazing. The images are stunning and colors do not get faded in the bright sunlight.
PERFORMANCE:
The quality of call is pretty good with the quad band used in the device. The speakerphone has a superb quality and the audio is also clear. The BlackBerry can be connected easily to the Bluetooth headsets of Logitech Mobile Traveller and the Motorola S9. Video also looks undistorted with sync audio and images. The BlackBerry device utilizes a 1500mAh lithium ion battery which can last for 6 hours and a maximum of 17 days in standby mode
The RIM BlackBerry device is far behind the major OS (Operating Systems) due to its navigation being very slow. The RIM BlackBerry device is marvelous in every sense except with minor delays while using the camera.
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RIM did a really nice job of making the smartphone smaller without sacrificing too much in usability. Plus, you get the new optical trackpad, some minor user interface enhancements, and an extra-sharp, 480×360-pixel resolution display.