RIM's BlackBerry Bold gets previewed

RIM's hotly-anticipated BlackBerry Bold has only been received by a select few, but the fortunate folks over at Howard Chui managed to snag a pre-production unit and give it a good lookin' at. Aside from showering us with a plethora of snapshots from a variety of angles, we're also told that the plastic used "feels a little cheaper" than that on the 8800, outgoing sound quality "is terrific," incoming sound quality could use some work and reception seemed much improved from the 8800. We know, it's not a full-blown review or anything, but it's still apt to whet your appetite until the real deal shows up en masse.

[ttt @ May 21st 2008 1:11PM]

first

[BigDaddyM @ May 21st 2008 1:21PM]

So?

[Jaws @ May 21st 2008 1:18PM]

and you added oh so much to the conversation too... *sigh*

[Flashpoint @ May 21st 2008 1:21PM]

Looks fantastic. I just hope its basic operating system and functions are equal too or better than the 7290.

[Lelouch Lamperouge @ May 21st 2008 1:23PM]

Se parece al iPhone :P

[gonzo66 @ May 21st 2008 2:08PM]

estas loco?

[riggs @ May 21st 2008 2:20PM]

i dont think sarcasm translates well in spanish

[aalexand @ May 21st 2008 1:47PM]

I saw a rim employee using one of these on the bus while on my way to school yesterday... they look pretty cool.

[Steffen Jobbs @ May 21st 2008 4:05PM]

How do you know he was a RIM employee? Maybe he was one of the fortunate folks from Howard Chui that you saw.

[aalexand @ May 21st 2008 4:14PM]

Well... through the wonders of deduction I arrived at the aforementioned statement based on the following truisms... RIM is based in Waterloo, Ontario where I happen to go to university, the letters on his jacket spelled RIM, and he got off the bus directly in front of one of the RIM buildings.

[Brian @ May 21st 2008 2:01PM]

Nice device - I really like that blue background on the screen there.

[Lelouch Lamperouge @ May 21st 2008 2:23PM]

Esta bonito el telefono, pero el sistema no me convence :S

[Brian @ May 22nd 2008 4:18PM]

y to tambien...

[Sukhminder @ May 21st 2008 2:27PM]

"3.5mm stereo jack (standard size so you can use your iPod’s headphones)"... That statement is just wrong.

[Phoenix @ May 21st 2008 3:35PM]

It's an insult to... everything. EVER

[fourthletter @ May 21st 2008 2:38PM]

*Cue 200 posts from the fan police about how it isn't an iPhone *YAWN*

[alansky @ May 21st 2008 2:56PM]

And what exactly is so "bold" about the new Blackberry besides the name? This is not a flame, but an honest question. To me, it looks pretty much like every other Blackberry. What makes it so "hotly anticipated"?

[Jon @ May 21st 2008 3:07PM]

Wondering the same thing myself...

I'm sure it's great, but what makes it better than the previous BB devices? It looks the same to my untrained eyes.
I think I saw somewhere that it uses Opera 9.5 and that the new browser is great, but can't any cell phone use Opera?

[generally @ May 21st 2008 4:10PM]

The main differences are in its media and web browsing capabilities when compared to previous BlackBerries. And as for Bold, well, that's marketing for ya. As in, I have no idea.

[Jubei @ May 21st 2008 7:20PM]

There is nothing "Bold" nor groundbreaking with the device. Perhaps its exactly as many have surmised as simply marketing speak. More likely, its a hint that RIM was Bold enough to copy Apple?

[cantdrive55 @ May 21st 2008 3:23PM]

does the screen look WAY smaller than the current 8800 series to anyone else???

[ascian @ May 21st 2008 5:22PM]

looks like the iphone and blackjack had a baby

[technophobe @ May 22nd 2008 2:46AM]

I have one in my hand now (I've had it for a week to shoot for a client).
It's iPhone like, alright, and if the iPhone didn't exist, we'd be pretty impressed with it...

[Ende @ May 22nd 2008 5:27AM]

Looks pretty nice to me..