Blackberry Bold hands-on
By Joshua Fruhlinger 
posted Jun 25th 2008 9:43PM
posted Jun 25th 2008 9:43PM
We had a chance to play with Research In Motion's upcoming BlackBerry Bold handset tonight, and we came away happily impressed. To start things off, the keyboard felt easy enough to use, at least easier than the 8830 we're often forced to use for work email. Gone are the sharp protrusions, replaced with a nice flat surface upon which to click.
Of note was the Bold's user interface. Menus are clean and easy to read (despite some strange icon choices, see below), and response time is about as quick as one could hope, especially compared to other phones out there that seem to struggle with their operating systems.
The unit's HSDPA radio was turned on, and web browsing was quick and nimble, bringing up a mobile version of Engadget in no time. Pocket applications of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint were on display, and combined with the bright screen and UI response time, actually felt like something a business mack could use.
On the down side, icon choices were questionable and too similar -- we found it difficult to just eyeball the images to find what we wanted and instead looked to the spelled-out helper text. To be fair, it's more than likely possible to choose another icon theme to alleviate that issue. In addition, video playback was underwhelming, but we've probably been spoiled by the bigger screens of other recent handsets. Similarly, camera functionality was passable at best. We didn't get a chance to check out sound quality, but we were told there have been major improvements in that area. We'll just have to wait and see.
All in all, we don't see why RIM won't continue to dominate the khaki crowd, with its full QWERTY keyboard and no-nonsense design.
Mr. Blurrycam strikes again!
If you think these pics are blurry you should seriously look into get a new subscription for your contacts and/or glasses.
No, this time is was Mr. Noisycam...
I've seen some YouTube videos on it. It looks pretty good but I'm going to get an iPhone because:
1. Most of my songs are bought from iTunes so they have a DRM which means they can only work on iPods (or iPhones)
2. I'm 15, not 39 in a business.
3. The web browser is much better on the iPhone.
4. The iPhone is much more user-friendly than the Blackberries or any other SmartPhone in that case.
iPhone's lack of shockwave limits number sites iphone can view.
@Roach
I think you mean Flash...
good answers grull27...
Too bad you fell for that cheap model and bought DRM'd music. Now you're stuck with Apple products.
I'm not saying Apple products are bad or anything (I'm writing this on my MBP) but now you can't buy anything else than an iPod if you don't want to lose your music, even if something else would appeal to you in the future.
1) Get rid of the DRM and just be honest in the way you use it (dont hand them off to friends).
2) Makes sense. At your age, you dont really need the phone for working.
3) As of today (and if Apple has anything to say about it, forever), it will be the only browser you can use. At least with a BB, there is the potential that you can get a better browser since BB doesnt care, but Apple does. You dont have to wait for Apple to "not" include Flash.
4) Matter of preference. But if its your preference, then the iPhone is for you.
I would pick BB/WM over the iPhone since, just like Windows, i can have more control over it (less so with the BB, but still substantially more than an un-jailbroken iPhone).
But in the end, people who want a BB buy it for a particular purpose. Same goes for the iPhone. This Bold does not intrude on iPhones territory (generic multifunction phone), so you have to be a certain kind of person to buy either phone.
I've always wanted to know how to take off the DRM from my songs. Anybody know?
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=remove+drm+from+itunes&btnG=Google+Search
Good luck!
Grul,
Just so you know the bold will be able to play itunes' DRM music. That's one of the selling points on this over some of the other BB's. And with 3G and wifi it will surf the web just as good as the iphone if you add Opera's mini browser. And with expandable storage with micro SD cards it way easier to change out your music selections, also once they start production of the larger 16 and 32 Gig micro SD cards, the Bold will hold as much or more music than the iphone. Plus, I'll actually be able to use my amazing Motorola S9 bluetooth headphones with it. The lack of that feature alone on the "amazing" iphone blows my mind. Do you know how many mp3 capable phones don't have stereo bluetooth nowadays? One, the iphone....Sorry for the rant...just had to get that off my chest...The iphone is a sweet phone but how does the "best" music phone not have stereo bluetooth?
Good luck on affording that minimum $70 a month contract at age 15, young man!
Anyway, it's a phone for a different market. Not sure it's a competitor as such.
....and don't forget, no copy and paste on your iJunk.
really disappointed that the web browser is not full HTML....
That was the deciding factor between IPhone 3G and Bold (no IPhone till now, because I reside in the great Canada!)
No HTML? Shame on RIM, especially since they've given it such a nice resolution screen (480 by 320, right?)
what do you mean by "not full html"?
not full HTML means not all HTML code is supported.
You're welcome.
Actually you can install the browser Opera Mini which is pretty much full HTML. Blackberries have the option to have any browser they want, unlike other phones...
I own and use an iPhone right now, and I really like this design. It looks contemporary, and isn't another throwaway ripoff. Great work, RIM.
I agree. I have an iPhone and think the Bold looks great. I'm especially impressed with the new UI. I would say the Bold is my favorite phone next to the iPhones right now.
I also own an iPhone, and while I have no plans of buying the Bold, I must say it is one of the sexiest phones I've seen.
Once again, Blackberry's resting on their laurels
:confused:
Trot out the FUD - fear uncertainty and doubt.
It's all about the browser.
If RIM can't equal iPhone in their mobile browsing experience then you're going to see a gradual decline in RIM.
I think that RIM has topped out and will head gradually downward from here in terms of market share.
BBs are meant for business, not Twitter and Facebook.
That is why they are used in the corporate world, because they are for you to get serious work done while on the clock.
Companies dont care for your need to listen to mp3s or play games.
And besides, it has a physical keyboard. You cant beat that with any software solution.
Who said anything about twitter and facebook? I have corporate Web apps I need to be able to access in the field, and not all of them have a special mobile version...
Also, once the iPhone has Exchange support there is nothing the blackberry will do for me that the iPhone won't do as well or better.
Push e-mail from Exchange? Check
Access to corporate web apps? Check
Calendar sync? Check
Ability to watch Star Wars Episode IV sitting on the crapper? Check (next week I'm thinking Pulp Fiction)
And as a bonus, I don't type any slower on my iPhone than I did on my BB.
Not for the corporate market it isn't. A good browser is well down the list of required features.
@CraigJ
The one thing Bold can do better than iPhone is type a whole lot faster than you non-widescreen qwerty touch that is slow. Also, opera-mini is a pretty darn good browers for RIM's family of phones.
Did it feel hot?
Not so much. If you're referring to the reported delay, they wouldn't confirm or deny it, only said that it's still coming out "sometime this summer".
hey clack looks like your argument was wrong look at all the iphone supporters under your post.
*clak
If Verizon gets this, it will replace my Moto Q9m. Verizon prides themselves on having crappy phones. If they do get it, it will be late '09 and expensive.
for the sake of every intelligent blog on the internet go back to 4chan you lethargic blob
I don't see the Bold as an iphone competitor because the iphone a a full touch screen while the Bold is not....
Instinct is a competitor to the iphone as the Bold is a competitor to the Nokia E71
Something like that...
A reply from another post:
I don't see the Bold as an iphone competitor because the iphone a a full touch screen while the Bold is not....
Instinct is a competitor to the iphone as the Bold is a competitor to the Nokia E71
Something like that...
The UI seems clean and, as Engadget said, Snappy™.
The only thing I'm wondering of is: Will the Apps (Native or Corporates) of the next Blackberries will compare to the iPhone platform on the long haul ?
@ Clack
Please, get a life.
Will the Bold be able to use the microsd card to store emails?
Unless RIM has an easy, free, readily available SDK out there, 3rd party apps will always be GALACTICALLY less than those available for iPhone, S60, and even WM.
I'd like an iPhone, without the limitations. So if this description fits the upcoming Android from HTC, then yes I'm gonna buy it. If it doesn't, then it's E66 vs iPhone for me.
-1 for improper use of the word 'Galactically'. On second thought, -2 because I'm not even sure that's a word.
Yes I just made it up. You're a genius for recognizing that don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
@TareX
I think Java Mobile (http://java.sun.com/javame/index.jsp) qualifies.
Now if RIM were to add regular JAVA support we'd REALLY have something.
The BlackBerry actually has an SDK and has had one for a long time. It's free, and some of the APIs require code signing keys, but they are also free and easily-obtainable.
It comes complete with simulators, live device debugging, email simulation support, the list goes on and on... You can every download a separate simulator and simulate you very own personal BES for testing.
I work at RIM, and many third-party developers have told us that our SDK was easiest experience they've had developing for a mobile platform.
Check it out
I honestly think i would rather have it then an my current iphone, at least i could have MMS and take video, I would love to have the N95 3G 8gb that phone rocks, the htc diamond is off the list, its not quadband, what a let down
Unless RIM has an easy, free, readily available SDK out there, 3rd party apps will always be GALACTICALLY less than those available for iPhone, S60, and even WM.
I'd like an iPhone, without the limitations. So if this description fits the upcoming Android from HTC, then yes I'm gonna buy it. If it doesn't, then it's E66 vs iPhone for me.
hey clak call me back when your holy iphone gets "full" bluetooth support
until then stop making "us" real iphone users look like incompetent morons such as your self : D
@ clak
Please slap your mother for teaching you how to speak!
The RIM investors took one look at this Bold and said "This old-fashioned BlackBerry can't possibly compete with the iPhone 3G, so I'm selling my stock right now." And that's why RIM's stock price is down $11 after hours. Look for Apple to go up because all those investors will be getting the iPhone 3G on 7/11.
youre a moron. they didn't meet the street's estimates for Q1. take your fanboyism somewhere else.
the 'Apple haters?'
I would venture to say that most people who dislike Apple products do for reasons such as its closed OS and environment, preference for features over form, ergonomics, and the fear of having something publicly in common with people like you clak.
That's your definition of tragic?
Get a life, asshat.
I dont believe i ever had negative feelings towards apple products until clak arrived.
"From you alright?? I learned it from watching you!!"
ORLY?
is that why Apple took a 7 dolla dive when they announced iPhone 3G?
It's been going up everyday since then...
i side with clak. XD
TL;DR
Seriously Clak, you deserve a smack.
Not a bad effort from RIM. They have pushed the envelope of their system as far as possible. Lucky for them, the still have their reputation for world class email fresh in their customers mind. Despite their email still incapable of using rich HTML formats. Perhaps this new device is a wakeup call to their customers that after one year of the iPhone existence, this is the best RIM can come up with. A bit of a let down to their userbase. The iPhone has really raised the bar too high for RIM.
@Jubei
You lowly piece of infected dog feces. We get it you like the Iphone now please leave and never come back. Perhaps a job so you can move out of you mom's basement. I bet you can't even afford an Iphone, you probably still have a 1st gen ipod your and ipod shuffle. Really get bent.
No back to the topic at hand. The bold looks like a nice balance of form and features. I'm more interested in the thunder, I bet that will really kick ass.. I putting off getting an HTC Touch Pro until we get more information on that.
Once again the typical pattern I have observed from these type of users have reared its ugly head. As mentioned before, this pattern of behavior always emerges from users confronted with information that resonates with truthfulness. Rather than absorbing and learning from the information, the user retorts to anger, name calling, and generally act like a two year old with a tantrum. Its quite funny really, yet sad to see. More embarrassing for companies to know that these users are the most vocal customers representing them.
I really like the simple and clean look of the Bold. By far the best looking BB to date.
I want your job.
I agree with clak. Everyone always talk about other phones and how they are bust buys [Xperia/Diamond/Touch Pro] even though they too have shortcomings just like the iPhone.
I guess because it's not so much of a cult for HTC. You can say you like/dislike their products without being a "fanboy" or "hater". No one feels obligated to like or brag about an HTC product because it is an HTC product.
All those saying RIM is screwed, etc. Do so market research RIM has actually GAINED market share even with the Iphone on the market. RIM and Blackberrys aren't going anywhere.
@clak : About your comment about if another phone can compare to the iPhone in terms of those features.
Actually, WinMo 6.1 itself can do many of those features. Either by default, or with a quick download (with no restraints!). The other specs are just hardware dependent, and with HTC and Sony releasing awesome phones in the not-so distant future, I'm looking forward to it.
There are several WinMo phones out there as low as $199. Without having to worry about signing up for contracts for 2 years, and paying the additional costs of that.
I love the iPhone vs. BlackBerry arguments. Even with the iPhone gaining Exchange support, people are STILL failing to acknowledge that the iPhone and BlackBerry Bold are not competitors. You can compare individual specifications, but at the end, you can't say either phone is better than the other because ultimately, the iPhone is mainly advertised as a phone with rich multimedia capabilities while the BlackBerry is a phone with arguably the best e-mail/message support.
It's obvious the iPhone will attract a lot the younger demographics and the BlackBerry will attract the older and that's simply fact.
Sometimes I wonder if people are only in it for how their device looks. Yes esthetics are great to have but who cares if the Bold doesn't have HTML e-mail. I didn't know that I would need HTML in my e-mail's to tell me scheduled appointments or notifications from my boss and I don't think corporate America (and the rest of the world) are going to cry, "why doesn't my e-mail have HTML support, how am I going to read it". (Slowly noticing that BlackBerry's will always have businesses in mind first before a consumer?) Many of you are arguing the consumer point of view which is good for yourself but DEFINITELY does not accurately affect the "REAL" audience in which the device is intended for. As a BlackBerry or iPhone fan, there's no "this is the better device" it's the better for YOU not for anyone else.
Although the iPhone has made some very good improvements, it's still missing something. It will truly be the "best" smartphone once it beats the amount of BlackBerry users. You can say the iPhone has sold this and that in x amount of time and BlackBerry has been here for x years, like it or not, if the iPhone was truly the best, everyone would switch if it was superior to the BlackBerry but since it's everyone is not missing, it's clear it has some flaws which is preventing the conversion.
But it will be fun to see who two of these companies innovate in the future. iPhone 3G and Bold are right steps in making quality handsets.
The iPhone is better because I'm 19 years old and see myself as hip.
This is a truly amazing phone. I am a long time BlackBerry user. I shall buy this in a few minths when the bugs have been gotten out of it.
I do not see the IpHone as a competitor to the Bold because the Bold is not touch screen. I think that this is a good then because I don't like touch screen phones. This is a personal preference. Many others do like them. You choose.
The iPhone is not really a smartphone like the Blackberry, Windows Mobile or Symbian products. It is really a feature phone with a really good browser, berrter than the Bold but, I don't care about that. I usually have my laport PC to hand.
My needs in a phone do not match the profile of the iPhone. I need cut and paste, a real keyboard, removable media and an interchangable battery. All these things are lacking in the iPhone but are present in the Blackberry. Theis does not make the Bold a better phone than the IPhone, just different, that's all.
What is clear is that the Bold does a heck of a lot more than the iPhone but only if you fit its profile.
did you type this on your Bb?
and what features does the Bb have that the iPhone 2.0 does not that you require?
@gozer
Out of the box end to end encryption so that not even RIM can access my data unless I allow it. In the corporate world that is a killer app. It should be for consumers as well. If I were to sell my BB on ebay today and forgot to wipe the data it's not a problem. The purchaser couldn't access it because it is password protected. Put the password in wrong ten times and it wipes the device.
Apple, you want my company to approve your iPhone for corporate use? Secure it like it should be instead of hackers having to release videos on how to manually wipe the device since Apple didn't think it was important enough.
My BB Pearl has been run over by a car and it still works! Granted it is encased by an OtterBox, but I am still amazed.
I played football with some buddies a couple weeks ago and it started raining...when I got home water literally poured out of the keys and from behind the screen of my Pearl. I put it in the oven at about 125F for a couple hours, let it sit with the battery out for a day or 2 and looking at it you wouldn't know it's water damaged. Still works perfect, these units are tanks!!!
"Gone are the sharp protrusions, replaced with a nice flat surface upon which to click."
You know what else has a nice flat surface upon which to tap? The iPhone.
looks like this time i have to agree with clak.
i was set on buying the Bold if it came to VZW, but now i'm not so sure anymore. i wish the phone supported full HTML browsing (though several users have said Opera Mini will work on it... so we'll have to see).
As long as it can "copy" and "paste" I will stick with my blackberry.
@roboy02
I am currently using the Music Sync software that will accompany the Bold and it will NOT play DRM music. You can only sync playlists from iTunes that hav non-DRM music.
Haha I don't see what the big deal is, the 1st comment was amusing...it pretty much summed up every phone post on here, someone always mentions the iPhone (getting one myself next month in Canada, woo!), someone else makes a comment saying essentially screw Apple, someone else makes a claim about Android...not hating on anything I just thought it was funny.
Anyways. The bold looks pretty sweet, even though I'm not getting one I still want to play with it, which brings me to my next question....other than the 3.2 megapixel camera, is the BB Javelin the exact same as the Curve? If it is, imo it's a waste of time.
If I remember remember correctly, I think the "Javelin" will be the successor to the Curve. It's taking the Curve and improving it with a bigger screen, faster processor and an OS that has more features than the current OS 4.2.
@ Clak
ACTUALLY.. the iPhone you described is $299:) thought I'd point that out. although, impressive ramble.. I like the iPhone, but you dont just like it! sounds like you've slept with it and gotten into its pants.. you truly are in need of help. be open minded bud.
it is a copy-paste of the iPhone
Give me the Blackberry anyday. Apple knows how to lock its customers in and not allow them to go anywhere but back to them. Having a phone that I can't put a new battery in when it's not holding its charge anymore is an automatic deal breaker, and most users in corporate environments have the same exact sentiments. Plus, it's so much easier to navigate the Blackberry with one hand as opposed to the iPhone. The only thing I will give the iPhone a 1up on the Blackberry is its application developement environment.
if u were to rate the blackberry wat wud u give it? id give it a 8 off the back. It does a lot of things I need it do plenty features. Just wish it could feed my kids.
lowest u can go is a 7 man come on.