BlackBerry Bold doesn't handle pavement well

Always looking to make lemonade out of lemons, the self-proclaimed BGizzle took the opportunity to inform prospective (and current) BlackBerry Bold owners of the handset's fragile nature. To no one's surprise, the naked Bold didn't stand up too well to pavement when dropped from about two feet -- maybe this is where a real metal bezel would come in handy? Anywho, we're not told whether or not the essential functions were fubared, but we'd recommend taking his advice and snapping up a skin / case before welcoming it to the world.

[sonicwind Posted Aug 17th 2008 8:03PM]

It must not have really been closed all the way.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 17th 2008 7:35PM]

So today's new is that one gadget was dropped on the ground and damaged. Engadget mus have nothing else to report.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 17th 2008 7:59PM]

my pearl's been through the toilet and back, but still going strong. if you land any mobile on pavement, it's gonna crack...

[sonicwind Posted Aug 17th 2008 8:02PM]

how weak. I dropped my iPhone on some pavement, from an overpass, and it got run over by a steam roller and it didn't even have a scratch on it and worked perfectly. Well, it worked the same way it worked before, is what I mean.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 17th 2008 8:02PM]

Why can't they just to that to ALL Blackberries? But from about two thousand feet up.... and with the marketing/banker pratts still attached...

[zer0basis Posted Aug 17th 2008 8:06PM]

Maybe we should drop an iphone from the same height... just to see what happens. This test should definitely be involved in any future bold vs iphone articles.

[heshmati4 Posted Aug 17th 2008 8:13PM]

Already Done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lpz6w4nlyY

[kobioshi Posted Aug 17th 2008 8:39PM]

Canadian construction... Almost as bad as "Made in the USA" used to be in the 80's.... A?

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 19th 2008 5:49PM]

I dislike bezel on any device for this very reason: it makes it feel like it needs to be babied. Rubber can look good and is scratch resistant.

[Darkest Daze Posted Aug 17th 2008 8:56PM]

So, the Bold cracks when dropped on pavement. The iPhone 3G cracks when used...good to know.

[Chris8pie Posted Aug 17th 2008 9:04PM]

I wish the US (or any country for that matter) would come up with a standard for how durable a gadget is and force every phone to have it writen on the box. It could go from 1-10 (10 being military grade and 1 being able to dent when dropped on carpet)

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 17th 2008 10:31PM]

Hmm, you don't need a government agency for that.

Just create or convince a popular blog (engadget?) where they review phones and test for that .. then tell companies to pay for use of a logo rating. Then companies with good drop test ratings can have a "certified by XYZ blog as 4 feet drop safe" stamp on their box.

It's up to the consumer then if they want hardened phones.

Make sure there's a disclaimer though, or people will sue you for a free new phone when they break their phone dropping it from 3.9 feet at some weird angle while standing in a gravity anomaly.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 17th 2008 9:51PM]

i found a blackberry 8700 in pieces in the street next to my house. since i'm on an electronic diy kick i picked up all the pieces, tested it, and found that only the screen and keyboard had been actually broken. so i went on to ebay and bought a whole new housing ($20) and screen ($30) and popped it all together and it works perfectly.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 18th 2008 9:17AM]

I'm looking forward to the Gadget Show putting the Bold through its paces. They really give them some hammer.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 17th 2008 11:31PM]

i'd just like to say that this morning i dropped my iphone face down onto asphalt from the bed of a truck, about 3.5 feet or so, and escaped (luckily) with a couple of minor scratches

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 18th 2008 1:33AM]

iTs concern about Light not Taft !

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 18th 2008 2:42AM]

It's quite obvious that RIM is trying to copy the iPhone as much as possible. Yet using plastic to fake a metal finish is simply hilarious. Utter total failure into trying to fool its users of the use of high quality materials.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 18th 2008 8:25AM]

I can mention Motorola Q9h and so many others in the same boat (faux metal accents)
http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/motoq9h/

...which wear away with some use.
The practice I wouldn't even use for toys, but here we have devices worth hundreds of dollars and silly little gimmicks like this still (apparently) oohing and ahhing prospective purchasers. Otherwise, why would they do it?

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 18th 2008 6:17AM]

fake metal plastic for the lose (it's 2008 and this practice, unfortunately, doesn't seem like it's dying..)

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 18th 2008 8:13AM]

Bit the pavement on my Harley cruiser with 8820 which was in its protective cover and in my pocket . . . pants pocket and 8820's cover scuffed but no real damage. As for my jeans, foot, knee, hip and right hand . . . a bit torn up. Most importantly, bike sustained only minor hidden abrasion to underside of crash bars. Phone case and crash bars performed as designed; rider did not.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 18th 2008 11:01AM]

nither does the ipod touch

[Ryan1524 Posted Aug 18th 2008 11:19AM]

That looks more like a fall from 2m.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 18th 2008 11:20AM]

I thought the Bolds were supposed to have aluminum bezels that I read about, of course it was a rumor... lousy