Video: BlackBerry Bold 9700 on Vietnam holiday from AT&T
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Oct 5th 2009 6:59AM
posted Oct 5th 2009 6:59AM
[Thanks, Nam N]
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One of my favorite things about the Blackberries were the rollerball trackpads... I wonder how the 'squircle' will compare.
"And i check out everything just to see specs and abilities..."
I think you meant to continue this post by saying:
"....and many other phones are far superior. I mean, there are handsets with 5+mp cameras, WVGA displays, far more powerful processors, and multitasking. Even so, I like to ignore all that and obsess over the iPhone instead."
That was meant at quantum down there \/ \/ \/
I actually tried out a new BB up in a T-Mobile store, and I have to say that I really do like the optical trackpad.
The trackpad is significantly better than the trackball. Not only does it provide more responsive navigation but it also prevents dust from getting caught underneath like the trackball. Also, it doesn't become dirty. Only problem is that it becomes a bit "wonky" under direct sunlight.
The trackball is all but gone now much like the trackwheel before it. The Gemini, Onyx, Essex are trackpads and the storm 2 is touchpad, meaning by the start of next year, there will be no trackball blackberry's being made.
But it's a good thing. Just like the trackball made the trackwheel obsolete, the trackpad is making the trackball obsolete.
I just wish RIM didn't make the Onyx so small or similar to devices that are already out for a while. I mean it uses the same 3.2 mp camera found on the storm since last year, the same 256 mb memory that the curve and tour use, the same battery as the bold etc...
If any of you plan to get this, I honestly say wait. The upcoming CDMA Essex (Tour Update) will add a trackpad, WiFi and come with an improved camera. While the Dakota (former Magnum) will come with a touchscreen/qwerty keyboard for the ultimate in typing/navigation.
You might say it's pointless to have a touchscreen with a phone that uses a qwerty keyboard but it's so you can have pinpoint precision and the ability to do flick scrolling etc...
Great video review. I understood every word he said.
The trackpad UI is old and awkard for a modern smartphone.
It seems RIM's glory days are over.
You have your opinion, and it is wrong.
this person is only saying the truth
Na. Gimme a iPhone instead.
I agree. IPhone or nothing.
What I like about iPhone is the feeling that I've got the best on the market. Nothing else that is released even peaks my interest. And i check out everything just to see specs and abilities. iPhone beats em all. Nothing else is as well rounded or offers a robust App store.
And then you have people like me; the iPhone barely gets a yawn out of me. Especially after the one I won for free broke after three months of Safari crashing and App Store issues(digitizer stopped responding to my touch). I'm not bothering with it anymore, and I'm hanging on docomo's every word about their possible entry into the US market. Now THOSE are some well-rounded phones; if you think the iPhone beats any of that you should get your head checked.
The best looking blackberry?
I cant see any real difference on the blackberry phones..
They look all the same more or less imho..
Go fix your eyes.
Blackberry:
Curve 8310 GPS but NO WIFI
Curve 8320 wifi but NO GPS
Curve 8900 wifi gps good camera but NO 3G
Tour 9630 3g gps good camera but NO WIFI
Curve 8520 wifi gps but NO 3G
Bold 9000 wifi 3g gps but Bulky with crappy camera NO AutoFocus
WTF?
lol john, you have the definition of western device marketing right there, make a device, remove a key functionality, put it in the shops, make more devices each one lacking another thing, put them all in the shop, give yourself a raise, done.
It's the pleather glued on the back. That is what makes it gorgeous.
IMHO, I think it would be better looking without "bold" inscribed on the back.
Storm 1: 3G, Good Camera, GPS, No WiFI
Storm 2: 3G, Good Camera, GPS, WiFi, New piezo-electric display
Perfection?
that blackberry curve 8900 has a really cool back ! i wonder where can you get it?
you get it from your mama.
For a sec i thought this was the fella with 6 fingers.
Yeah me too, I wanted to see him crank out a chapter of War and Peace on a BB board with his 3 thumb advantage.
Haha. I remember the first time I saw that (I think he was reviewing the htc tatoo). I had to rewind and look at it six times.
If that keyboard is the same mush as the Bold 9000 I will pass.
The 9000 has the best keypad I've ever used on a phone. Can't stand clicky keypads.
I prefer the tour's, or 8900's. with the bold's i wasn't sure if i was hitting some keys with my eyes closed
Is this dude having sex with the BlackBerry Bold?
Look at how he touches the phone... Feeling her up... Touchin her G-Trackspot...
LOL
I don't know much about BlackBerry's (my carrier only has the Pearl 8100 lol) but... Did it asked WHY they pulled out the battery???
It asked why the phone rebooted/battery pulled.
Most likely it is a limited demo version and they are tracking problems, e.g., beta testing the phone.
What I do like was the progress bar as the phone started. I always hate waiting for the spinner to spin and have no idea how much longer it is going to take.
The keyboard itself looks the same as the Bold 9000. I don't know why AT&T still insists on using white numbers with white letters, that is beyond dumb.
I hope they bring map BB Maps too, it is so stupid they take it out. Google Maps has more functionality, no reason why they take it out, it does not impede on their business since it does not provide driving directions like their overpriced app does.
I think RIM is trying to pull off an E71/E72 with this Bold. specially with the metal trim and the textured back.. maybe the optical trackpad to a degree. But I think Samsung came out with it first.
oops I spoke too soon. it might be the other way around :P
is that trim real metal?
Lol... All he is doing is describing the changes in the new Bold (I speak Vietnamese). So yes, he is in fact stroking the Bold in a weird way, but he's just describing how sexy it is :)
The Bold is definitely the classiest of Blackberries. I wouldn't carry one, but damn does it look nice.
I don't know about other people, but I'd prefer less gloss; less to scratch up and less places for fingerprints. Because if any Blackberry owner is a true owner he/she will be using it hundreds of times a day and will not want to clean smudges all day.
Is it just me, or is this identical to the blackberry onyx?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/04/blackberry-onyx-poses-for-the-camera/
The 9700 is the Onyx.
9000 = Bold
8900 = Javelin
9630 = Tour
etc.
What an idiot. There is something out there known as the "google". Try it.
what's next Black Berry TEN THOUSAND lol
It's a great phone and OS for 2005. Too bad its 2009. RIM will continue to lose market share and sales until they update the archaic OS.
No one who isn't a tech nerd or a business cares about market share. You think they go into a Best Buy like, "hey, this is a great phone, let me pull out the Wall Street Journal to see how they did in Q2"? I can un-questionably bet they would say things like "this OS isn't sexy enough" (in which I go, WTF). But then again, that would probably be coming from an orgy of stupidity such as yourself, and not from people that ACTUALLY need this device. Don't you have an Apple article to stick your penis into, young man?
It's not a bad OS, although to be fair it's a bit plain and utilitarian when stacked against Palm WebOS, Android and iPhone. Fortunately, OS 5.0 is bringing some usability improvements (plus a new Blackberry Browser) that are long overdue. It's still got a long ways to go to make it ultra user-friendly, however.
It isn't just the OS. It is the company strategy of channeling all corporate emails through their NOC and forcing corporations to host a BES that constantly tries to stay in sync with the Exchange server. That strategy paid off big-time before the days of ActiveSync and carrier-provided Internet access. But now? Why bother? I'd say, move to ActiveSync for email, use BES for device management alone (no syncing), replace the browser with the new WebKit one they bought, and overhaul the user interface. Sooner or later corporations are going to learn they no longer need to pay for and maintain a BES to provide corporate email on phones.
They have ATT in vietnam? Geez, that's sad. What next? Religion? AIDS? Obesity? Painguns?
Pain guns? or Penguins? ... I'm not quite sure what you meant there.
This is another one of Rims attempts to release something newer looking. it all really comes down to the internal stuff and they all seem to do the same thing. now i havent seen this phone and the tour put side to side but judging from my tour and the way this phone looks, the tour seems to look a lot sleeker... as soon as RIM releases the 5.0 os for the tour im sure they will be in the same league... for now im happy i chose the tour with verizon... wifi isnt really all that big a deal... the internet connection is pretty much there all the time thanks to verizons great service.... no complaints
Do not want. I hate the flat key BBs. It started with the 8800 and continued with the Bold. They got it right again with the 8900, but I guess you just can't fit the 3G radio in with the good keyboard. I'll take pocketability over browser speed. Give me an 8900 with the squircle and I'm there. Until then, Curve II all the way.
Love my Bold and want this new one right away! Best phone on the market for me. Does everything I need it to do. I went from iPhone to the Bold and never looked back. Only thing I miss is the superior web browsing on the iPhone.