vowe dot net :: BlackBerry Bold: the verdict

I have tested the Bold now for a week and my initial impression was on the money. This is the best BlackBerry ever. The display is just stunning, whether in bright sunlight or in a dark room. 240 dpi is almost like paper.

The Bold is well built, and faster than any other BB, by a factor of two. You can feel it everywhere. The large 1500mAh battery lasts a few days in normal operation and you have to really stress it to wear it out in a day. Battery life is similar to an E71, better than an iPhone and much much better than an iPhone 3G.

The browser is OK now, not Safari-good, but better than IE on Windows Mobile. Media player is OK now as well and reasonably fast if you can learn a few keyboard shortcuts. 3.5 mm jack lets you connect decent headphones. I only have the bare device so I can't tell you how good the RIM headset is but I am not holding my breath.

The keyboard is good, better than an 8800, much better than an 8100, maybe not as tight as the Curve keyboard. It's the largest BB since the 8700, but it holds better than an 8800 and has more heft than the Curve. If you need a device as light as the Curve, you should pass this one. For everybody else it is the Über-Blackberry.

Would I want to use it? No. Simple reason: Mac support is terrible. If you don't have a Mac? Or have a Mac and live on a BES? Go for it.

2008-08-18 :: email :: twitter :: facebook :: google+

Comments

Thanks Volker. That´s what I expected. Now just waiting for Vodafone.de to have it. Any indications - normally I would expect them to be quite close to T-Mobile?

Armin Auth, 2008-08-18 17:33

@Armin I heard from vodafone internal that KW37 (first week of September) it will be available in stores

Thomas Einwaller, 2008-08-18 17:55

what about coverage / reception quality ? Does it suck when it comes to switching between edge and 3G ?

thanks :-)

Gonzague Dambricourt, 2008-08-18 20:45

what do you think of the new theme? notice any changes to the calendar or address book apps?

john head, 2008-08-18 20:46

John, the theme is very much the Zen theme, but with larger icons (more pixels per icon). Apart from the higher resolution and the Precision theme I don't see any changes from 4.5. I like the design of the Precision theme, but I miss the Today screen. There is only two variations of Precision, one you see here, and one with "silver", read b/w icons.

Gonzague, 3G and GSM "just worked". I had no difficulties whatsoever.

Volker Weber, 2008-08-18 22:54

I just upgraded to a new BB World Edition which I think is similar to the Bold. I didn't like the black one because the keycaps were very hard to read (yes, even with my reading glasses on...). The red one I got (the only other choice) is better, but still not as legible as I would like.

Bob Balaban, 2008-08-18 23:58

The 8830 World Edition has some similarities to the Bold but it's part of the older BB8800 family, which came out after the Pearl and before the Curve.

The "World Edition" is a phone with 2.5G GSM and and 2G CDMA. The Bold is a phone with 2.5G GSM and and 3.5G UMTS/HSDPA. It's CPU is about double the speed, and the screen has 480x320 px instead of 320x240 on the 8830. The Bold also adds a camera and Wifi.

So, yes, it has some similarities but there are some substantial differences. There is one thing the Bold cannot do, and that is important to you: talk to old skool CDMA networks in the US.

Volker Weber, 2008-08-19 00:08

Here are some screenshots from an 8820, which show the difference to the new screen goodness.

Volker Weber, 2008-08-19 00:11

Since I am looking for a new phone right now and you tested it, would you recommend the Nokia E71 for a Mac User?

Christian Bürger, 2008-08-19 10:54

Yes, the E71 works very well with the Mac. You just need to download the iSync plugin from Nokia. I also recommend using Nokia Multimedia Transfer.

Volker Weber, 2008-08-19 11:10

I WANT one. Come on, AT&T!

Eric Hancock, 2008-08-22 01:43

With the BB desktop manager for Mac, would you consider it now?

Ahmad Zidni Mat, 2009-10-19 23:24

Absolutely yes.