- Global Blackberry messaging smartphone with quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi networking
- Compatible with AT&T Navigator GPS turn-by-turn directions, AT&T Mobile Music, and streaming video from Cellular Video service
- 2-megapixel camera/camcorder; Bluetooth for handsfree devices; MicroSD expansion (to 32 GB); newly designed QWERTY keyboard
- Up to 4.5 hours of talk time, up to 324 hours (13.5 days) of standby time
- What’s in the Box: handset, battery, charger, USB cable, 3.5mm stereo headset, holster, quick start guide and user manual, CD with Blackberry Desktop software
Amazon.com Product Description
Designed to give business professionals and power users unprecedented functionality and performance, the BlackBerry Bold is the fastest, most powerful Blackberry yet, with support for tri-band HSDPA high-speed networks around the world as well as integrated GPS and Wi-Fi networking (802.11a/b/g). It features a lustrous black exterior, satin chrome finished frame and stylish leather-like backplate, a sophisticated user interface, and a newly designed full-QWERTY keyboard.
Keep yourself on track for your next meeting with turn-by-turn directions via the AT&T Navigator service, which is powered by TeleNav and provides spoken or text-based turn-by-turn directions with automatic missed turn rerouting and a local business finder service in 20 countries. It also supports AT&T mobile music services and access to thousands of video clips via Cellular Video. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth for hands-free communication, 1 GB of internal memory with MicroSD expansion (up to 32 GB), multi-format audio/video playback, and up to 4.5 hours of talk time.
The Blackberry Bold also comes with free access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots, available at more than 17,000 locations nationwide including Starbucks. The best part is that you don’t need to sign up for anything new to use this service–Wi-Fi access for is included in all Blackberry Personal and Enterprise Rate Plans. (You must subscribe to a Blackberry Data Rate Plan to access AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots.) Additionally, the Blackberry Bold is the first RIM device that supports AT&T Cellular Video (CV).
AT&T Service
This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band UMTS 850/1900 MHz network, and this phone is also compatible with 2100 MHz 3G networks (found in international territories). The AT&T 3G network provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services. (For use outside the United States, an AT&T international data plan is recommended.)
In areas where the 3G network is not available, you’ll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it’s fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. You’ll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming.
You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search.
With 3G connectivity, you’ll be able to access AT&T’s Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what’s playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what’s hot with The Buzz music news portal. (A MEdia Max subscription bundle is recommended for accessing AT&T’s Internet, video, and music services.)
The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T’s MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.
Phone Features
The elegant BlackBerry Bold smartphone features a lustrous black exterior, satin chrome-finished frame and stylish, leatherette backplate with a newly designed full QWERTY keyboard for exceptionally fast and easy typing and stunning half-VGA (480 x 320 at 217 ppi) color display that’s fused to the undersurface of the lens, making images leap out with stunning definition and clarity. It also includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad. The BlackBerry Bold also boasts a new acoustic design for enhanced phone listening quality and clarity and numerous premium phone features, including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD).
The BlackBerry Bold smartphone’s support for tri-band HSDPA and enterprise-grade Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g) networks and its next-generation 624 MHz mobile processor make short work of downloading email attachments, streaming video or rendering web pages. The BlackBerry Bold also includes 128 MB Flash memory plus 1 GB on-board storage memory, as well as a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that is conveniently accessible from a side door.
The Blackberry Bold delivers the legendary BlackBerry email experience. With BlackBerry service plans from AT&T, you can receive emails instantaneously from up to 10 email accounts (personal and enterprise). With BlackBerry push technology, you don’t need to retrieve your email. BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, allowing you to be discreetly notified as new email arrives. Support is also built-in for viewing email attachments (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and PDF formats).
If your company has a BlackBerry Enterprise Server installed, you can also take advantage of the power of wireless calendar synchronization. Your calendar events are exchanged wirelessly and automatically so that your desktop calendar and BlackBerry handheld calendar are synchronized. All your Outlook meeting requests, changes, and updates are instantaneously synchronized instantaneously with your desktop. Make meeting requests, invite new attendees and more, all on your Blackberry Bold. Users without BlackBerry Enterprise Server support can manually sync with their desktop calendars and contacts via Bluetooth or USB using the included BlackBerry Desktop Software.
You’ll enjoy enhanced Internet browsing on the Blackberry Bold. The trackball mimics a mouse, making it easy to navigate sites in Page View or Column View or to zoom in on specific parts of a web page, while various emulation settings allow you to choose between the full desktop-style HTML content and layout or the mobile version. Attachments can also now be downloaded from within the browser and there is support for watching streaming videos (RTSP, real-time streaming protocol).
The included BlackBerry Desktop Manager software comes with Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry, which includes new features that make it easier to organize multimedia content as well as manage music, videos and recorded Voice Notes between a computer and the smartphone. It also optimizes video files for smooth full-screen playback on the BlackBerry Bold smartphone’s large display with support for full-screen and widescreen formats.
Roxio Photosuite 9 LE is also included, allowing you to easily enhance pictures and create photo albums on your computer. In addition, the new BlackBerry Media Sync application allows you to sync your iTunes digital musical collections . The BlackBerry Bold also boasts a new acoustic design for enhanced phone listening quality and clarity and numerous premium phone features, including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD).
Other features include:
- Works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which enables advanced security and IT administration within IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novel GroupWise environments, as well as BlackBerry Professional Software for small businesses
- 2-megapixel camera/camcorder with flash, 5x zoom, geo-tagging capabilities, white balance settings, and choice of three picture sizes
- Bluetooth 2.0, with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including car kits that adhere to the Bluetooth Remote SIM Access Profile) and other Bluetooth peripherals
- Push Button Setup for Wi-Fi networking, making it faster to connect to protected wireless networks that require a sign-on process
- Video format support: DivX 4, DivX 5/6 partially supported, XviD partially supported, H.263, H.264, WMV3
- Audio format support: .3gp, MP3, WMA9 (.wma/.asf), WMA9 Pro/WMA 10, MIDI, AMR-NB, Professional AAC/AAC+/eAAC+
- Polyphonic/MIDI ringtones
- Speakerphone
- 3.5mm stereo headset capable
Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry Bold weighs 4.8 ounces and measures 4.49 x 2.59 x 0.59 inches. Its 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.5 hours of talk time, and up to 324 hours (13.5 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as tri-band UMTS/HSDPA 3G networks (2100/1900/850 MHz).
After using this phone for almost a week now, I’m soo excited. This is one piece of device that is the best I’ve ever owned apart from my iPod Touch which I had for over a year. I needed an upgrade from my previous flip-phone that I had for a couple of years. Some of the reasons why I wanted a new phone are that I needed a phone with a good camera, applications to jot down appointments/notes, text messages with a full keyboard, a good sized screen for internet use, and something similar and as fast as my iPod touch. And let to you, this phone has and does all these features just fine. Let me start off with the Pros and Cons:
Pros –
- Customize interface to your liking
- 3.4? screen with trackpad
- Android 2.1 (latest)
- EXCELLENT 5MP camera (with LED flash)
- A full QWERTY keyboard
- Great video
- Many great applications
- Fast internet 3G/wifi
- 8GB memory
- EXCELLENT call quality
- Good speaker
- GPS system
- A total of 7 home/leap screens
- 600MHz processor
- Swype activated
- Genius button (voice commands)
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Bluetooth 2.1 with stereo bluetooth support
- Slick, clean, beautiful design (solid build quality)
- Cool weather animations **
- Use as a USB Storage
- And much more…
Cons -
- A little expense at $179.99 (through T-Mobile)
- No phone case or screen protector
- Battery is ok but not bad
I came across this phone which came out on June 2 and I had done my research even before it came out. Wasn’t too crazy about at first but when I went to the T-Mobile store few weeks ago just to look at it, I loved it. First off, I was surprised at how small it was compared to looking at it on video and picture reviews online (these things usually happen anyway). I liked that fact that it was surprisingly fast, I did not experience any lags or slow downs AT ALL and still don’t. Also, the display is big, bright at 3.4 inches, and colors are vivid. I wanted a phone just like my iPod Touch mainly in its speed and the screen being in a decent size and actually got something better then what I expected.
There are too many features to cover but I’ll do the important ones that everyone wants to know:
BUILD QUALITY: The phone is made out of a hard plastic with a high gloss finish which makes it look and feel expensive; although, it does attract finger prints. There are metal/aluminum elements such as the myTouch logo, the surfaces around the camera and flash lens on the back, and the camera button on the side of the phone. The phone on a whole, including buttons feel very solid.
SPEAKERPHONE: The speakerphone on this device is not the best I’ve heard compared to Blackberrys, being the best, but it is acceptable.
CALL QUALITY: Call quality is EXCELLENT. Loud, clear, no static, you name it, it’s excellent.
KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD: Now, this is my first phone with a full keyboard but from using the Motorola CLIQ’s keyboard in the T-Mobile store I preferred the myTouch 3g Slide’s. The buttons/keys are nice and spaced out, and firm and very easy to press. A touchpad/trackpad is also included (located on the bottom of the screen) that can be used to navigate through the phone in addition to the touch screen. You can press on it for “Enter/Ok” gestures.
CAMERA: I was afraid that the camera quality wasn’t going to be good because the fact that I’d experienced poor quality images off the HTC HD2. But the camera on this baby blows the HTC HD2?s out the water. The picture quality is another EXCELLENT. I had a regular 5MP Canon Camera that took great pictures and I can easily compare this to that. I am really impressed. CNET has this phones camera quality as subpar, when really, it’s excellent. Go try it out for yourself at your nearest T-Mobile store and you’ll see.
BATTERY LIFE: Battery life is good but not best. From using apple products, you get used to long lasting battery life. But this phone does a good job for what it is. It is a phone with a big screen, so if you plan on using this phone with heavy usage – browsing the internet, making a lot of calls, playing games, etc., you need a charger with you on the road. However, this phone can last you all day if you’re just a simple user, such as myself, just making several calls, browsing the internet and texting. It all just comes down to what and how you’ll be using this phone. Another thing is that you can control the screen’s brightness in three levels. I usually have mine on the lowest which reduces the battery life considerably well. The only problem is that when you’re outdoors when the sun is bright, you may want to increase the screens brightness, but if you’re indoors then it’s fine. This would definitely be a great alternative to help you save battery life.
INTERFACES: The interface on this phone basically lets you customize your own phone to your liking. You have many apps on the phone and you can place them anywhere on your screen(s), whether you want them as little icons or as a big viewable icon with animations such as the clock, whether, pictures, message inboxes, etc. and they all look very cool. Icons can even be placed in sections on one screen. In addition, you have the option to add a total of 7 Home/Leap screens and all can be viewed simultaneously. Pretty cool!
INTERNET 3G/WI-FI: Browsing the internet on this phone is awesome, whether it’s 3g or wi-fi, it does an excellent job. Its very sooth, smoother than my iPod Touch which is surprising and it’s very fast browsing from page to page. Rotating the screen to change viewing position is at ease, no lags or cracks. I’m on the internet daily on this phone and can’t get over how fast it is.
APPS: In this phone you have many apps that are included such as genius, GPS, MP3 Store, Peep, PDF Viewer, Quickoffice, and much more. They have the “Market Place” app, where you can purchase any apps and even “Free” apps in any category you desire. Apps are very easy to download. If you’re familiar with apple products, such as iPhone or iPod Touch, you’ll know exactly how to use this.
SPEED/PROCESSOR: The speed on this phone is awesome at 600MHz. It may not have the full 1GHz processor but I guarantee you that this phone will impress you. Their no lags, no slow downs, or freezes like you’ll experience on other phones such as the Motorola CLIQ. This phone is fast just like my iPod Touch.
NEGATIVES: You would think HTC would include either a case or a screen protector for an expensive phone like they do for their other products. So now I have to waste more money for a case and screen protector. Another thing is the price, it’s $179.99 after rebate and that’s if you buy it through T-Mobile which is a little expensive if you ask me, but you can get a better deal else where.
ANOTHER GREAT FEATURE: When you press to answer a call and as you place your ear/faces next to the phone, the screen will automatically shut off to avoid misguided touch on the touch screen interface. In addition, the phone will turn on when ear/faces is away from the phone. Pretty cool!
Overall, I think this is an awesome phone, probably is T-Mobile’s best; and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who’s a Student, Business Professional, or anyone who wants a phone with an excellent camera.
I will update this review as I experience more.
Rating: 5 / 5