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| BlackBerry Bold 9000 Phone Black - Reviews |
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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. 
Crafted from premium materials, inside and out, the BlackBerry Bold is designed to give business professionals and power users unprecedented functionality and performance in an intuitive design. View a demo of the Bold (opens in new window). | 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. 
The tri-band 3G Blackberry Bold also offers integrated Wi-Fi networking and GPS for turn-by-turn directions as well as a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder. | 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). |
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Product Details |
- 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
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Video Reviews |
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Customer Reviews |
 The FlagShip has launched! |
| Review Date: November 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: AreYouKidding?, |
I just upgraded from an Curve 8310 to the Bold. In fact, this is my 3rd BlackBerry, starting way back with the 8700. First thing to point out . . . the Bold is BIG. It's actually much larger than the 8310. In fact, it's really closer to the 8800-series in size. This isn't really a bad thing though. It feels comfortable in hand. The back appears to me made of real leather, although it's probably synthetic. I like the back because it adds some much-needed grip all while looking very classy. The keyboard is also very easy to use. There was very little learning curve needed going from the 8310 to the Bold.
What really makes the Bold "beautiful" is the HUGE screen. I thought the screen on my previous Curve was great. The screen on the Bold is twice the resolution (480x320 vs. 320x240). It is absolutely amazing. Not only is it stunning for movies and photos, it makes browsing the web and simply reading emails so much easier. You can fit significantly more information on the screen. The same auto-backlighting feature found on the Curve is also on the Bold. It senses the lighting conditions of the room and adjusts backlighting. I love this feature.
Much improved over the Curve is the multimedia software. Playing movies, viewing photos and listening to songs are very easy to do. The functionality rivals standalone media players. This application coupled with a big screen and a large MicroSD card, makes this a viable iPod Classic replacement. Like the 8310, the Bold also features a 3.5mm Stereo/Audio Jack built-in. This means no adapter is needed to use your own high quality headphones or earbuds.
Also like the Curve, it includes real GPS. This is awesome and in my opinion the best feature showing up in modern phones. The signal is acquired quickly and it is very accurate. Google Maps and BlackBerry Maps work perfectly with the built-in GPS. You can also pay a monthly fee for turn-by turn navigation via AT&T Navigator.
The biggest improvements for the Bold were actually listed in my Curve 8310's review as "Cons". BlackBerry added the much needed 3G (The Bold is MUCH faster than the Curve), Wi-fi, Video recording capabilities and FINALLY the external memory is accessible without removing the battery; via a small door on the side. It's like BlackBerry was listening to the customer's needs, maybe they read my review. :)
They hit this one out of the park. |
Preparing for a Showdown Against an iPhone Friend User
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| Review Date: November 16, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Dr, |
After recieving my new Bold yesterday, I've put in quite a bit of time trying out the features. So far, it is easily the best phone I have experienced. This is my first Blackberry, and I switched from my previous Blackjack II wm 6.0 mostly because my work only supports blackberry enterprise service for email. I'd been told to get a blackberry two months ago, but waited for the bold because I didn't want to downgrade my personal features. With that in mind, I consider myself to bridge the gap between a business user and a personal entertainment user.
Of course the first thing to say is that the screen in gorgeous. The demo videos nicely show off the tightly packed pixels. But what I didn't know going into the purchase is how many little surprises were in store:
1) The media manager is straightforward and solid. I just popped in my previous 8gb microSD and it found all my .wma files without prompting. I can find the artist or song title I want by typing in the first few letters. Only negative is it hasn't yet located the album art put on the card by wmp.
2) The screen responds to ambient light by becoming brighter when it's bright, and dimmer with backlit keyboad in low light.
3) When you plug it in for charging, it automatically switches to a clock display mode, where you can also easily set the alarm, which is perfect for how I use my phone as my main alarm. You can also set it from here to bedside mode, which permantly displays the clock super dim, and turns off annoying notification leds.
4) Paired with my BT stereo headphones instantly. Found my home wifi network and logged on much easier than Vista.
5) Voice dialing works surprisingly well.
6) Very loud speaker for music playback with surprising quality.
7) Web browser still not as nice as iphone's, but nicer than pocket ie on windows mobile.
8) The new blackberry versions of gmail and google maps rock (I downloaded them). Maps provides fast and accurate gps location, and even includes streetview! Yahoo Go (my other main ap) however, does not yet support the Bold.
9) Users new to 3G will be surprised by how fast the battery can drain when using that connection. But the battery actually holds out on par with other 3G phones.
So, in reference to my subject showdown, I'm sure many reviews tell you that BB is for the business user and iphone for the entertainment buff. But my big beef with the iphone is the dumfounding decision they made to not support stereo bluetooth headsets, which in my opinion puts the Bold on top as a media device. What good is being able to flick through albums when your finger keeps getting caught on headphone wires? No doubt the iphone's browser is better, but the bold's is passable for a phone, and when you trade it for BB's renowned email service, I am incredibly pleased with my purchase. |
My thoughts after owning a bold for 24 hours
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| Review Date: November 11, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Joshua Willis, San Francisco, CA |
Just so you know, this is coming from a 8310 curve (and an 8300 before that, and a pearl before that, and an 8800 before that, and a 8700c before that, and a 7290 before that and a 7280 before that...)
First impressions are good. It's a very nice looking device. Screen is, as a friend put it, "AMAZING" and the overall fit and finish is top notch (except for the back, but more on that later). The interface is redone, but still feels like a blackberry. The trackball feels the same as any other blackberry, and the keys remind me a lot of the 8800. I think I like the keys on the curve better, but then I think that's just a personal preference. It has a fair heft to it, but it isn't a brick and you get used to carrying it around in your pocket quickly. Impressions seem to vary on that though, as another friend commented on it being really light to her.
The radio holds onto a 3g signal quite well, but EDGE reception is no better or worse than my old curve. The Wi-fi radio is impressive though and will pick up and attach to very faint signals. The web broswer is a much needed improvement over the blackberries of old. While no iPhone browser, it's more than capable to access info on the go, and feels pretty snappy (for a smart phone at least). Call quality seems to be pretty good. I have no complaints about it so I suppose that's as good of a review on call quality as you can get. The speaker sounds impressively nice when listening to music and videos, and the media manager is much better. This could actually function as a decent media player. Activation and syncing both seem to be considerably faster as well.
My only real complaint so far is the cheesy back. It's covered in a horribly cheap pleather that just doesn't feel right. Luckily the back comes off easily and I'm sure that there will be a wealth of aftermarket backs with any covering that you could want in a matter of months.
So all in all, I'd say it's the best Blackberry by far. If you're used to using a blackberry the upgrade is a no brainier. For an e-mail device it's hands down the best one on the market at the moment. If you're a personal user and have no interest in e-mail or tactile buttons I think the iPhone might still be the way to go, but if you actually need to use your phone for business the Blackberry is still the king of the hill. In short, I'm pleased with the Bold, and I tend to hate everything. |
Excellent Phone and Amazon
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| Review Date: November 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Metamatt, Florida |
| I highly recommend both the Blackberry Bold and getting it with service from Amazon. AT&T could not match the price and there was no trouble in setting it up with the instructions Amazon sent. After using the iPhone for two years I was tired of all the typing mistakes. The Storm was not for me. With the Bold I can keep up with emails and work on documents, etc. without all the errors of touch screen keyboards. Also iTune classical music sounds far better on the Bold than it did on the iPhone. |
I almost got an iPhone but Bold won the smackdown
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| Review Date: November 28, 2008 |
| Reviewer: A. D. Hill, |
I was brand new to the smartphone market and my primary reason was to get something that offered easy and reliable email. I asked around and everyone I knew has an iPhone. "They don't call it the Jesus phone for nothing" one friend said about the iPhone when I asked how he likes his. I did extensive research comparing the two, but I decided to go with the Bold for three reasons:
1) It supports "push" email with hotmail which is the terminology for automatic delivery so that as soon as an email arrives it immediately is viewable on your phone. "Fetch" is when the device checks the server every fifteen minutes. I forward my work email to my hotmail account and hotmail works seamlessly with the Bold via push method. With an iPhone I'd have to subscribe to MobileMe and forward my emails there if I wanted push email (at least that is how it was explained to me by a Mac rep when I called my local store.)
Here are two tips for Bold email:
Set up your email ONLINE and not through the phone itself- it did not work for me when I tried via the phone. AT&T will give you a url to manage your BlackBerry email accounts (and you can create a free email addy, too.) You can also edit your Bold email signatures online.
If you will use hotmail only the emails that go to your inbox will be viewable on your phone, but not junk or folders you created yourself. However, this is good! Personally I don't want to get every single email and have my phone constantly dinging, so I use the email filtering in my hotmail account to ensure I only get what I want on my device. Also, if you are on the road and want to check all folders, you can easily access hotmail via the web on your phone.
2) THE KEYPAD. I tried an iPhone in the store. Maybe I give "all thumbs" a new meaning, but when I attempted to type a sentence most of it was typos because if your finger so much as touches a key it types whereas with the Bold your fingers can touch other keys but only type when pressed. I asked iPhone users about this and they said "you get used to it." That didn't satisfy me. With keys so close together it seems like it would be too high maintenance. I love the ease of use of the Bold keys, and they light up from behind for easy viewing in dark places.
3) The video camera, which the iPhone does not have.
I don't want to give the impression that the Bold is just a workhorse- there are lots of toys! I live in Maine and we just hit 3G. When still on the Edge network I was able to view videos on YouTube but they were very pixilated and they kept "buffering." With 3G the visual and sound quality is really great! I can access mobile Facebook without any problems. As for general web surfing, you can enable java but you can't view flash sites, however this is true for the iPhone, too. There are preloaded games, a video camera and camera with a bright flash. Sound quality is good so you can load songs onto it from online or your desktop.
My only complaint about the Bold is the trackball while surfing the web- it is clumsy, even when I adjust the sensitivity levels! But it's not dreadful, just not smooth. However, the trackball works very well in general.
I did not get my Bold through amazon because I did not want to take the chance of having a problem and not being able to return it to a local store. I called and asked them if I was able, and they said I could, but when I called three of my local AT & T shops they said I'd have to go through amazon for any returns. Also, it wasn't clear from the verbiage on amazon that if I decided to cancel during the 30 day trial period if I would still have to pay that hefty $250 fee. I was willing to pay an extra $150 locally for the phone. However amazon is offering a great price, so it's what is most important to you.
I've had my Bold for two weeks and am very happy with it!
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Blackberry Bold items Available on eBay:
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US $12.99
