With week 3 of the Smartphone Round Robin nearly over, here are the answers to your questions on the Blackberry Bold!
A lot of folks were wondering how good the screen is on the Bold and if you didn't see my reaction to it in my Video Review or in the in-depth Review, you'll get a final answer today. I'm definitely going to miss the Blackberry Bold and hope/pray for similar hardware to come to Android. Blackberry Way, Bold, RIM, whatever--it's a fine device!
Read on to see the answers to your questions on the Blackberry Bold!
Also, this is an Official Round Robin Contest Post, Comment to Win a T-Mobile G1 !— More Details Here
Jake asks Is this any different from an ordinary blackberry?
Ah, a great question to start with. The Bold's hardware is far from ordinary. Every aspect of the hardware is top-notch, from the amazingly gorgeous screen to the leather backing to even the clickiness of the buttons—the Bold screams luxury. Also, it's the first and only Blackberry to have 3G, GPS, and Wi-Fi all in one package.
But if you can look past the beauty of the Bold, I get what you're saying, it is an ordinary Blackberry—albeit an ordinary Blackberry on steroids. It's not a completely different like the Storm and though hardware wise it's a tremendous step up from a Curve, the basic Blackberry form factor remains the same.
Also, the BBOS has gotten a minimal facelift and a better browser—after that, everything is pretty much the same. I hate to call such a great device ordinary, but yeah, the Bold is an "ordinary" Blackberry.
ilikephones asks Casey, How much do you like the screen? Do you think this is a phone you could actually switch to and be happy? Does the ability to use one handed have that much of an impact on you?
I love the screen. I can't stress it enough. If you haven't seen the screen, do yourself a favor and find it now. I'm not even afraid of hyping it up too much and raising your expectations: it is THAT good.
Could I switch to this phone? Definitely. Blackberry makes things easy and manageable, and since the OS has pretty much matured you'll experience few growing pains. But would I be happy? I would be satisfied, but I'm pretty sure the Bold wouldn't excite me as much as Android or the iPhone. (Yeah, I know. What kind of guy needs a phone to excite them? That's dumb)
And yeah, you can use the Bold one handed but for me one-handed use or the lack of one-handed use is neither a deal breaker or deal maker.
Tim asks does the bold's os have any problems like the storm's os?
Not this build. I think any problems or bugs in the OS have been fixed and I haven't really experienced anything but snappiness and speediness with the Bold. I guess that makes good for Storm owners because you know that EVENTUALLY you'll get a semi-working phone.
Brian P. asks Which would you pick. Storm or Bold? How do you like the app offerings from blackberry vs. android vs. iphone?
Bold. 10 times out of 10 Bold. I never saw the appeal of the Storm. If you want to buy into the Blackberry Way, get the best Blackberry ever and a Blackberry that is built for the OS. And that happens to be the Bold.
If you want a touchscreen device—get a G1 or iPhone. I just don't think the BBOS was built for a touchscreen. My gripe with the lack of touchscreen in the Bold is more so because I wanted a complement to the trackball experience. Trackball + Touchscreen will always be greater than just a trackball, there's just no way around it.
The Android app offerings blow Blackberry app offerings out of the water. When you compare ease of getting apps, the cost of apps, and the innovation in the apps—it's really no contest. And the crazy thing? Android hasn't even been out 2 months.
Uppity Trini asks How do u feel about the messaging compared to the g1?
I think Blackberry is messaging made simple. You can fire off an e-mail, a SMS, a BBM in a moment's notice. Blackberry is undoubtedly a messaging powerhouse. The G1 is good but the Blackberry is the best.
Devonair asks Is it possible to install and run apps off of a memory card?
No, I don't think this is possible. You'll have to use the on board memory for apps instead.
matt asks 1) is this device as big as it looks? 2) what software did you miss from the g1? What software did you wish the g1 had?
Yeah, it is as big at it looks. People used to smaller devices will certainly notice the larger footprint of the Bold. I didn't find it too bothersome but I know a lot of people would prefer a smaller Curve-sized or Treo Pro-sized device.
For the software I missed from the G1? I missed the Android Market. Apps made easy should be the forthcoming theme for all smartphone platforms. I also missed the cool third party apps like Locale. What I would like in the G1? I wouldn't mind a unified inbox but then again, with the current notification setup on Android, it's not a big a deal.
Charlotte asks with a new os, how is it an improvement?
It looks a heck of a lot more modern. RIM must've realized that fonts actually matter in 2008. Thank god for that. Other than that, the browser got a much-needed update. Not sure of anything after that.
inportb asks Hm… it may not have a touchscreen, but it does have a super-awesome keypad and trackball. How does the trackball compare to the G1's?
I felt that they were exactly the same. There was no discernable difference in movements except that I feel like the Bold's trackball can get dirtier easier. One thing though, the trackball placement on the Bold is a lot more convenient for your hand.
Jlai asks What is the resolution of the screen?
480x320 of crisp, colorful, vibrant pixels.
Blueline asks I have heard you can see some sort of mesh looking design on the screen. Have you noticed this and if so what do you think it is.
Hmm. I didn't notice it before, but now that you mention it there is a slight mesh-iness to it. BB expert B1aze says it's a side effect of the theme, change your theme and you should be fine. Thanks B1aze!
