Some Blackberry upgrades have been hell and high water (BB Storm anyone?) but through it all it seemed that Research In Motion has always had a leg in a sinking ship and the other in the grave since the newest reiterations of the two powerhouse mobile OSes hit the platforms running. More people are now carrying Android and iOS devices for Enterprise than ever before. Is this the end of RIM?
Not so fast... I was given the privilege of leading a small but powerful BB Bold launch team and I couldn't have been more excited when the opportunity surfaced. I was eager with delight and joy to find out the specs and details about this mystery device. When the specs were finally released officially I had to admit I was very impressed with what was on paper. 1.2 Ghz processor? Capacitive touchscreen? NFC? New OS7? Did I mention internationally capable, too? Still, I had my doubts when I did my research on the amount of apps RIM has vs the current competition's App stores. It was going to be a hard fight for RIM to win me over. Delays, patience, and time were all I had building until that big day. I went on vacation to the West coast during the initial launch by Sprint and missed those crucial days and did my homework before getting my device in the mail.
When the day came I eagerly unboxed my device on YouTube with joy and a powerful vigor. You have to understand I haven't been inside a BB device sine the BB 7520. This was a HUGE breakthrough in terms of upgrades. This blog post isn't going to be your typical VS blog post I usually satisfy your hunger with. This is the return of the BB Bold and how it can reinvigorate your love for a BB even if RIM isn't reinvigorating their own brand.
First out the box the activation was pretty zippy as noted by the unboxing video. Right off the bat I was a little weirded out by the quirky touch pad but after a few movements through out Home Panels I got the hang off the stock sensitivity . I got started with the BB Set Up wizard. It's sort of like the Motorola Photon's Setup Wizard in concept but with a BB flair.
After setting up all my emails accounts the device downloaded all my contacts in one easy sync. Brilliant. No need for third party apps doing the job. After scoping out the stock apps that come on the device (Telenav, Twitter, Bing Search, Sprint TV, Nascar,etc) I immediately hopped into the App World to grab my necessities.
Slacker, UberSocial, Tweetcaster, Grooveshark, Yelp, Endomondo, Pandora... Wait a second... Where's Pandora? You mean to tell me there's Pandora on every single Android device but not on my brand spanking new Blackberry Bold featuring OS7 ????? After a quick Google search I learned the new OS7 version wasn't completed yet. I would have to wait.(As of this blog post Pandora is available for OS7)
After uploading the unboxing video to YouTube it was time to test everything on this device to full potential. While the experience is what you would expect on a 2.8 inch TFT (640 x 480 pixels) screen, there are some kudos to be delivered. While being small it does pack quite a resolution quality. The screen is full of clarity and punch. The videos are smooth,clear, and the 5mp camera in the back does provide a crisp picture that is far from grainy. It's nothing close to DSLR quality but if you are a on the run food blogger ( TUMBLR DROP) as I am you can handle your business in a few short moments.
The dedicated camera button is smooth like butter and the 1.2 Ghz processor boots the camera in a flash. Like all smart phones however the LED flash does more damage than good to any serious photo opportunity. The LED flash has ruined more pictures for me than helped. That's a terrible downfall on the device but the Flashlight App comes in handy when I drop my keys in the garage.
The BB App World doesn't hold a candle to the iOS App Store or the Android Market, but there are some quality free apps out there. Paying $9.99 for a theme seems ridiculous, however, when I all I need to do when I want to customize any of my Android devices is download a Free Launcher. iOs, is that you crying in the back?
I am surviving the daily tech grind with this device. The battery life is quite comparable to my previous dual core devices (EVO3D, Motorola Photon). I get a good 15 - 18 hours of medium to heavy use and 20 hours even with light use. While riding my bike I get good great signal quality in Central Texas while running Endomondo with Slacker or Pandora, respectively. The GPS lock is accurate and I get a pretty good 30 - 40 minute bike ride with no lag, signal degradation , or hand off. The battery suffers the most but it's to expected when it's only 1230 mAh.
The best feature I would have to say is the actual phone. Yes! It makes CALLS! Can you believe it? iOs is still crying in the back. Verizon iPhoners, sit back down. the call quality is absolutely wonderful. 100% loving the speakerphone and sound clarity. Even the music sounds great out these speakers. You have a built in EQ for tweaking the sound.
Can we safely assume that RIM isn't going anywhere? Only time will tell, but one thing for sure is that RIM needs to get back into the App game right now or these wonderful and highly sought devices are going to stop coming to fruition. Dropping the price on that Playbook another hundred bucks might do it too :)
Until next time....
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