Blackberry Bold 9700 Smartphone Review From Tbreak

The original Blackberry Bold 9000 was RIM’s flagship device when it was released about a year back. Soon after, the Curve 8900 followed with a higher-res screen and double the onboard application RAM. And then came the Tour with multiple radios but that was never officially released in the UAE. However, even though other Blackberry Smartphones had technically surpassed the Bold 9000, it retained its status as THE Blackberry device. Its slightly larger size and bling factor commanded respect and that certainly helped attract attention to it.

Ironically, when I reviewed the Bold 9000, I found its size to be a too big for my linking. However, over the course of a year, I fell in love with its size- especially since it accommodated a larger sized keyboard that I still think is the best keyboard I’ve ever used on any Smartphone. With me today, I have the follow up to the original Bold- modeled as the Bold 9700 and we’re going to find out if this shiny new Smartphone can live up to the expectations set by it’s older sibling.

Like the original Bold, the 9700 is RIM’s flagship device at the moment. It features a 628MHz CPU with 256MB of application RAM, a 2.4″ screen with an HVGA+ 480×360 resolution, a 3.2 MegaPixel Camera, 3G/HSPA, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS and the new trackpad that replaces the outgoing trackball. To top it, RIM adds a new 1500mAH capacity battery which should solve one of the complains with the Original Bold.

Although the specifications have received a much needed boost, RIM has cut the size of the Bold which is a bit of a shame. The larger sized Bold with its full leather back was instantly recognizable but unfortunately, the newer Bold 9700 can easily get lost between the Curve 8520 and the Tour. Its almost identical in size to the Curve but a bit more weighty. Also, instead of the full leather back, you now have a narrow strip running vertically through the center. The smaller size also effects the keyboard- I used the device for about a week and although the keyboard is comfortable, the smaller sized keys caused me to misspell words more often than I would have on the original Bold 9000.

Don’t get me wrong- the 9700 is still an extremely sexy and good looking device. Like most Blackberry Smartphones of late, it has the Lock and Mute hidden buttons on top, a covnenience key on each side, a mini USB connector and a 3.5mm headphone output jack on the left and volume keys on the right. Like the 8520 I reviewed some time back, the side keys appear as though they’re hidden inside the rim which certainly adds to the look without taking away any of the functionality.

The speed of using the Bold 9700 is insanely fast- I did not notice any lag switching between applications even when I had about a dozen of them running in the background. The screen is also excellent. Although its a bit smaller in size than the original Bold, its higher brightness and resolution make text and pictures looks incredibly sharp. I also think the trackpad is an excellent replacement to the trackball as I had mentioned in my 8520 review and is definitely the way going forward. Sound quality on the Bold 9700, at times, sounded a bit damp to me but others had no issue with it.

The 3.2 Megapixel camera on the Bold 9700 is pretty much the same as the one found on the Storm 9520 or the Curve 8900. Its good enough for a camera phone but never expect a camera phone to replace your SLR or even a good Point and Shoot. Outdoors and with daylight, you should get decent pictures however at night or in a darker environment, even with the flash, the photographs are not comparable to a dedicated good quality digital camera. Again, this is not something restricted to Blackberry but most Smartphones have this problem.

The Bold 9700 does not come with much storage RAM like the Storm but you have a MicroSD slot under the batter cover. This is also a step back from the original Bold as you have to remove the battery cover every time you want to access your memory card. For me, this was not an issue as I’m very much a plug and forget kind of guy but for those of you that keep changing their SD slots, this could become a bit tiresome.

RIM deserves a pat on the back on the battery life on the Bold 9700. While the original Bold could barely keep up for a full day if you used the device heavily- and this seems to be the norm with many Smartphones of today, the Bold 9700 has no problems giving you two work days very easily. During the weekend, I managed to go for three days without charging the device.

In summary, the Bold 9700 is the fastest Blackberry to date offering all the features you could expect out of a QWERTY Blackberry device. While it excels the original Bold in every technical aspect, its the design of the original Bold that has somewhat left a legacy behind it which the 9700 cannot match. You’ll love the 9700 if you’re moving from a Curve but for the original Bold 9000 users, it might take some getting used to. Priced at AED 2,600/- the Bold 9700 is now available at any Etisalat store.

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Back after a hiatus.......

Storm brewing......

Brace yourselves, guys! RIM has introduced the much awaited, and arguably the best looking Blackberry so far - the Storm, its 9500 series phone, also known by its code-name, Blackberry Thunder. Among quite a few truly innovative features, its on-screen tactile feedback stands out, being a radical departure from traditional touchscreen operation, and is bound to surprise anyone who lays his hands on this handset. Very impressive indeed, considering that this is the first ever touchscreen facility introduced by RIM. During this very first instance, RIM has changed the touchscreen paradigm by widening the hitherto thin line between navigation and confirmation. Meaning, while in present touch screen phones, you use flicks to navigate a page, and a gentle tap to activate a button/key, on the Storm, the tap is used to "select". To activate a button/key, you need to click the spot !! Yes, you need to press down on the screen, like you would, a button! This concept, originally named "ClickThrough" by RIM, has recently been renamed SurePress, probably in line with their SureType keyboard.

Ok, now with the excitement having reached a crescendo, lets get down to the basics. The Storm measures 112.5 x 62.2 x 14 mm and weighs 155 g. It has 128MB of RAM, and holds 1 GB of storage memory, expandable to 8Gb via a microSD card. The quad band phone can run on GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 frequencies and is also optimized for 3G networks on HSDPA 2100. However, a rather disappointing aspect is the lack of WiFi !

Design-wise, a Left Side Convenience Key is situated on the left side of the Storm, and also a MicroUB charging port. On the right, you have the Right Side Convenience Key, along with Volume keys, as well as a 3.5mm headset jack. Additionally, the top of the phone, has 2 hidden buttons - a dedicated lock key on the left as well as the mute key on the right which can be held down 2 seconds to enter standby mode. The front of the Storm is obviously, dominated by the huge display that covers almost the whole of its front, above which is the standard ear speaker. Lined below the display are the standard Call receive/end keys, the BB menu key, and an escape key. A 3.2 MP camera is situated at the back of the phone, covered by a lens cover.
An internal accelerometer enables the phone to be used in both portrait and landscape modes. The ability to tilt right or left in order to engage the landscape mode, makes it easy for both right and left handed people to use it with ease. RIM has provided 2 typing options on the keyboard. Landscape opens up a full qwerty keyboard, while you may use the SureType keyboard in portrait position. Either way, typing is a treat. The individual letters are sizeable icons on the display, and the lighting on them when you press the keys are fantastic. However, BB users would take a while to adjust to the new keyboard setup, but once through, fingers would easily play over the phone. Again, a reduction in typing speed is inevitable, due to its SurePress feature, where each letter is a "click", meaning you wait for the screen to rebound before going on to the next letter. Even then, I believe it shouldn't pose much of a problem.

If anyone plans to check out the phone, let me know what you think.............

HTC Touch Diamond

In May this year, HTC unveiled a classy, feature-rich phone, the Touch Diamond. The handset sports a stylish geometric angled design, and fits comfortably in your hand without any compromise on functionality. The front surface is necessarily flat, and has a glassy reflective look and feel, with a round toggle button situated at its lower end.

The 480 X 640 pixel display features complete touch screen, that can be operated with a stylus. An innovative aspect here is that the stylus is magnetic and clings on to the handset, reducing the risk of losing it. The touch screen functionality is based on HTC's proprietary Touchflo 3D technology, successor to the Touchflo based UI that came with earlier versions of HTC phones such as the Dual. Finger swipes enable a user to browse through photos, menu options, and even through the browser. The central toggle button can also be rotated during browsing, enhancing web capabilities.

The Diamond can run on a 3G network and can deliver a rich internet experience to the user, with its HSDPA 7.2 Mbps connectivity. A customized Opera based, browser enables the user to zoom and pan websites and on tilting the device, its display switches from portrait mode to landscape. The various applications aboard the Diamond sit on the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional platform, that promises enhances messaging capabilities, a better inteface, and an easier email and bluetooth set up. Apart from the main processor, the device has an additional video chip that drives the TouchFlo technology. On the applications front, the device has built in GPS, Pocket Office, MP3 player and motion based games.

HTC has loaded the Diamond with 4GB of internal memory, but without a memory expansion slot, it provides no option for additional memory. However, 4GB can hold lots of songs pictures, and videos, so this should be sufficient, though 8GB has become something of a norm these days.

A 3.15 MP camera sits on the back of the Diamond. This includes an autofocus lens that ensures pictures taken are high on clarity and consistency.

The Diamond has been rated for 5 and half hours talk time and up to 285 hours of stand by time.

A very sleek and innovative device from HTC..........

Sony Ericsson Walkman - W980

Hi folks, this time, we take a look at a classy, stylish, music phone - the W980 from Sony Ericsson. The quad band handset, operating at 800/900/1800/1900 GSM frequencies, weighs around 100 gms, and measures 92 X 46 X 16.9mm, making it compact and pocket-friendly. Speedy downloads are enabled by its support for HSDPA. It has a whopping 8GB of internal memory which can house approximately 2000 average quality songs, providing you about 20 hours of music playback, but sadly, lacks an expansion slot for a microSD card or additional memory.

I particularly liked the mirrory, glassy look, and, with touch sensitive, basic music-management buttons embedded in its flap, this is clearly an innovative design from the manufaturers. It enables you to browse and select music, without having to access its menus. More importantly, an adjacent lock switch prevents the music player from skipping tracks, accidentally, when residing in your leather pouch or pocket. It is compatible with MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA and protected WMA.

The phone has a 240 X 320 pixels internal display with 256K colors, while the second external display mentioned above, has a resolution of 176 X 176 pixels. A distinct-looking feature, is the circular keys on the keypad, which have been neatly arranged, though the spacing between them could prove a disadvantage in terms of slowing down your speed of texting.

A 3.2 megapixel camera is situated at the back of the phone, which is activated using the centre navigation key on the front. However, this key is too high, and might cause a finger to accidently stray over the lens while, taking a snap. Also, the camera is pretty basic considering its lack of autofocus or flash, which is pretty disappointing.

As has been the norm with Sony Ericsson phones, there is no 3.5mm headphone socket, meaning you'll have to make do with an adapter. However, it has an integrated FM transmitter, which can stream music to your car stereo, for instance. This feature is not generally found in music phones, or in any mp3 player. The music quality is very good, with Sony Ericsson sprucing up its equalizer modes, which claims to reduce sound leakage between the left and right channels, while the Clear Bass technology clips and sharpens the bass range to minimize distortion.

All in all, an impressive music phone, though it scores some negative points with the camera and memory options. Expectations are high on the W902, which is due to release some time later this year. Lets see, how that one comes along.