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BlackBerry Bold Hands On (It's Great)
Posted by Benny Goldman at 1:41 PM on June 26, 2008
Tonight, we finally got our hands on the BlackBerry Bold, and it was worth the wait. You've already seen the UI, which yes, it's that snappy and smooth. The screen is nice 'n' crispy, if a lil' tiny for extended cinematic pursuits. But the real q: How's the browser? Damn skippy. It not only renders Giz correctly (a feat that makes most mobile browsers cry blood), it's fast (thanks AT&T), and zooming in and out with the trackball works pretty well.
Tonight, we finally got our hands on the
Smaller than the 8800, but bigger than the Curve, it feels really nice in your hand. Well, our hand. The keyboard is solid, as expected—BlackBerries live and die by the keyboard. Sweet design, more features, a great browser and the most consumer-oriented feel of any BlackBerry yet. This is the BlackBerry you've been wanting.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
athingunique
Posted 2:10 PM 26/6/08
@matt buchanan: Yeah I got it and my eyesite sucks so I'm not surprised... Screen is too small!!!!
Upgrading to 54" so I don't make these mistakes anymore.
athingunique
matt buchanan
Posted 2:07 PM 26/6/08
@athingunique: Um, it says "wanting" on my end. Check your eyes sir.
matt buchanan
athingunique
Posted 2:07 PM 26/6/08
@athingunique:
Holy Crap.
Just completely read the freaking sentence wrong!!!
Dammit Giz edit button already, or maybe just a delete button?
Sorry Benny!!!! Gizmodo Editing Team sux, we're gonna fire our own asses so you don't have to.
Now where's that rock I always crawl under...
athingunique
athingunique
Posted 2:02 PM 26/6/08
@Benny Goldman:
MS Word would say: Fragment. Consider revising.
I would say just add for.
--Your Friendly Neighborhood Gizmodo Editing Team
athingunique
wild homes has particularly attractive fries today
Posted 1:59 PM 26/6/08
Oh, have the fanboys started already? Come on, Giz, you need to send me an invite so I can read the article BEFORE the pathetic pissing matches start! Addy, Jesus, BLam, anyone?
wild homes has particularly attractive fries today
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
Posted 1:57 PM 26/6/08
That looks HAWT!!
I want 3 plz.
KThanxBai.
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
fatASCurtis
Posted 1:55 PM 26/6/08
mmmm fresh meat
fatASCurtis
Tohe
Posted 1:55 PM 26/6/08
thanks Giz, definitely holding for this one!
Tohe
devianaut
Posted 1:53 PM 26/6/08
@kumuasata: riiiiiiight.
devianaut
adamator
Posted 1:49 PM 26/6/08
I just got a curve. I like it, but I'mma miss out on the bold goodness. :(
adamator
Kanyamagufa
Posted 1:48 PM 26/6/08
@sergio_e: I'll have what he's having.
Kanyamagufa
The Magnificen7
Posted 1:48 PM 26/6/08
I dunno. That scrollwheel just feels primitive when I can just touch stuff.
The Magnificen7
kumuasata
Posted 1:48 PM 26/6/08
@ramman345:
..it's definitely much better.
There I finished the sentenced for you.
kumuasata
sergio_e
Posted 1:46 PM 26/6/08
I'll take two please. Thanks.
sergio_e
ramman345
Posted 1:45 PM 26/6/08
Well, it's no iPhone 3G but...
ramman345
LittleJon
Posted 2:54 PM 26/6/08
This is for men, while the iPhone is for boys!
(Or for women, while the iPhone is for girls!)
Having said that I might still go with the iPhone (hey, I'm still a kid at heart) as I could do with a new iPod anyway. However, the important missing features (esp. tethering) are giving pushing me towards the Bold.
LittleJon
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
Posted 2:53 PM 26/6/08
@devianaut: Got anything else to add to your comment? @ramman345: iPhone 3G how should I comment on this....3G is from as far as I can tell the same as HSPA. Same blazing speeds.
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
matt buchanan
Posted 2:36 PM 26/6/08
@athingunique: I just can't let anyone unfairly harsh on Benny Boo's carefully chosen words.
matt buchanan
altus
Posted 4:03 PM 26/6/08
Blackberry and iPhone, that is what it boils down to. Two great phones each great at what it does. That's the bottom-line and competition makes them better everyday.
The test for iPhone will be how great and unique/special the first games and applications on the App Store will be. If it is simple ports, then all the hype will mean little and RIM can eat up the market!
altus
LittleJon
Posted 4:00 PM 26/6/08
@Tohe: Not macho, just a tool rather than a toy.
LittleJon
Tohe
Posted 3:54 PM 26/6/08
@LittleJon: BOLD == super macho!
Tohe
Darkest Daze
Posted 4:51 PM 26/6/08
Very, very nice. Any word on when it's coming to Verizon?
Darkest Daze
OGHowie
Posted 4:35 PM 26/6/08
There's definitely enough market for both Apple and RIM. I think WM phones and Treos will just pick up the scraps.
OGHowie
keene
Posted 5:28 PM 26/6/08
This is what a next gen phone is suppose to be. The iPhone, even in rev 2.0, is far too primitive to be considered cutting edge. Ooh it's got a touchscreen. Who gives a shit. No MMS (still), no copy/paste (still).
Blackberry bold is what the iPhone wants to be when it grows up.
keene
Sonikku
Posted 6:01 PM 26/6/08
Erm,what? iPhone v1 shits allover the blackberry. MMS? Yeah, that was cool,except I can just email pictures on my phone.MMS is good f0r old phones that cant email. A Jailbroken iPhone whoops all over the blackberry. Hell,the screen alone makes the iphone winnar.
Sonikku
gizmofo
Posted 5:53 PM 26/6/08
oooohh, hurry up vodafone!!! can't wait!
gizmofo
Brau
Posted 6:28 PM 26/6/08
Wow! A dinosaur with a twiddle knob in the middle! Where do they come up with these antiquated ideas? Better buy one for your museum.
Brau
diesel828
Posted 6:15 PM 26/6/08
Wow, are you turds still fighting over MMS and copy/paste? Those aren't dealbreakers... clearly.
iPhone 3G will have push e-mail, wireless syncing for contacts and calendar events, Enterprise support and possibly Lotus Notes... So, how does the Blackberry one-up the iPhone? Oh yeah, it doesn't. I can type just as fast on the iPhone's touch screen as I can on my Curve. I can even type faster on the iPhone's virtual keyboard every now and then.
diesel828
bryanarr
Posted 6:35 PM 26/6/08
YEA! That BOLD is stuck in the past with its ability to do everything I need a phone to do.
bryanarr
carmen hates her meds
Posted 7:15 PM 26/6/08
....Iphone 3G?
....Blackberry Bold
....or stay with my blackberry curve...JESUS
...I need so much help :(
carmen hates her meds
SomeoneUKno
Posted 7:56 PM 26/6/08
@All: STFU about the iPhone already! Jesus, some of you people live by that fucking phone like it's your religion or something.
SomeoneUKno
Benguin
Posted 8:29 PM 26/6/08
@SomeoneUKno: I guess you're never dealt with Apple users in general then.
I say that as a Mactard myself, by the way.
Benguin
LankySean
Posted 9:41 PM 26/6/08
3 things happen every time there is news about the Bold:
1: I want one a little more
2: The iPhone fanboys come out of the wood work.
3: I get very sad because now I have to wait till mid-august to get it :(
LankySean
Luguel
Posted 11:30 PM 26/6/08
I totally agree. I don't know why they live for the phone that can't send MMS or forward text message...Anyway hehe. :-D
Luguel
MikeSWelch
Posted 12:10 AM 27/6/08
That looks like a very nice BlackBerry. What does this article have to do with the iPhone?
MikeSWelch
metaluna21
Posted 12:08 AM 27/6/08
@ramman345:
How did I know that the very first comment would be something about the iPhone? I honestly do not understand the whole "Let's compare EVERYTHING to an iPhone" mentality. Do you go out car shopping, "Well, the UI of the nav system is nothing like the iPhone so I'll pass."
If you want to compare features, that's fine, but at the same time it's a totally different phone. Apples to apples would be say the Instinct vs. iPhone. Now compare the Bold to any other smart phone out there and you have a winner hands down (i.e. Treo, Blackjack, etc).
Just my opinion, but I think my logic is spot on.
metaluna21
TheSonOfKrypton
Posted 12:42 AM 27/6/08
@carmen hates her meds: Carmen, go with the iPhone....Take it from me, you won't regret it. And if you do, within the first 10-14 days or whatever, just return the butch.
TheSonOfKrypton
tivoupgrade
Posted 12:38 AM 27/6/08
Looks good to me. I'm hard pressed to find anything that would be better than my curve, but this might just be it.
I'll consider an iphone when I want to play super monkey balls and listen to green day instead of actually getting any work done.
tivoupgrade
Onouris
Posted 12:34 AM 27/6/08
@diesel828: push and syncing with $100 a year subscription*
Onouris
carmen hates her meds
Posted 12:21 AM 27/6/08
@SomeoneUKno: Dude, why don't YOU shut the fuck up. As much as people talk about the iPhone, you assholes never shut up about people talking about the iPhone. You are no better.
carmen hates her meds
xint
Posted 12:16 AM 27/6/08
Why must you torture me soooooooo?!?!?
...want!!!
xint
Cake_Eater
Posted 12:14 AM 27/6/08
And it's not coming to Verizon till sometime later this year/early '09. Waiting for this sucker's gonna suck.
Cake_Eater
TaitRT
Posted 1:46 AM 27/6/08
My wife has a 1st Gen iPhone while I have a Nokia n82. I'm not just trying to be difficult, but I'd take my n82 any day of the week over the iPhone... If my n82 had a QWERTY keyboard it would be the one phone to rule all phones.
TaitRT
thrashanddestroy
Posted 1:20 AM 27/6/08
Agh, alright...things just became difficult after seemingly becoming easier.
Now that I've narrowed my choice from Verizon and AT&T to the latter, I just have to decide what phone I want; LG Vu which I can get soon as my Sprint contract expires next month, the Blackberry Bold later this summer, or wait for an undetermined length of time to snag the Asus-designed Garmin "Nuvifone" whenever that hits.
Sorry Giz staffers and readers, just not an Apple fan. It hurts though, the iPhone interface is just so damn pretty.
thrashanddestroy
kingzj
Posted 11:29 PM 26/6/08
@diesel828: How does the iPhone deliver push e-mail? Mobileme for $100 a year? Switch to Yahoo mail? Set up an Exchange server for myself? Why should I have to go through all that for push on an allegedly superior phone to the BlackBerry? When I take a new BB out of the box, I'm receiving my pushed e-mail in a matter of 20 minutes and without any added cost or configuration.
@Sonikku: About MMS: every person you know has a smartphone? So to send a picture to someone's "old" phone I've got to get online (which is undeniably beautiful on the iPhone, BTW) and find the server name for MMS messages. The big carriers I think we all know (vzwpix.com, mms.att.net, tmomail.net) but what about Cricket, Alltel, Rogers, Telus… I shouldn't have to set up e-mail addresses for every one of my contacts so that I can send them a MMS message. That is a glaring oversight and I honestly can't even say it's done so that Apple can make money (like they're doing with the MobileMe push mail fiasco). I have no clue why that's not included. Why include SMS then? If you can send a pic in an e-mail you can just as easily send text in an e-mail instead of a SMS.
I love the iPhone. I have a Curve with ATT and am thinking about trading it in for an iPhone 3G. The only things holding me back are push e-mail (I use Hotmail and have for about a decade so switching to Yahoo for me is a turn-off because every single online service I use is connected to my Hotmail account) and the inability to EASILY send picture messages to friends and family. That and no flash on the camera and no cut/paste, although those are not deal breakers.
kingzj
bigfartswutwut
Posted 4:42 PM 26/6/08
@OGHowie: I'm looking forward to seeing what Android brings out myself...if it ever gets released
bigfartswutwut
bigfartswutwut
Posted 4:41 PM 26/6/08
Fact of the matter is that RIM's trackball will never be as easy to navigate with as a touch screen...with that in mind, the Blackberry Thunder will probably suck because every other touchscreen iPhone knockoff still can't seem to get it just right
True, you can pack all the features you want into a phone, but if there's still more usability on a less feature-rich device (iPhone), then that will always be more important in my book
bigfartswutwut
hooked-on-tronics
Posted 2:28 AM 27/6/08
I guess the mac-sturbators weren't content with half the articles being iPhone related so they had to come rag on the Blackberry Bold. It isn't even the same type of phone. The Bold is for businessmen who need to get down to serious business. The iPhone is for people with too much damn time and money on their hands. Oh look, 3G, how cutting edge (in 2003).
hooked-on-tronics
keysereble
Posted 2:08 AM 27/6/08
@diesel828:
are u saying that mail delivery will be better than it is on blackberry?
while u type faster, is that coherent english and are you walking into streetlights and other road fixtures?
keysereble
CJCS
Posted 1:47 PM 26/6/08
Call me vain, but I don't think I would buy a Blackberry. They just look... well, ugly! I can see the advantages to the Blackberry as a professional device, but I think the iPhone has a much nicer look. Plus, I could never get the hang of the trackball.
Still, the interface looks good, and it's nice to see phones jumping on the browser bandwagin.
CJCS
Wegmans
Posted 3:14 AM 27/6/08
Your iPhones are secure though... with BBs you can remotely wipe them, and also admin them remotely. Also clearly about half of smartphone users prefer a hard keyboard, so that's why this device appeals to people. I know plenty of people with the iphone and ipod touch that HATE the keyboard... some people would switch phones completely for that... also not everyone wants to be stuck with apple's shit for life!
Wegmans
marc_wtih_a_c
Posted 4:11 AM 27/6/08
I'll be curious to see how well the activesync client works against exchange especially without a WinMO client. I wonder how well things like accepting meetings and the like will work.
marc_wtih_a_c
iSee
Posted 3:57 AM 27/6/08
This post has the MAC-n-cheese peeps all kinds of defensive! Almost like they feel physical pain when competition is besting their baby!
iSee
maven2k
Posted 4:45 AM 27/6/08
Wow, that is one sweet looking piece. Now I need to make up my mind between this one, and HTC, and an iPhone (if I don't stay with Alltel). That is not going to be a very easy decision. I like the "idea" of touch screens but the greasy fingerprints and the deathly fear of breaking it is keeping me away.
maven2k
12-Inch Idongivafuck Sandwich
Posted 4:38 AM 27/6/08
Hmmm...
I'm going to be torn between the BB Bold and the iPhone...I have a BB Pearl now that I absolutely love (probably my favorite phone I've had, and I typically buy a phone yearly)...My biggest problem is that I really like to type with one hand (with an actual keyboard), and the keyboard on the Pearl is perfect for that...so I guess we'll see if typing one handed or using a keyboard is more important to me in a couple months!
btw...don't knock the trackball if you haven't used it, it works great
12-Inch Idongivafuck Sandwich
JTH82
Posted 8:53 PM 26/6/08
Hello Giz crowd...this is my first ever post :P
Im a medical student and im about to start my clinical years. Im currently looking to buy a new phone. Can anyone give me ANY information regarding which smartphone(s) out there would be best for me? My main requirement for this phone would be for it to be compatible with various medical programs (for example the "uptodate" medical program). Obviously i would like it to be easy to use with a nice and smooth UI so that the phone doesnt add to my soon to be high level of stress. Also, i do use mac products such as the macbook (with bootcamp) and i have an ipod. Ideally id also like to combine my music player as part of my phone. So with that said the iphone quickly comes to mind. However, i do realize there might be many compatibility issues with the iphone for various non-apple programs (hence why i have bootcamp on my computer). I realize this is quite a specific question and im hoping there might be a physician or another med student out there reading this post who has already solved my problem with their own experience. Oh, ill just add that cost of the phone is not a factor. Id rather spend a lot and get something that works perfectly then save a few bucks just to find myself annoyed and frustrated using some crap product. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
JTH82
unitedskates
Posted 6:12 AM 27/6/08
This needs a Sizemodo real bad
unitedskates
brundlefly76
Posted 1:15 PM 27/6/08
I am a big blackberry fan and have the 8800. But I don't get the point of the move from full color icons to monochromatic interface at all. Seems like a step backwards.
brundlefly76