With 65,000 colors, half-VGA and 480x320 resolution its not a coincidence during testing the BlackBerry 9000 was continuously being called "bold" and "brilliant" The name stuck and the BlackBerry Bold was born.
Is it just hype or does it live up to its name? Everything is crisp and lifelike, with the color just popping out at you from the display. The screen newly designed is simply amazing. It appears to actually BE the panel, rather than underneath it somewhere. Picture clarity and viewing angle are excellent.
The BlackBerry Bold has new icons and an updated look designed specifically for the "Bold". Looking at the images you can see the BlackBerry Bold is also more elegant and sleek on the outside just screaming STYLE. The black casing is offset in a striking way by the curvy edges and chrome trim.
In terms of design and function there are many features. It is just a bit larger and heavier, yet slightly slimmer than its cousin, the BlackBerry Curve at 4.5"x2.6"x.55 and a tad under 5oz. The keyboard is a little more comfortable to use than the slightly crowded feeling keyboard on the 8800, due to some welcome spacing between the rows of keys and some type of divider.
The BlackBerry Bold supports all of the latest wireless communications technologies such as HSDPA support. This is the first BlackBerry made to use this standard and it has been something anticipated for some time - but RIM wanted to ensure that battery life could still live up to their standards while at the same time offering users this new 3.5G technology. Wi-FI (802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth 2 is included.0 support. Also built in is GPS!
The BlackBerry Bold comes with a processor which doubles the computing power of previous models. A 624 MHz Intel PXA270 processor ensure fast, smooth performance for users. There is 128MB of flash memory and a full gigabyte of onboard storage, with a microSD/SDHC expansion slot supporting cards up to 16GB.
The updated web browser included with the Bold is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessors and allows web pages to be viewed in either mobile versions of full HTML, and the trackball can now emulate a mouse, including zoom functions. This is going to be a BIG plus for most people!
As for multimedia, the smartphone has you covered. A 2 megapixel camera has built in flash, 5x zoom and video recording capabilities. There is media player software included which can play MP3, WMA, AAC, DivX4 and WMV3 files. The phone also has a headphone/external speaker jack. The built in speakers are no slouch either - they have full, rich stereo sound. This is quite a contrast to previous models.
The 9000 is expected to come out first for AT&T users, with the first featuring AT&T friendly HSDPA capabilities. Other versions will be out before you know it, says Lazaridis.
The BlackBerry 9000 will be available by summer of 2008, with pricing expected to be around 4-5 hundred.
