BlackBerry Tips

I’ve tried a few phones. I hated the Tytn II – It had a lot of potential – a Windows operating system, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and a really nice keyboard. But it was slow and crashed often. With great happiness I moved to the Nokia 97.

It was good, great keyboard, etc. and was much faster than the Tytn II. It wasn’t, however, cool enough for my kids and when Orange (yeah, that was a mess. See my Cellular Agony blog if you don’t know what I’m talking about) gave me the offer of a free iPhone 3G, I took it. Well, Orange didn’t live up to their promise and was quietly charging me a fortune, and the iPhone didn’t really live up to my expectations either. I didn’t like being limited to doing only one thing at a time, for example. I’m not hyperactive, at least I don’t think I am, but I do multi-task and the iPhone is not for those who need to be doing more than one thing at a time.

When we left Orange in disgust and went to Pelephone, I was again faced with the phone choice. I went with BlackBerry, and I’m not sorry. The BlackBerry is not a toy – it is truly an excellent business tool for communication and I’m really enjoying it.

I’m still learning my way around it, but finding tremendous help as I go along. I configured the BlackBerry to download email easily enough but then I got stuck. I get upwards of 1,000 emails a day. How do I delete them in a massive group?

No problem…there has to be a way. Almost 2,000 emails later, I wasn’t finding it. Social media to the rescue. Within minutes, I got three excellent responses showing me two ways:

    * Hold cap key and roll trackball to highlight and then hit delete key. Easy, simple, and effective for deleting a large group.
    * Highlight the date at the top of a box of messages. Select Delete Prior. This will delete all messages from that date and all prior dates.

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BlackBerry 9900 Bold Review

It feels like we have been waiting a long time since learning about this device at BlackBerry World 2011. But finally we have managed to have some hands on time with it before the launch in August.

The BlackBerry 9900 Bold is a touch and type hybrid and continues on (in terms of size) from the Bold 9000, which is still a favourite among corporate customers the world over. While the BlackBerry Torch offered both a touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, many users complained that the keys were too closely positioned together. So although the touchscreen was a nice addition, typing was a bit of a nightmare for all involved. The Bold 9900 has rectified this.

BlackBerry has really built some hype around their new device and for good reason; without doubt this device looks good, performs well and rectifies issues found in the OS6.? The Bold 9900 has a woven glass back panel which not only looks great but adds a touch of class and sophistication. The device has aluminium highlights around the edging which also add to the solid feel, and all whilst claiming the crown and title of slimmest BlackBerry device to date. You can really feel the difference when holding it, the Torch, the Curve; they all feel oversized and heavy in comparison to the 9900.

Around the edge of the 9900 you will find a slight redesign to the buttons. They are all aluminium to begin with, long gone are the nasty tacky black plastic buttons of the Torch. The screen lock button is now lowered into the aluminium casing, the media keys are positioned on the right with a Camera shutter button lower down on the same side. The left hand side is home to the 3.5mm headphone slot and the microUSB port. Around the bottom of the device you will find 2 charging points for usage with a desktop charging stand.

The woven glass back panel removes easily to reveal a slim, lightweight battery, which despite the rumours before BlackBerry World 2011, is removable. Underneath the battery is the SIM card slot and access to the microSD card slot, which is actually one of the more annoying things about the 9900 Bold. With the battery in the device it seems like you can add and remove microSD cards at will, however the battery is just a millimetre or 2 too big. Something the BlackBerry Torch and old Bold 9000 did very well was allowing access to the microSD card slot without needing to remove the battery every time. It is only a small grumble, but a grumble nonetheless.

he display on the Bold 9900 is 2.8inches, ever so slightly larger than the 9780s screen which was 2.4inches. Originally I was worried that the touchscreen would not feel natural, but after only a few minutes I felt completely at home, in fact I have found myself trying to tap the screen when troubleshooting older none touchscreen devices since. The only downside is the screen is slightly small compared to what we are used to on touchscreen mobiles, therefore it does take a little concentration to make sure you are aiming your fingers correctly.

The screen response time was impressive, and responded to my gestures without fault or error. When it comes to actually displaying icons and items on screen, the 9900 is miles ahead of any other BlackBerry on the market. It is super crisp and ultra sharp when browsing, reading emails or updating your LinkedIN status. In summary the screen is a TFT capacitive touchscreen with 640 x 480 pixels. It includes touch sensitive controls, proximity sensor for auto on and off controls and an accelerometer sensor for auto rotate.

Under the hood there is a 1.2GHz processor ensuring BlackBerry OS7 runs as it should. The processor is a step in the right direction for RIM and a huge improvement over the 624Mhz processor that was shamefully included with the 9780. I experienced very little lag when testing the device, and when I did it was whilst switching between processor hungry applications like App World, Protect and Foursquare. The sharper graphics on the 9900 Bold are highlighted by the new fresh look of BlackBerry OS7 which includes some redesigned icons and ultimately give the OS a classier, more up to date look and feel. RIM are advertising the browser on OS7 as 1.6 times faster than that of OS6, something I noticed immediately when trialling the device. The zoom was smooth and pages load quickly and cleanly with little or no lag whilst the resizing the page to fit the screen.

The QWERTY keyboard on the 9900 Bold is one of the biggest features in terms of how user friendly the device really is. It feels more spacious than the 9780 and the keys almost bounce as you select them and type out short or long messages. Even whilst typing and send lengthy emails, you wont get that nagging feeling of cramp that smaller keyboards give you.

In terms of connectivity the 9900 performs as you would expect of a flagship device. Tri-Band HSDPA 3G support, GPRS with A-GPS support, EDGE, 14.4Mbps HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n and dual-band support and not forgetting support for NFC Technology.

The 9900 Bold has some impressive specs including weighing in at 130g and is 115 x 66 x 10.5mm in size. The internal storage is 8GB with 768mb RAM. The microSD card slot can support up to 32GB cards. The camera is a 5MP with autofocus and LED flash, Geo-tagging, face detection, image stabilization and supports video recording at 720p.

Conclusion

With all the bad press surrounding RIM recently and a disappointing start to the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook, RIM needed to deliver a device that stood out from its existing line up. The BlackBerry 9900 Bold does just that. With a new look OS, speedy web browser, sleek look and feel and better performance; the 9900 is a great device to take over as the flag ship model.

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BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 vs Apple iPhone 4

We compare the Apple iPhone 4 to the brand new BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900.

Form:
BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 – 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm, 130g
Apple iPhone 4 – 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm, 137g

These two handsets could not be any more different visually, the iPhone is a looker with a design like a shard of sculpted and polished glass, meanwhile the BlackBerry has a squashed and frumpy appearance with both a screen and keyboard squeezed awkwardly into its frame.

It’s not hard to see why Apple’s designs have been so successful to the point of imitation by other manufacturers.

Winner – Apple iPhone 4

Display:
The Bold’s TFT capacitive touchscreen is a little on the dinky side of things at 2.8-inches, the resolution clocks in at 640 x 480 pixels and an impressive 287 dots-per-inch (dpi), it also uses RIM’s ‘Liquid Graphics’ technology for enhanced graphics and a more responsive touch control experience. The screen shares its space with a Qwerty keyboard and an optical track pad, and an accelerometer sensor wraps-up the list of display features.

Apple has used an LED-backlit IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen in the iPhone 4, measuring 3.5-inches with a resolution of 640 x 960 pixels at 326 dpi. It features a scratch resistant oleophobic surface designed to reduce greasy fingerprints, multi-touch, accelerometer and gyro sensors.

The iPhone 4’s screen isn’t vastly bigger than the Bold’s but it’s enough to draw and hold our attention and both the resolution and dpi are higher too. We prefer a solid keyboard but not at the expense of screen space so as the Bold isn’t sporting a slide-out version this isn’t earning it any extra points.

Winner – Apple iPhone 4

Storage:
The BlackBerry has 8GB of internal storage while processing power is boosted by 768MB of RAM and Micro SD cards are supported up to 32GB.

Meanwhile on the iPhone 4 there are options for either 16 or 32 GB of onboard storage capacity, which is much more generous than the Bold, however, things start to go a little downhill from here with 512 MB RAM and no card support.

There’s nothing wrong with 512 MB RAM but the BlackBerry simply has more to throw around and no card support for the iPhone 4 is disappointing, though not exactly surprising.

The wealth of storage space on Apple’s device is a big plus in its favour though and in our view is of primary importance when it comes to phone storage, so in this round the iPhone 4 wins.

Winner – Apple iPhone 4

Processor:
Both handsets are powered by single core processors, the iPhone 4 uses a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor on the Apple A4 chipset and paired with a PowerVR SGX535 graphics processing unit (GPU).

The BlackBerry Bold, meanwhile, runs with a more powerful 1.2 GHz Qualcomm 8655 Snapdragon.

Not only do both these phones have a decent amount of muscle but they’ve been nicely optimised with their respective operating systems too, both therefore offer silky smooth performance as you navigate round the interface and multi-tasking with a selection of apps is also well handled.

On paper the BlackBerry should win with a more powerful processor and more RAM but in actual use both deliver equally satisfactory performance and we’d be hard pressed to pick a favourite between the two.

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Verizon BlackBerry Bold 9650 Review

Coming off my 8330 I was more than excited to pick up a Tour 9630 the day it was released. I was one of a dozen or so people in line at my local Verizon store, and was in and out in a few minutes. I rushed home to get up and running on my new device. I fell in love with the higher resoution screen, keyboard and all around design. Thankfully I didn't have the trackball issues like some, but my battery door did come loose at times. I was happy to finally have the latest device on Verion's network (not such a big fan of AT&T or T-Mobile here in New Jersey).

Enter the Bold 9700. The feel of the device combined with the trackpad and overall "smoothness" just left me thinking "where is my CDMA version"? Rumors started flying, and sure enough talk of the Tour 2 popped up. Wifi and a trackpad on my Tour? Yes please. As with everyone else I was asking why Verizon didn't do it right the first time with the release of the 9630, but hindsight is 20/20. Months down the road, doubled memory, a trackpad, Wifi and a bit of rebranding leaves us with the newly released Bold 9650. Read on for my review.

Straight up out of the box you just think "Tour". The trackpad is the obvious difference, and aside from the Bold branding on the back it's the same device ... on the outside. On the inside we have juiced up memory to 512MB (in preparations for BlackBerry 6) and the addition of Wifi. The Bold 9650 feels great all around. Its a bit bigger than the Bold 9700 I've been using for the past few months, but nothing I won't be able to get used to. Holding the device is a bit different as it takes up more "hand space", but again I'll get over it. I love the 9650 keyboard (as I did the Tour) and mostly that I can get back on Verizon since the service is sooooo much better than that of T-Mobile where I live. Having the Wifi on a CDMA device is kind of a first for me since I never used a Storm2 and only rocked out the 8530 for a week or so. I was never a big believer in it in the past, but after having the Bold 9700 I really can't see myself without it. The back of the device has the large battery door, and thanfully it isn't loose and wobbly like my old Tour 9630. The site buttons and convenience keys are in the same place, with the exception of the micro USB port having dropped down a bit for some unknown reason. The placement of the port still is a mystery to me since it gets in the way if you try to type with the device plugged in.

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BlackBerry Bold 9650 (Verizon Wireless)

Verizon now offers several excellent Android smartphones, but enterprise customers may want a level of security and global roaming they can't get from the carrier's Android lineup. The BlackBerry Bold 9650 delivers. Like its brother on Sprint's network, the Bold 9650 on Verizon isn't exciting. But even if it feels like last year's smartphone, all of the Bold 9650's parts work with precision, and it's a pleasure to use for business.

Design and Call Quality
The Bold 9650 measures 4.4 by 2.4 by 0.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.8 ounces. It's made of a pleasing combination of matte and glossy plastics. The small 2.4-inch screen sports 480-by-360-pixel resolution, but still displays just 65K colors. The QWERTY keyboard is one of the best on the market. It features perfectly sculpted keys, a sensible arrangement, and just the right amount of resistance while typing. The sensitive trackpad was easy to use in testing. It should last for the life of the device, unlike the trouble-prone trackball of years past.

The Bold 9650 is a dual-band EV-DO Rev A (850/1900 MHz), quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), and single-band HSDPA (2100 MHz) device. That makes it a true world phone that hits high-speed data networks both here and overseas, including Europe and China. This is a big deal for globe-trotting executives. The 9650 connects calls over CDMA in the U.S., and on foreign GSM networks. The phone also includes 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, as well as the same 528MHz processor found in last year's Tour 9630.

Call quality was excellent overall, with a warm, full tone in the earpiece. Reception was solid, and transmissions were clear in both directions. Calls also sounded fine through an Aliph Jawbone Icon ($99, ) Bluetooth headset, and voice dialing worked fine over Bluetooth without training. The speakerphone was loud and powerful. Battery life was solid at 6 hours and 41 minutes of talk time.

Messaging and Apps
There's nothing tremendously new about BlackBerry OS 5. In fact, the screen, icon arrangement, and bundled apps recall the original BlackBerry Bold 9000 from two years ago. RIM has promised a BlackBerry 6 upgrade for the Bold which would add many new features, but they haven't committed to a firm date, and we don't like recommending products based on vaporware.

The Bold delivers push e-mail for up to 11 accounts, including from Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. You can't sync Exchange contacts or calendar without a BlackBerry Enterprise Server setup, though. Verizon throws in IM clients for Google Talk, AIM, MSN, and Yahoo, and there's always BlackBerry Messenger.

Like all recent BlackBerrys, the Bold 9650 can view and edit Microsoft Office documents with its included DataViz Documents To Go suite. The included Web browser was still slow and error prone, though it's not as bad as before. We prefer the alternative Opera Mini and BOLT browsers. For GPS, VZ Navigator delivers voice-enabled, turn-by-turn directions for $9.99 per month. BlackBerry Maps and Google Maps both do the same thing without voice prompts for free. Verizon V CAST with Rhapsody offers streaming video and music options.

Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions
BlackBerrys are pretty solid media devices, and the Bold 9650 is no exception. The microSD card slot underneath the battery cover works with 32GB cards; my 16GB SanDisk card worked fine. The battery cover is easy to remove, and the slot is the newer, spring-loaded kind that should hold up over the long haul. Music tracks sounded punchy and clear over Motorola S9-HD ($149.99, ) Bluetooth headphones. The player was easy to use and displayed large album art graphics. The new BlackBerry Desktop 6 works with PCs and Macs, and does a surprisingly good job of syncing your media, including iTunes playlists. Verizon's Rhapsody software syncs subscription music with PCs, for Rhapsody subscribers. Standalone videos looked sharp, bright, and colorful, though the small screen may put some viewers off.

The 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera includes an LED flash. Test photos were sharp, with natural lighting and color balance. One quirk: in one particularly bright room, all test photos came out tinted pink. Outdoor pictures looked sharp, and the LED flash was one of the brightest I've tested. Recorded 480-by-352-pixel videos looked dim but smooth at 24 frames per second; fortunately, you can kick the LED flash on as a light for video recording if necessary.

All told, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 is a solid value, even if it's not groundbreaking in any way. It's the perennial safe smartphone purchase for business travelers, especially when combined with Verizon's solid voice and data network. Owners of existing BlackBerry Curve phones will want to jump up for the much better screen, but owners of Tour 9630 phones can hold off on upgrading until their trackballs break or until they see BlackBerry OS 6 appear here.

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Hands On Review of the Sprint BlackBerry Bold 9650

The launch of the new BlackBerry Bold 9650 has been highly anticipated among the CDMA users on CrackBerry. The day has finally come where the masses can now add this new BlackBerry to their mobile communications arsenal.

The Bold 9650 was announced at WES 2010 to be launching on Sprint starting on May 23rd. However we have known about the existence of this device for quite some time. Just a few days ago, Sprint upped the ante with its users and launched the device one week early via online sales. Many happy CrackBerry readers were able to order their new device and will have it in their hands before it actually hits the stores. The question that lingers in my mind is why did Sprint move up the launch date? Are they worried about sales of the Bold 9650 with the impending release of the HTC EVO? I guess only time will tell, but from my viewpoint, this is one awesome BlackBerry.

Keep on reading to get my full thoughts.

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FNB app now supports Blackberry Curve and Bold

FNB has announced that their new ground breaking application is now available for download on the majority of BlackBerry smartphones, including popular handsets like the BlackBerry Curve series and BlackBerry Bold series.

Research In Motion's BlackBerry Bold 9000 (image: RIM)

Farren Roper Head of Products and Markets at FNB Connect says “We launched our App with touchscreen BlackBerry smartphones and had an overwhelming response from keypad device customers to make the App available to them as well. We are proud to be in a position where we cover both touchscreen devices as well as keypad devices.”

FNB has also collaborated with Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry solution, to include the FNB App as a free download to FNB customers using BlackBerry smartphones.

BlackBerry smartphone users will not incur a data charge when using any of the value added services or performing banking transactions on the FNB App.

Roper adds “At FNB we are always looking for innovative ways of bringing down our customers data costs. The BlackBerry application is just another way of making access to our proprietary platforms easier and more cost effective for our clients.”

In addition to BlackBerry smartphones, the FNB App is also available to iOS (Apple) and Android users using Motorola, HTC and Samsung to name a few. FNB has indicated that Nokia Symbian is on the way soon.

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BlackBerry Bold 9650 “Essex”

Shortly following the launch of the BlackBerry Tour, after the complaints of a buggy trackball and lack of Wi-Fi had gushed over the blogs and forums, Sprint confirmed that there would be an updated version of the Tour that would have Wi-Fi. As it turned out, the optical trackpad that was introduced around the same time in the BlackBerry Curve 8530 would also be included in the refresh. The trackball was notoriously unreliable on the Tour, and no doubt those who had wrestled with it were eager to find an alternative.

A little under a year later, Sprint’s promise came to fruition. RIM announced the Pearl 9100 and Bold 9650 at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium this April, finally offering a CDMA BlackBerry that could properly compete with the latest Bold available on GSM carriers, currently the 9700. The most notable addition that gave the 9650 an edge over the 9700 was doubled application memory (256 MB to 512 MB). Was there a lot riding on such a cold, hard statistic, were there any more substantial difference between the two, or are they really more or less the same, just built for different wireless standards? The BlackBerry Bold 9650 is out on Sprint and Verizon, so discriminating buyers may want some answers.

Hit the jump to find them.


Pros

    * Responsive and reliable trackpad
    * Mammoth application memory
    * Excellent display, as always

Cons

    * Long-overdue
    * Single sound port produces uneven sound
    * Little consumer appeal

Hardware

The casing is identical to the Tour 9630, aside from the replacement of the trackball with a trackpad, so not much new there. Size-wise, that’s just a big bigger than the 9700. There’s the same Bold-style keyboard with fretted spaces between each row, single sound port on the left side, and a unified mute/lock key on the top. Let’s take a looksee at the specs.

    * 112 mm x 62 mm x 14 mm, 136 g
    * 2.4″ 480 x 360 (HVGA) display
    * 512 MB of RAM, 528 MHz processor
    * 1400mAhr battery – 13 days standby, 5 hours talk
    * GPS, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1
    * Quad-band EDGE, single-band HSPA, dual-band EV-DO Rev. A
    * 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, 2 x digital zoom

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I found the trackpad on the Bold 9650 exceptionally responsive and smooth, even versus other trackpad-toting BlackBerrys. It worked just fine in direct sunlight, which is usually a big problem for those kind of sensors. I still find the top-mounted lock/mute keys a little too easy to accidentally press, but at this point, RIM seems dedicated to consistently keeping them there.

Overall, the build quality is stable. The battery door is in the same style as the old Tour (including the latch mechanism), but they swapped out the glossy texture for a matte plastic matching the main body, and a new ridged texture for the center. Scratch at it, and in no time you can be the office’s resident irritating DJ.

Software

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 runs OS 5.0, which includes a variety of new features, like e-mail flags, distribution list sync, and a mix of aesthetic and practical updates. By default, the UI is a pretty standard grid, which you navigate with the trackpad, and access functions through the menu key (to the left) and the back key (to the right). There are plenty of themes out there to change the layout, colour scheme, fonts, and generally offer a more colourful ride.

BlackBerry remains an efficient, if sometimes stark experience. Third-party application selection in the App World feels a little limited compared to Android sometimes, and iPhone often, but Google has managed to get most of their major products on BlackBerry, which usually rank high on usefulness and polish. GPS is always helpful, and RIM has their own BlackBerry Maps app which is easy on the bandwidth, but light on the features – get Google Maps for Mobile instead. Official RIM apps for social networking and instant messaging tend to be well done, and integrate with the native messages and address book apps.

Now, the big selling point with the Bold 9650 is the 512 MB of app memory. It’s the first BlackBerry to dial up memory that high, and it is an absolute godsend. My daily driver is the Bold 9000, which is stuck with 128 MB of app memory – an amount you have to judiciously monitor or suffer regular waits while the OS scrambles to make room after downloading everyday files like web pages, e-mails, and the like. In that way, app memory is about more than simply how much software you can cram onto your smartphone, but also how much wriggle room it has to function. I’m happy to say that with the Bold 9650, I was able to load up all of the apps I needed, even the ones that I had tearfully cast aside on my 9000 in order to simply function, and still have room leftover for the BlackBerry to do its thing. I haven’t spent much more than a week with devices that had 256 MB, but they mostly made memory a non-issue; at the 512 MB mark, the situation is altogether luxurious. Most future BlackBerrys, including the next GSM Bold and the upcoming 9800 slider will be meeting this standard, though lower-end BlackBerrys, like the Curve 9300 “Kepler” will sit at 256 MB for the time being.

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BlackBerry Bold 9900 review

Another BlackBerry out of RIM? We might as well consider them done and finished. Or should we? With a brand new take on BlackBerry hardware and an improved and enhanced operating system in BlackBerry 7, RIM hasn’t been sitting still. I have been using a BlackBerry 9900 for over a week, and as a reformed BlackBerry addict, I have some thoughts on this latest flagship smartphone out of Waterloo. Is this the device that’s going to save RIM? Is this the phone that’s going to make iPhone and Android users switch to a BlackBerry? Can RIM finally compete in the smartphone arena? Will it take RIM 9 months to make a BlackBerry 9900 in white? Is Will.i.am going to haunt me for eternity? Hit the break to find out. (And I sure as heck hope not on those last two.

Hardware / Display

RIM is no stranger to the hardware game, having been major smartphone vendor to really control the entire end-to-end hardware and software experience. Every BlackBerry release seems to show a constant trait — that RIM continues to improve its manufacturing capabilities — and the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is no exception. In fact, this is the finest hardware ever to come out of Waterloo (or Mexico, or Holland, or wherever your phone is made). From the beautiful black fascia to the stainless steel bezel surrounding the top notch components, to the soft-touch finished, carbon-fiber-laced back cover, this is a BlackBerry that exudes quality, and one that any executive would be proud to have grace his or her desk. The high quality materials RIM is using on the BlackBerry 9900 are apparent, I only wish the company would have made the switch sooner. It’s the first time metal has made an appearance instead of plastic, and it’s the first time I can remember a BlackBerry not feeling hollow, but feeling like a solid high-end product.

Starting on the front of the device, you’ll see a pure white color accent scheme for the first time ever — even the send and end phone buttons are colorless, and it really works. While RIM isn’t a company that is known for focusing on design identity, or even obsessing over little details, the company makes the personality of the Bold 9900 come alive, and it meshes beautifully. Even the symbols on the keyboard aren’t a different color (they used to be red), but this new straight-forward color palette really works for me.

On the top of the phone you’ll find a screen lock/unlock button. On the right side there’s a volume up button up top, a mute key in the middle and a volume down button — all made out of metal, I might add. Below that you’ll find the camera shutter key. On the bottom of the phone you’ll see two charging contacts for compatibility with RIM’s charging docks, which not only makes a great alarm clock stand, but also reduce wear and tear on the microUSB port. It would have been great to see RIM take this one step further and use a similar technology for USB syncing as well, though it’s not that big of a deal. On the left of the Bold 9900 you’ll find a microUSB port, and 3.5mm headset jack.

Something I’d like to point out is that the thinness of the Bold 9900 is very competitive. At around 10mm thin, it’s impressive. For a device with a capacitive touch display, full size QWERTY keyboard — the best in the business — and technical specifications that bring the once stone-aged company into a near-competitive area, the Bold 9900 is an engineering feat, and one RIM should absolutely be proud of. Something RIM shouldn’t be proud of? The fact that the company didn’t include an autofocus camera in the Bold 9900. It would be comically funny if it weren’t a real sign of how RIM actually thinks — who needs an autofocus camera when we can make the phone thinner!

The display on the BlackBerry 9900 is excellent. It’s the first higher resolution device out of RIM, featuring a 640 x 480-pixel panel. While that’s not up there with Retina and qHD displays, the 2.8-inch touch screen on the Bold 9900 looks absolutely beautiful. It’s bright, it’s vivid, it’s crisp — this is an amazing display. Touch sensitivity and performance on the 9900 is also excellent, with touches being recognized immediately, swipes performing correctly, and flick and pinch gestures working properly in the web browser. It’s so good that it almost makes you forget that RIM is responsible for releasing the BlackBerry Storm. Almost.

RIM even went step further with outfitting all of its high-end devices with NFC capabilities, and even though the NFC functionality isn’t being used in the Bold 9900 at release, the engineering that went into the effort hasn’t gone unnoticed. The NFC chip is built into the battery cover with contacts that connect only when the cover it attached to the phone, and it’s just an ingenious integration; it makes you wonder why other manufacturers haven’t taken this approach.

Keyboard

Let’s just get this out of the way… the keyboard on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the best physical keyboard on any smartphone, ever. I went there. It’s not just spacious, it’s tactile and it features the perfected RIM layout. It’s clickity, but not mushy, and it’s firm but not too firm. It’s also properly sized without being too big to type quickly — in short, it’s the best physical keyboard I have ever typed on as far as a mobile device goes. From currency symbols to exclamation points, the keyboard and keyboard layout on the BlackBerry 9900 is the best in the business. Even the backlighting on the keyboard is nothing short of glowing. Literally.

BlackBerry users will feel right at home, and it’s a refreshing change from the many terrible soft-keyboards out there. With that said, soft keyboards have an advantage in a couple of places, but if you’re a texter, a hardcore emailer or one of those old school individuals who just can’t make the switch to a touch-only smartphone, this is the best you’re going to get; and it’s really not even open to debate.

OS

BlackBerry’s latest operating system, BlackBerry 7, isn’t a drastic change from the previous operating systems out of RIM. In fact, at the very basic level, it’s the same. Sure there are some different APIs and enhancements but at the end of the day this is, at the core, the same BlackBerry that you’ve been used to using.

That’s not to say RIM hasn’t made improvements in different areas of the operating system. In fact, sources close to me have touted the fact that RIM has been able to strip bloated code from the OS in various places, undoing years of bandaging and complexity — and it does show. Coupled with a reasonably fast 1.2GHz single-core processor, the software on the BlackBerry runs extremely fast. There aren’t many slow-downs, and the dreaded BlackBerry spinning clock hasn’t made very many appearances on my 9900s.

With that said, the app game on BlackBerry devices is nothing short of a joke. App World is a joke. Third-party applications are a joke. User interfaces are a joke. This is a phone still primarily based on what corporate users of the past once wanted: the best email device in the world coupled with pretty solid personal information management like contacts, calendar, tasks and more. Unfortunately, that’s not enough in this day and age to move the needle, and the dated software and operating system show.

While something like web browsing, now based on WebKit, has improved, it’s still a ways off from competitive offerings from Apple and Google. Photo and video manipulation still feels like a struggle on the BlackBerry Bold 9900, even with a 1.2GHz processor. Scrolling is faster than on any other BlackBerry smartphone, though there are still random slow-downs and hiccups, something hopefully fixed when the company finally transitions to its QNX-based OS in upcoming devices next year.

Phone / Speakerphone / Audio

Voice calling on the Bold 9900 was a pretty solid experience. BlackBerry smartphones have been known for their superior RF performance and their ability to serve up solid connections, and the BlackBerry 9900 is no different. The device easily rivaled Apple’s latest smartphone and Google’s latest Nexus device in that department. As far as the ear speaker goes, however, calls sounded a bit shallow and lacked a low-end that is typically found on most top-tier smartphones.

The speakerphone on the BlackBerry 9900 is above average, though it also lacked the low-end response users look for in a high-end smartphone. Audio was even a bit choppy at times when using the speakerphone function, which was a pretty big disappointment. The sound just isn’t full, and the distortion compounds matters.

Playing back audio through the built-in speaker exhibited the same issues that the speakerphone did — the low-end was lacking, though mid and high-end performance was on point with other competitive devices. Max volume is also a bit lower than I was hoping, though the phone performed reasonably well with all things considered. After all, it’s not like it has Beats audio built in.



Battery

Battery life has been one of RIM’s strengths over the years, and that doesn’t change too much on the BlackBerry Bold 9900. While the battery is noticeably smaller than previous RIM devices (1,200 mAh compared to 1,500 mAh), and even though the processor speed has nearly been doubled,  I haven’t noticed that much of a difference as far as battery performance is concerned. That’s pretty impressive considering some phones can’t last an entire day, and the BlackBerry Bold 9900 has been able to power through almost two full days of on and off usage in my testing; again, this is quite impressive when you take the faster processor and smaller build into account.

With constant emailing, moderate Facebook and Twitter usage, light web browsing and light voice calling, the BlackBerry 9900 chugged along for nearly three days — a ridiculous feat.

Conclusion

RIM’s BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the company’s best BlackBerry ever. It combines everything a BlackBerry user and fan used to beg for into one incredible package. A touchscreen with amazing full QWERTY keyboard, an incredibly thin and solid hardware shell with high-end finishes like a stainless steel bezel, meshed with a soft touch rubberized finished backside, complete with carbon fiber insert, make for an almost irresistible offering.

With an improved and enhanced operating system that is speedier than any previous version, this could be the total package you’re looking for in a smartphone. Unfortunately, it’s still a BlackBerry, and outside of the core areas where a BlackBerry still offers a competitive advantage like email, for instance, I don’t see a reason to pick this smartphone over an iPhone 4 or one of the latest Android handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S II or Google’s Nexus S. There will always be a market for the current incarnation of BlackBerry smartphones, but that market is shrinking daily and RIM’s QNX-based mobile devices can’t come soon enough.

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Blackberry 9900 Starts Appearing In Stores, Are You Interested?

While Blackberry is arguably fighting for it’s place in the smartphone world the Blackberry Bold 9900 is the latest in its salvo against the onslaught of Android, Windows Phone 7 and iOS devices. While I think it’s safe to say that almost no one expects the Blackberry 9900 to help return Blackberry to its former glory, Blackberry still has a loyal and core audience that will welcome this device with open arms.

Thanks to a few ninjas we’ve got our hands on a few high-res images of the Blackberry Bold 9900 in the wild, dummy device and packaging. So have a quick look at the gallery below and take in the high res shots, the blurry shots and the images in-between. The Blackberry Bold 9900 will be available on August 31st for $299.99 after a $50 mail in rebate. Which is ridiculous pricing but hey forget all that for a minute and check out the pretty pictures.

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Why BlackBerry 9900 is dead in the water

RIM announced the upcoming launch of the BlackBerry 9900 series at BlackBerry World 2011 in Orlando this week with the 9900 being the HSPA version and the 9930, its CDMA cousin.

The BlackBerry 9900 series are evolutionary devices for RIM and look like you’ve seen them already. As a matter of fact, a 1st generation BlackBerry Bold could easily be mistaken for this new device before looking under the hood.

The new BlackBerry 9900s come with a new operating system (OS 7) from RIM and unfortunately it’s not the OS that we were hoping to see.  Before we get into the details of OS7 let’s take a look at the BlackBerry  9900s, if you care to know a bit more about what this device has to offer.

So here’s a quick breakdown on the specs of the BlackBerry 9900

   1. 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm, approximately 130 g (Same dimensions basically as the BlackBerry Bold, just slightly thinner)
   2. 2.8″ capacitive “touch screen display” – VGA (640×480), 287 dpi resolution
   3. Ultra-easy QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad
   4. 1.2 GHz Processor
   5. 8 GB on-board memory, plus microSD slot supporting up to 32 GB cards
   6. NFC technology (This will allow you to make purchases with your phone one day soon – perhaps, or pair your device with an accessory to interact in some way)
   7. 5.0 MP camera, supports 720p HD video recording
   8. Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), Digital Compass (Magnetometer), Proximity Sensor
   9. Built-in GPS / aGPS
  10. Dual-Band Wi-Fi® – 802.11 b/g/n at 2.4 GHz and 802.11 a/n at 5 GHz
  11. Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support
  12. 1230 mAh removable, rechargeable battery
  13. BlackBerry 7 OS

So we can deduce from RIM’s roadmap that this new operating system will only be available for a relatively short period and one must wonder if purchasing this device is even worth it.   The fact that RIM released this device is a testament to the fact that the QNX platform for smart phones is still a year away. 

It is also important to note that current BlackBerry OS6 users will not be able to upgrade to this new operating system.  Sorry, BB Torch users.

This platform is clearly a stopgap on a deadend operating system for a device that is evolutionary to say the least.  The BlackBerry 9900 won’t win any awards for innovation or style but I suppose it’s an improvement on what we have to come to know and expect from RIM.  I don’t know about you but I would definitely pass on this device. What’s your take? Will you pass as well?

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BlackBerry 9900 "Pluto" spotted in leaked Rogers documents?

What's this little gem? According to a confidential / potentially dubious Rogers document landed by CrackBerry, it might be the BlackBerry 9900 -- or Pluto for you codename-loving types. Interestingly enough, this devices happens to look just like a Storm / Bold / 8900 Franken-Berry that we first caught wind of in October, packing a full QWERTY and a SurePress touchscreen like the one found in the Storm. We can't say for sure this is anything more than a clever Photoshop -- and that little "see page 99" bit on the bottom seems a bit too convenient of a number for our tastes. The trackball's noticeably absent from the four main navigation buttons, so we're already getting a little afraid of having to retain our BrickBreaker skills, but if any of you RIM insiders want to send over photos, video, or even the device itself before the "Late Q3 2009" presumed release timeframe, we'd be mighty glad to be proven wrong.

Update: Like they say, when it rains, it pours. CrackBerry just posted another purported shot, but the possibility of this being real is highly unlikely. Apparently, the mic hole in the original pic is a clear sign that this is just a 'shopped 8800 -- and now in this latest "leaked shot," it's gone. So, chalk another one up for those crazy jokesters that have a little too much time on their hands, because it looks like this one was a bit too good to be true.

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Preberry : Premium Blackberry Curve 8900 Themes Released

Do you need blackberry curve 8900 themes? dont worry, today, preberry premium themes has release just for 5 dollar.You can get much more feature of this themes, here is complete feature


* From The Sferical Design Team

* Dedicated Shortcuts To Settings And Connection Manager

* Today Plus Area Displays Information On The Home Screen

* 6 x Customizable Icons On The Wave Launcher Hidden Dock

* Plus An Extra Customiazable Icon With Is Perfect For A Weather App


* Wallpaper Friendly Home, Application & Lock Screens
* Crisp, Custom, Exclusive Icon Set
* Custom Menus and Dialogs
* Unique Background Screens Throughout The PreBerry Theme
* All New Iconset Especially Designed To Emulate What We Know Of The Pre So Far
* Updates Promised As New Information Comes Out On This Great Looking Device
info

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GPSLogger : GPS Application for Blackberry

GPSLogger is a blackberry freeware that records your GPS location on your BlackBerry, including elevation and speed. Additionally, GPSLogger is able to guide you to a previously recorded location using the “Guide me Home” feature.

Core features of GPSLogger include:

    * Record your movement over time.
    * Displays longitude, latitude and accuracy for longitude and latitude values.
    * Displays number of satellites.
    * Displays current altitude (in WGS84).
    * Gives current course/heading as well as current speed.

This application also has a variety of views available:

    * Path View: Display the traveled path in a x/y coordinate system (2D-View).
    * Elevation View: Display the change of altitude over time.
    * Speed View: Display the change of speed over time.
    * GPS View: Display Longitude, Latitude, Heading and Speed in a large font (e.g. for own navigation).
    * Timing View: Display elapsed time, current speed and Ø speed in a large font (e.g. for runners and cyclists).
    * Compass View: Display the current heading in a nice compass view (OS4.6+ only).
    * Direction View: Shows an arrow/line that points into the direction of loaded location (according to your current heading).

Download your free copy of GPSLogger for BlackBerry using the following links based on your OS.

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How to Upgrade Blackberry OS

These steps will guide you to upgrade your blackberry OS. just follow it.
1. Download and install to PC the latest version of Desktop Manager from here: ( BlackBerry Operating System Downloads )

2. Download the new OS you want and install it to the PC

3. Open Desktop Manager and do a complete backup of your current device.

4. Delete the vendor.xml file located in c:\program files\common files\research in motion\apploader

5. Plug in BB and open Desktop Manager

6. Select Application Loader

7. You will be prompted to upgrade

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Access Gmail from Blackberry is Easy Job

There's a new push purveyor on the mobile scene, come to show the competition what's what -- despite being completely dependent on that competition, at least for the moment. Hot on the heels of RIM adding a push API, Google is enabling some BlackBerry users to get their Gmail and Google Calendar goodies shoved straight to their handsets. However, there are a number of shortcomings here that make this addition somewhat limited in usefulness.

For one thing users have to be connecting to BlackBerry Enterprise Server instances, and furthermore those instances have to be backed by Microsoft Exchange. Additionally, only 250 users per Enterprise Server instance can get their mobile Gmail on, changes made to appointments on a handsets cannot be pushed back to Google Calendar, and to top it all off searching for Gmail messages still requires a separate app. Updates and improvements are coming, but until then it's caveat emailor.

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Gmail Mobile for Blackberry Download

I found out that Blackberry can now be able to check email on Gmail, by using Enhanced Gmail Plugin for Blackberry. The application support Blackberry Bold, Curve, Storm, or Tour. The new enhanced Gmail plugin features add and remove label or stars, report spam email messages, perform local and remote searches, archiving emails, view threaded emails.

Although this is a good plugin, the synchronization is only one way, meaning that it can only communicate from BlackBerry to Gmail web interface.

Download Enhanced Gmail Plugin for Blackberry

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Paypal Mobile for Blackberry Download

PayPal has launched its mobile application called “Send Money” for BlackBerry smartphones, which let users to send money quickly, check for PayPal account balance and history of transaction right from the phone.

PayPal mobile “Send Money” application is now available as a free download through BlackBerry App World in Canada, USA, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Portugal and Australia. The application also available for Android platform and iPhone, enables PayPal to be on your palm while you are on the go.
download now

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Indonesia will stop blackberry service

Indonesia Communication and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring reiterated for Research In Motion (RIM) as a provider of BlackBerry services in Indonesia to immediately block pornographic content.

"Within a few this week, RIM should have closed the pornographic site content or if not, we will close," said Tifatul after inaugurating the first echelon Ministry of Communications and Informatics (Kemkominfo) in Jakarta on Friday (07/01/2011).

According to him, closing it will be done if the rim does not abide by and comply with legislation that has been prevailing in Indonesia. He also stated, that there are a number of service operators in Indonesia have also been informed about it and not objected.

Earlier, Minister of Communication has also threatened to shut down RIM's service is on August 31, 2010. "We've called RIM is already working with six operators in Indonesia," said Tifatul in Jakarta, at the time.

He said, if it turns out Internet porn content is still accessible via the BlackBerry, it will clearly give warning to the smart phone manufacturers. Blocking porn sites, according to the Minister, is the mandate of Law Number 44 Year 2008 on Pornography, in particular Article 18 and 19.

Article was essentially mandates that the government has the authority to terminate the network creation and dissemination of pornographic products or services, pornography, including the blocking of pornography over the Internet. "RIM must obey the rules, if not, it means they are breaking our laws," he said.

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