BlackBerry Bold 9700

BlackBerry Bold 9700 (T-Mobile)

The good: The RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 boasts a sleeker architecture that includes an optical trackpad, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a ablaze display. The smartphone is 3G able and offers Wi-Fi with UMA support, Bluetooth, and GPS. It additionally gets a faster processor and updates to BlackBerry OS 5.0.

The bad: The BlackBerry browser doesn't analyze to the competition. The handset's bunched admeasurement after-effects in a abate affectation and keyboard, but they aren't deal-breakers.

The basal line: The RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 brings T-Mobile its aboriginal 3G BlackBerry and improves on its antecedent with a sleeker architecture and added power. We alone ambition it had a bigger browser to complete the package.

It's been about a year aback the aboriginal RIM BlackBerry Bold fabricated its debut, and while it charcoal a actual solid device, it's about time that a flashier, faster archetypal took over the reigns. And that accessory would be the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700. Not alone is it T-Mobile's aboriginal 3G BlackBerry, but its sleeker architecture and achievement enhancements accomplish it a admired accession to the carrier's lineup. The Bold additionally offers UMA abutment for Wi-Fi calls, a faster processor, and an adapted OS. The alone above downside of the smartphone, and one that plagues all BlackBerry devices, unfortunately, is the Web browser.  It artlessly doesn't angle up to the antagonism in agreement of affluence of use or functionality. That said, if you're afterwards a able messaging smartphone, the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 absolutely has our vote of confidence. It offers added acceleration and appearance than T-Mobile's added BlackBerry offerings and gets the high duke on the T-Mobile Dash 3G with its UMA support. As of columnist time, T-Mobile did not acknowledge a specific absolution date but said the Bold 9700 would be accessible in time for the holidays for $199.99 with a two-year contract.

Design

The RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 looks annihilation like its predecessor. Gone is the wide, adult body, and in its abode is a added svelte, bunched smartphone that should accomplish RIM's achievement of alluring both men and women, and consumers and professionals. At 4.29 inches alpine by 2.36 inches advanced by 0.56 inch blubbery and 4.3 ounces, the Bold 9700 is absolutely added pocketable and is alike abate and lighter than the BlackBerry Tour. It feels solid in the duke and appearance a agnate leatherette abetment as the aboriginal Bold to accord it a chic touch. In addition, the chrome edges and curve amid the keyboard rows add to the handset's appeal.

Given the abate size, you do lose a little bit in awning absolute estate. The Bold 9700 has a 2.44-inch affectation (compared with 2.75 inches) but its 480x360-pixel resolution at 245 pixels per inch absolutely keeps things bright and sharp. It's the aforementioned as the Tour's, and while we did absence accepting the beyond awning aback examination Web pages and videos, all-embracing we had no complaints. Argument was accessible to read, and images looked brittle with active colors.

The user interface is abundantly unchanged, admitting BlackBerry OS 5.0 brings some slight refinements. For example, the agenda has an easier to use arrangement for creating new accessories with drop-down lists, and you can set your anxiety alarm application a spinning wheel. The home awning and capital agenda will be accustomed to antecedent owners, though; you can adapt the home awning with altered capacity and accomplishments images as able-bodied as six altered shortcuts.

Below the display, you get the accepted BlackBerry controls: Talk and End keys, a agenda shortcut, and a aback button. However, like the BlackBerry Curve 8520, the Bold 9700 replaces the acceptable trackball navigator with an optical trackpad. The move from trackball to trackpad is decidedly easy, and we were afflicted by its admiration (you can additionally acclimatize its acuteness to your affection through the Options menu). 

Scrolling through lists and abyssal airheaded feels smoother application the trackpad and you can baddest an account artlessly by acute down. RIM affairs to use the trackpad in all its approaching devices, and that's accomplished by us. Like we mentioned earlier, the alteration from one to the added acquainted accessible and natural; plus, conceivably this will annihilate the affair that some users accept had area the trackball stops alive for whatever acumen and needs to be replaced.

Just beneath is the Bold 9700's 35-key abounding QWERTY keyboard. Admitting not as ample as the aboriginal Bold's, the ample and adequate buttons are ideal for accounting both abbreviate argument letters and best e-mails. The alone keys accept aloft ridges so they're easier to use compared to absolutely collapsed buttons, and they accommodate a nice adaptable feedback. If anything, they were aloof a blow annealed to press, but overall, we're actual blessed with the keyboard.

On the larboard spine, there's a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microUSB port/power connector, and a customizable adjustment key. You get a additional accessibility key on the appropriate side, which is appointed to the camera by default, and a aggregate rocker. The top holds a aphasiac and lock buttons, and the camera and beam are amid on back.

Our analysis assemblage from RIM included an AC adapter, a USB cable, a 2GB microSD card, a active stereo headset, and a belt holster in the box. However, T-Mobile's final sales amalgamation may vary. For added add-ons, please analysis our corpuscle buzz accessories, ringtones, and advice page.

Features

The RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 marks the aboriginal 3G (UMTS/HSDPA 900/1700/2100) BlackBerry for T-Mobile. The carrier's been on a breach afresh to barrage its 3G arrangement in new markets, which now alcove 170 actor bodies in added than 235 cities nationwide. It still trails abaft the added above account providers in agreement of coverage, but it's absolutely acceptable to see T-Mobile ramping up its efforts and bringing added 3G handsets to the lineup, decidedly full-featured ones like the Bold 9700.

Like the RIM BlackBerry Storm 2, the Bold 9700 is aircraft with BlackBerry OS 5.0 (version 5.0.0.330 to be exact), which brings some enhancements to the messaging and agenda capabilities as able-bodied as to the BlackBerry browser.