The BlackBerry Bold 9930 for Verizon Wireless is the newest full QWERTY phone available from RIM. The Bold combines the best of both worlds, full QWERTY Keyboard and a 2.8 inch Touch Screen. Running OS7 and sporting a 1.2 Ghz processor this is a BlackBerry that any BB fan is sure to love.
The BlackBerry Bold 9930, available since Aug. 15th, is the newest world phone available for the BB enthusiast on the Verizon Network. For anyone who can’t live without their Blackberry will be impressed with the advancements over the previous BB models. While this phone probably will not make any converts, it’s a step forward for the BB diehard fans.
The Bold 9930 is candybar shaped Smartphone that is very sturdy feeling. The phone is made from plastic with a metal bezel. The phone feels well made. The back cover is a simulated carbon fiber. The full QWERTY Keyboard is also backlit for easy typing in low light situations.
The 9930 is powered by a 1.2 GHz processor keeps the OS7 running smooth with little to no noticeable lag while using the phone. Being the thinnest BB Bold to date they still found room to stuff not only world band radio’s inside the device, but also found room for a 1230mAh battery good for a reported 6 to 8 hours of talk time. The Bold also have 768 MB RAM. This is still the bottom end for smartphones now a day’s. This isn’t so much of a problem until you load the phone down with lots of apps and the phone begins to slow down.
Next the screen, the 9930 has a Capacitive TFT touch screen that is 2.8 inches. The screen is capable of 16.7 million colors. Screen resolution is 640 x 480. For touch screens 2.8” is pretty small. Thanks to the well spaced out icons and responsive touch screen this isn’t a problem, even with fat fingers. The 9930 screen while nice, it is nothing to write home about. The Bold also allows for pinch to zoom with your pictures and web pages.
The BB Bold has a 5MP rear facing camera with LED flash and digital zoom. The 9930 can also take video’s with a resolution of 1280 x 720 (720p HD). The camera has facial detection, image stabilization, geo tagging, and multiple video capture modes. All of these stats are on the low side for smart phones. Most come with an 8MP rear facing camera and some are now also standard with front facing cameras. While the camera works, don’t expect world class photo’s from it.
The Bold 9930 comes with 768 MB of Ram for application and OS storage. Add on a few apps and the memory quickly gets low. While this isn’t an immediate problem, if you are a person who enjoys a lot of apps, you may have to cut back on your list of favorite apps to avoid a slow phone. There is also 8GB of onboard storage for all of your pics/music/video’s, and files. The 9930 also has a SD card slot that is capable of SD cards up to 32GB in size. The Bold does not include a microSD card.
The 9930 also includes a trackpad for maneuvering through the different screens. The trackpad is very responsive and makes for a nice change if you don’t want to use the touch screen.
On the top of the phone is the sleep key. The left side of the phone has the microUSB port and 3.5mm headphone jack, and the right side have the convenience key and media buttons.
Other features of the BlackBerry Bold 9930 include Bluetooth v 2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 2.4 GHz b/g/n/ and 5GHz a/n, NFC, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a media player that supports multiple codec types.
The BlackBerry Bold 9930 is made for the BB enthusiast. The phone delivers on all that BB has been about; great email and BBM. While there are really no stat’s that scream buy me buy me, the Bold works and works well. If you’re switching from Android of Apple to the Bold don’t expect to be able to find all of your favorite apps right now. The app store is growing and your favorite apps may be added in the future.
My biggest problems with the Bold we the small screen size and lack of apps. Once set up the phone is easy to use. Even for someone who has been away from BB for 3 years. The Bold is a great improvement from previous BB’s (OS5 and OS6) but retains all the size, shape, and keyboard that makes a BB a BB.
Head on over to your local Verizon Wireless store or check out VZW.com and pick up your own BB Bold today for 249.99 with a new 2 year agreement.
