The not so Bold.
MONCTON - The BlackBerry Bold, Research in Motion's slickest and fastest handheld device to date, is a solid upgrade to the quintessential enterprise and government smartphone.
But there's not too much that's bold about the Bold, which features a series of handy improvements but few revolutionary changes.
The introduction of third generation (3G) wireless speeds, which come close to broadband Internet data rates, makes surfing the web on the Bold significantly faster than on previous BlackBerry devices. The Bold also boasts Wi-Fi connectivity, which offers a further speed increase with the added bonus that such connections don't count against your data plan with Rogers Communications Inc.
The Bold is only available through Rogers because it is the only carrier in the country with a 3G network. Other carriers, such as Telus Corp. and Bell Mobility, use the rival and incompatible CDMA format.
In addition to increased data speeds via 3G and Wi-Fi, the Bold also features built-in GPS support, a two megapixel camera for taking still shots or recording video and software that allows users to edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone thanks to DataViz' Documents to Go.
The Bold has one gigabyte of built-in storage and has a slot for microSD/SDHC memory cards. The review unit had a 4 gigabyte data card.
The Bold isn't all business however - the unit features software for watching movies and listening to music and comes equipped with a 3.5 millimetre stereo jack as well as support for Bluetooth stereo headsets.
Video on the device looked clear and crisp on its 2.5 inch screen, which has a 480 x 320 pixel resolution.
The Bold also boasts a few games for killing time between meetings while travelling - including an addictive Sudoku game.
Overall the user interface on the Bold was fast and responsive. The BlackBerry operating system was relatively easy to learn how to use.
I did however have some trouble getting the GPS service to work - the unit took a long time to acquire satellites in both indoor and outdoor situations.
One area the Bold shines in is mobile web browsing. In toe-to-toe tests on Roger's 3G network in Moncton, the Bold's browser consistently beat out Apple Inc.'s iPhone 3G's Safari browser when it came to loading pages faster.
Typing on the Bold's QWERTY keyboard was quick and easy. The keys were large enough and had good depth, which made writing on it relatively pleasant.
The BlackBerry Bold features RIM's bread-and-butter BlackBerry push e-mail service and also provides enhanced support for Windows Live Hotmail and AOL, allowing for real-time delivery of Hotmail and AOL messages.
With the Bold, RIM has put a bit more polish into its smartphone designs. The unit boasts a black exterior bordered by a chrome finish and a leatherette back plate.
The device felt solid and durable, an improvement on past mainly plastic models that felt cheap and fragile.
While the Bold is a solid upgrade, it's not clear if its new features and look will be enough to entice existing users of relatively new models to upgrade. As for attracting new customers, the Bold's $399 price on a three-year contract will likely deter average consumers, leaving mainly corporate and government buyers as its main market.
UPDATE:
While I didn't mention this in the review, I think it's clear that if you're looking for the all-around coolest, smartest and sleekest smartphone, the iPhone 3G remains the clear choice.
I don't think the Bold is a competitor for the iPhone, based on both price and features. The rumoured touchscreen BlackBerry, codenamed Thunder, well, that's another story and another review.
