BlackBerry has upgraded its Bold 9700 with the Bold 9780, complete with the new BlackBerry 6 operating system.
Unfortunately, according to most reviews, the changes may not be marked enough to lure iPhone users away from their beloved devices, although it will please existing BlackBerry owners.
There is one common thread through all reviews and that is that BlackBerry tripped up by not incorporating a touchscreen in the latest in its Bold series.
By all accounts the BlackBerry 6 OS works best with a touchscreen, so the fact that the Bold 9780's screen remains stubbornly untouchable is a bit of an annoyance.
Nevertheless, the upgraded OS comes with several advantages, particularly the universal search feature.
By simply typing in a word related to what you're looking for, universal search will bring up all the associated apps and files.
It also has a souped up camera.
At 5 megapixels it's not as good as some other smartphones out there, but it's a step up from the Bold 9700.
Alas, the video camera leaves something to be desired.
Like all other BlackBerry phones, its messaging capabilities are excellent.
In a review for Tracy and Matt, James calls the Bold 9780 a communication master piece.
For starters it has two message viewing options: different folders for each messaging client and an integrated message folder.
James favours the latter as it is cleaner and, he feels, more user-friendly.
It comes with four instant messaging apps: MSN, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and AIM, not to mention the lauded BlackBerry Messenger app.
It's also possible to create ten email accounts on an easy-to-use interface.
On Crackberry.
com, Kevin Michaluk calls the Bold 9780 "one sweet piece of hardware".
If offers a nice high-resolution display (which could be bigger), 512MB of memory (double the Bold 9700) and a 2GB microSD card.
All reviewers are full of praise for the phone's battery life, which is astounding.
Its web browsing capabilities are also better than those of its Bold predecessors; web pages load more quickly and, despite the non-existent touchscreen, navigation is smooth.
Michaluk says that the enhanced browsing means that business professionals can confidently carry their Bold 9780s with them instead of laptops.
Wi-Fi connectivity is also not an issue, giving you virtually unlimited mobility.
But while Michaluk says that the Bold 9780 is a great phone for first-time BlackBerry users, and while it's more than likely been designed with existing users in mind, it's not worth upgrading your Bold 9700 to the 9780.
Unfortunately, according to most reviews, the changes may not be marked enough to lure iPhone users away from their beloved devices, although it will please existing BlackBerry owners.
There is one common thread through all reviews and that is that BlackBerry tripped up by not incorporating a touchscreen in the latest in its Bold series.
By all accounts the BlackBerry 6 OS works best with a touchscreen, so the fact that the Bold 9780's screen remains stubbornly untouchable is a bit of an annoyance.
Nevertheless, the upgraded OS comes with several advantages, particularly the universal search feature.
By simply typing in a word related to what you're looking for, universal search will bring up all the associated apps and files.
It also has a souped up camera.
At 5 megapixels it's not as good as some other smartphones out there, but it's a step up from the Bold 9700.
Alas, the video camera leaves something to be desired.
Like all other BlackBerry phones, its messaging capabilities are excellent.
In a review for Tracy and Matt, James calls the Bold 9780 a communication master piece.
For starters it has two message viewing options: different folders for each messaging client and an integrated message folder.
James favours the latter as it is cleaner and, he feels, more user-friendly.
It comes with four instant messaging apps: MSN, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and AIM, not to mention the lauded BlackBerry Messenger app.
It's also possible to create ten email accounts on an easy-to-use interface.
On Crackberry.
com, Kevin Michaluk calls the Bold 9780 "one sweet piece of hardware".
If offers a nice high-resolution display (which could be bigger), 512MB of memory (double the Bold 9700) and a 2GB microSD card.
All reviewers are full of praise for the phone's battery life, which is astounding.
Its web browsing capabilities are also better than those of its Bold predecessors; web pages load more quickly and, despite the non-existent touchscreen, navigation is smooth.
Michaluk says that the enhanced browsing means that business professionals can confidently carry their Bold 9780s with them instead of laptops.
Wi-Fi connectivity is also not an issue, giving you virtually unlimited mobility.
But while Michaluk says that the Bold 9780 is a great phone for first-time BlackBerry users, and while it's more than likely been designed with existing users in mind, it's not worth upgrading your Bold 9700 to the 9780.
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