I went from my curve to an iphone - don't hate me I'm going back. I like the robust feeling most blackberrys have and I'm wondering how tough does the bold feel? Like a usual good old one I hope.

Does it also have the usual blackberry holsters etc which switch profiles so nicely?

thanks
-c

alive johny 5


sorry couldnt resist. It feels solid and tough. fits nice in my hands - and this is coming from a pearl.

Good to hear because I have a Pearl and am getting a Bold this week. :D

Youll love it. It takes a couple days to not double tap "a" or "s" though.

The Bold looks huge. Does it feel and carry big? I may make the jump from a Pearl. I like the small form factor of the Pearl, but I have been bitten by the Bold bug. I have my Pearl straped to my side in teh OEM leather swivel holster. How does the Bold feel huge in a holster?

Just wondering, can you not go to a store and request a demonstration? Many times (or at least here) they empty out the phone and just leave the screen and outside aspects, and then let you hold it, touch all you want. You know, like a dummy model when it's real just ... you know... neutered .

Does Rogers not allow that? Do they frown upon people being curious and not want you to FEEL it before you DISH OUT THE CASH For it?

those 2 asking questions are Americans. Its not out yet in the USA. Canada (Rogers) got it last week.

I switched from a 7290. Weight wise, its about the same. Bold is a little bigger. Screen has to be seen to be believed: its THAT good!

I've had mine 3 days now, and there is no going back. I just figured out how to make the 6 icons on the main page display what you want, and in what order too.

Battery life with 3G turned on is not that great. Probably 2 or 3 days with light use. Turn on the WiFi and it drains fast. You'll be charging at least every 2 days.

The Bold comes with the leather swivel holster.
The Bold is about the same size as an iPhone. It's not as big as you may think.

You will find any full QWERTY phone feeling HUGE after using the Pearl. BUT, us humans are some what adaptable and you will get used to it rather quickly. For those who are using the Curve or 88xx series, the Bold will not feel big at all.

There is a fine line between too big and too small. Smaller is better these days and that is a big concern of mine so I know where those who are concerned about size are coming from but... most Blackberry users want a decent screen and a good keyboard and that doesn't fit into a tiny form factor.

To give you some background, I had a Pearl and it was great to carry around. It felt solid but the battery cover creaked and was annoying. For me, it wasn't long before decided I just couldn't handle the keyboard and Suretype. I was actually avoiding replying to emails with it so I decided I needed to change. I went to the Curve and it actually felt a little cheaper than the Pearl. Maybe it was the colour but it felt too "plasticy". It was much better for typing (sacrificing size) but I tended to use my fingernails to type and I wasn't too fast with it because this was awkward.

I also looked into the 8800 series at one point and held one briefly. I never got around to coming up with an impression of how solid it was because I knew it wasn't for me. While the keyboard was bigger and again I would sacrifice size, I said, "no thanks". Compared to the Bold, the 8800 series is about the same size but it felt like a box. Because of this, it felt bulky so I never went down this road.

I had mixed feelings about the Bold so I thought I would check if there was a demo unit to hold. Rogers does have a display unit that is the same size, material and weight but it's not functional. It felt solid and light at the same time. Because of the fake leather backing, it doesn't feel "plasticy". I'm sure that the silver rim around it is stainless steel and is not like the top of the Pearl which chipped right away for me. I'm not about to take it apart to check The Bold is aesthetically pleasing both in form and in function. The screen is not counter-sunk as older models and the buttons have a great feel when pressed. If you've had a Pearl, you will notice that the trackball is exposed less and it actually works better, once you get used to it. It's position allows you to glide across the top as it should be used. I think that because of this, the trackball will wear better and have less issues. I guess we'll find that out later.

Anyway, even after I held it the day before launch and was impressed by its construction, I still wasn't sure I wanted the Bold because it felt a little too big. Curve size would have been perfect but that was before I actually used it. Let me warn you that you can't get a feel for the Bold by holding it in the store. You have to actually use it. Now that I have the Bold I find that with the curved back and edges of the Bold, it's still the same size as the 8800 series but feels smaller in your hand. It's more natural as your fingers wrap around the device to support the back of the phone so that you have the stability to be able to belt out those emails. With the Bold you use your finger tips to type and it is much better for natural typing. It is also as solid as the demo unit was in the store.

Combining the keyboard, excellent screen and functionality of OS 4.6, the Bold is the smallest you will get with the best in functional screen size and keyboard. I think that most will come to love the keyboard and as soon as you watch a movie on it, the screen can't be big enough. You will probably give a little in the size department when you actually use one. I've had many Blackberries but this is the first time I can say that this thing IS the smallest, almost fully functional computer that can fit in your pocket. And look, they threw a phone in too!

Hope this helps,
Santo

Thanks - I'm sold! I put my iphone on ebay and it was sold in ... oh in about 8 seconds for a little more than I bought it which was nice. I'm with AT&T so will need to wait until they have the bold in stock, hopefully not too long!

-c

That was, in fact, very helpful. Thanks for taking the time.

Wirelessly posted

Very helpful info santo. I just need to try one out.

Best Berry as of yet

Great review, santo. While usually the more technical aspects of a phone/BB interest me over aesthetics/feel; aesthetics, feel, useability and such should not be discounted (like I usually do, hehe).

Thanks for your viewpoint.

I like my BOLD very much however I do find it to be a little bulky as compared to a Curve. My preference would have been for a updated curve that better built (ie made from steel or something) with a better screen and a faster processor and higher music capacity. I think that the 3G thing is a gimmick. There really aren't any useful features in my opinion. I also don't need GPS. Anyone know how to unistall it and free up some space?

Although the edge around the Bold looks like brushed stainless steel, I can tell you it's not now that my Bold skipped across the parking lot (luckily it was in the holster) and one of the edges got a minor scrape. The "stainless steel" is painted on black plastic. We'll see how it holds up over time.

At least I didn't have to take it apart
Santo

One word can only describe how the bold feels....

Bold

Hi!

We're a bunch of german geeks an switched to iPhone last year. 4 out of 8 freaks are "back" on BOLD now (keeping the iPhone).

The Bold feels great, solid. Everything fits. I like this "leathery" feeling on the back (instead of the glitchy plastics of the iPhone 3G).

The size is nearly the same as the 8800 but it feels A LOT better.

It feels right!

Greetings from Germany
Erik

The feel for me is SOLID.

In normal use the phone is quite robust. The screen is simply spectacular!