A question if I may for the BlackBerry boffins. Do you know of any reason why one could not make the Bold battery cover (back plate) wholly out of non-magnetic aluminium? Being non-magnetic I assume it would not impede the function of the phone but would it have any other detrimental effect?
Not sure, I've only heard that metal doesn't play well with 3G. How true this is, I'm not really sure. My guess is that a non magnetic aluminum would be fine, but I don't know of anyone that makes one.
look at the Nokia E71, that phone is 3G with GPS and it has a stainless steel backing and they do not have a problem, I think Iphone 3G went with a plastic backing for cost savings and to keep the weight factor down, and I believe RIM did the same. I would love to find a Stainless steel / Copper / Carbon Graffite backing
Thanks for the info. I am considering getting an aluminium backplate made for the 9000 which I think would look excellent. There will be a "twist" to it too which I cannot go into detail about at this time. Apart from the fact that there is a specific reason why I would use aluminium, this metal is ideal because it is light in weight.
The difference on the E71 is that its battery cover doesn't cover the antenna like on the Bold. This is why there isn't (and likely won't be) a metal cover for the Bold.
If you look at the E71 you will notice it has a lot more space under the keypad than it should. That's where the antenna is. The metal plate does not cover it. I'm sure RIM could do something like that but I don't think its worth the time. Also, I remember when the E71 first came out, they had a ton of problems with 3G reception due to the positioning of the antenna. They may have fixed that since.. but I really don't think its worth all that hassle in order to incorporate some aluminum.
All Metal Bold Battery Cover?
