Consumer Reviews

Getting the Bold and an ATT service package was very easy, however, I had several major problems actually getting the unit up and running.

First, the local ATT store cannot touch the price of the Bold so the Amazon price, plus the ATT rebates, are a great deal. Second, you get the exact same ATT rate plans so that issue is simple to deal with.

Problem is, however, that the Amazon on-line cellphone people aren’t exactly 100% on point with their customer advice as to how to set up the phone for email access. For example, they do not understand the difference between a “work” email and a “personal” email. If you have a domain name that you use for email, whether or not it is related to a business or not, as long as it is not hosted by your company on their network server, it should be considered “personal” for the purposes of setting up both your email address and your data plan. You only need the $30 data plan and not the $50 Enterprise server data plan from ATT.

Also, if you are using the “personal” type of email, DO NOT install the Blackberry Redirector software on your computer or you will mess up everything. You should only have 5 items in your Main Menu, not 6 if this is your setup.

It took me almost 5 hours a day for a week, with both Amazon [who had no idea how to fix it], and ATT, who were unable to figure out what the Amazon person had initially done wrong to get it set up, and then finally two all night sessions with Blackberry themselves in Nova Scotia customer service to resolve the issues with programming. They had to remove the software from the device via the internet and then reinstall it from their customer service center.

Also, the best way to set up emails is not from the device itself, but from the www.att.BlackBerry.com website so you can include your signature block, etc.

Finally, after all of that time, Blackberry finally told me that it was a hardware issue, and that the Bold was probably fried from so many Service Books and other customer support attempted fixes, that I needed a new Bold. Since Amazon sold me the initial unit, the local ATT store wouldn’t give me the replacement device. Amazon was very understanding, replaced it for free, shipped it overnight, and helped me get back onto the correct ATT data plan. ATT did provide a one month data plan credit because of their earlier mistake.

All is now good and I’m again addicted to a fantastic BlackBerry product.

I chose to get the Bold when it first came out in early November instead of the iPhone because of the keyboard and the excellent reviews on its email capability – use it to keep in touch with my patients. After using it for a month, I have become absolutely dependent on it. The phones reception is EXCELLENT – much better than my previous Nokia cell phone. The navigation is simple and intuitive. Email is flawless. Having all of my calendar and address book information on hand is incredibly helpful. I also use it as a replacement for my iPod to listen to Podcasts – I have not touched the iPod I used daily in weeks now. I would not want an iPhone because of the keyboard being on the screen and no cut and paste. I have not a drop of remorse over my choice – as a matter of fact, one of my friends has dumped his iPhone for a Blackberry.

I give the Bold 4 stars because I have had problems with syncing the Bold to my Mac. I decided to use Missing Sync for $40 because the reviews on PocketMac (free) were terrible. Syncing contacts, notes, and music can be a little tricky. The Missing Sync developers are working on a resolution for these problems. In the mean time, in order to keep all of these syncs working properly, I have to avoid updating contacts on the Bold, sync the programs in Missing Sync one at a time, and manually drag podcasts and music to the Bold when it is connected to my Mac, (otherwise the podcasts are not uploaded).

As long as I do this, the Bold works GREAT. If I don’t, contacts and notes become unreliable and data on my Mac can be lost (thank you Time Machine for preserving my important data). In order to regain stability with this data, I have to wipe the Bold and start anew with Missing Sync following the protocol detailed above.

By the way, I spent a day syncing MobileMe to Outlook on my PC and then using the Blackberry Desktop Manager software to sync contacts and calendar data. It was even less reliable, but I don’t know if that was due to the Bold being messed up from the effects of Missing Sync. I also tried PocketMac, but had similar issues that were only resolved by wiping the Bold and syncing anew as detailed above and not inputting contact data on the Bold.

Summary: The bold is excellent – can’t work without it, but syncing is touchy. I look forward to these issues being resolved and enjoying flawless syncronization like my colleagues with Macs and older BlackBerry products.

BlackBerry has always been known for one very important thing: its advanced e-mail capabilities. It was ahead of its time when it first came out, prompting other cell phone companies to create a similar smartphone. Over the years, RIM has added features and functionalities that make the BlackBerry the leader in smartphones for business users as well as regular users. The Pearl is small and stylish, while the Curve has the QWERTY keypad and numerous features. The Bold takes things to a whole other level. RIM wants to send the message that BlackBerry isn’t just a smartphone for serious business types; they want to let us know that the BlackBerry could also be fun — a multimedia function as well as a PDA.

Looks-wise, it is a beautiful device. With an overall sleek and stylish black design with silver edges, the back of it is made of some leather-like material, making it sturdy and resistant to scratches. It is also thicker and slightly taller than the Curve, making it somewhat bulkier. The QWERTY keyboard is a bit bigger as well, which in turn makes for a rather comfortable and pleasant typing experience. Your thumbs won’t hurt from typing long emails or texts, that’s for sure. And I don’t think you’ll suffer if you have large or fat thumbs/fingers. Mine are tiny, but it won’t make a difference to you if your hands and fingers aren’t small.

The most arresting feature in the Bold is its gorgeous LCD screen. With its cinematic resolution, it is the first of its kind, and the colors, picture and sound quality truly stand out. The Bold comes with some video samples, a couple of movie trailers and whatnot, and you can appreciate the wonderful LCD display with the Speedracer trailer. In addition to its bright screen, you get a great music, video and picture menu, where you can store as much stuff as you’d wish, depending on the amount of space you get in a memory card. You can sync from both a Mac and a PC, which makes this a must-have for both platforms. (You’ll have to convert your iTunes music to MP3s though.)

As far as other features goes, it gets better and better. The menu has a neon-like quality that makes it better than previous versions of the OS. AT&T’s 3G network is fast and reliable. Where I live, I get five bars 97% of the time. It depends on where you live, but AT&T has expanded their 3G network, so chances are you’ll get a decent signal. Web browsing has much improved with the Bold. The BlackBerry has never been known for its good browsing capabilities, but RIM has remedied that. The browser here is pretty good. Like in previous versions, you navigate with the trackball, scrolling through the page, zooming in and out, pressing certain numbers on the keypad for shortcuts, etc. It’s not as good as Mobile Safari on the iPhone 3G, but it’s getting there. This also has some good applications. You get the standard ones, like YouTube, Facebook, news, weather, stock market quotes, etc., but you can download some extra ones as well. Again, and I hate to compare this to the iPhone, but the aforementioned is my current phone and so it can’t be helped, it isn’t as good as the iPhone’s app store. Then again, this is fairly new for most phones, and I’m assuming that it’ll improve with time. The video recorder is also great on this phone. The built-in GPS is a great tool. I think it’s Google Maps, but I’m not 100% sure. This phone has wifi, a must-have tool for me. Battery life is terrific — one of the most long-lasting I have ever used. You can use most of the features and still have some juice left by the end of the day. And then there’s the standard stuff, like e-mail, IM and text messaging. They are all top notch, of course, and you get the great stuff you don’t get with the iPhone, like MMS and the ability to copy and paste. If these things are very important to you, then you’ll be happy to know that these features are still available in the Bold, as they were in the Curve and other BBs, only more refined.

The one Con for this device is that there isn’t a touchscreen. Touchscreen has become a popular thing since the iPhone, and any new phone that lacks this feature seems somewhat old-fashioned, almost obsolete. But this is no big deal if you’re not a fan of touchscreens. If a touchscreen smartphone is important to you, you could always try the BB Storm for Verizon.

And so, the BlackBerry Bold is, in my opinion, the best BlackBerry on the market today. (I haven’t had the opportunity to use the Storm, which is why I can’t comment on that one.) This is the phone I’d buy if I didn’t already have (and love) the iPhone 3G. But if you’re looking to upgrade your BB or other smartphone device, and you’re with AT&T, then the Bold is the way to go. No doubt about that. RIM has created a one-of-a-kind device with the BlackBerry, and they have taken a quantum leap forward with the Bold. You won’t regret the upgrade.

I upgraded from a Blackberry Pearl to the Bold because my Pearl stopped working properly after being introduced to a sink full of water.

Once I got the bold, I was completely satisfied. The Wi-Fi works great, 3G works great. The user interface is top notch. I also really like the bedside mode feature of the clock.

The screen is clear as day, and the sound is awesome. I played one song on my Bold and found out, much to my surprise, that the bold has stereo sound. Every phone I’ve had prior had one tiny, undersized, speaker with which to pump out the ringtones and mp3’s. The bold, however, sounds fantastic.

The only thing that has happened to me is that when I first got it an set up my personal email address on it, it kept saying that I had a new message when I didn’t have one anywhere. With some research online, I found out that this is a common problem that people get initially, but can be easily fixed by popping the battery out and back in. The problem hasn’t happened since.

I think that any and all bugs will be cleared up when the first firmware updates are released.

I also really like the programs that come with it. [....] program, in conjunction with the built-in GPS, works great. You need to find a Target near you? Simply type in target, tell it to look up the nearest store from your GPS location, and viola! Step by step directions to the top 10 closest matches to your request (closest as in distance, and relativity to your search terms).

I also downloaded google maps program. It is a great replacement for the telnav program if you don’t want to pay for it. I input an address and told it to get me directions from my GPS location, and it told me how to get there. Also, it showed a rendered map of the are with a dot and arrow indicating my car and the direction I was traveling. When I stopped driving, the dot stopped moving on the rendered map. When I turned, the GPS told the program and the dot turned. Great stuff!

To put my review shortly, if you like Blackberry’s, you’ll love the bold. If you don’t like Blackberry’s, get an iPhone and quite worrying about it. To me, it seems like the Bold can do pretty much everything the Iphone can do minus the touch screen. Any feature you can get for the Iphone, you can probably download for the Bold. If you are like me and hate touchscreens, then get the Bold. You won’t regret it.

As to the other reviewers that said that their bold kept breaking/freezing/dropping calls, etc… I don’t know what to tell you. You must have simply gotten your phone from a bad batch because mine has worked flawlessly (minus the one problem mentioned above).

I’ve had this phone for about a month now, and really like it. It is my first BlackBerry, and I don’t think I’ll be switching away. Here are my thoughts.

***THE DEVICE***
Looking at the device, it looks really big. It is. I actually don’t mind the size, but some people will, so they should consider this. It is about half the size of a standard DVD case, to give you an idea. However, despite it’s heft, the Bold is lighter than you would think. It doesn’t feel heavy.

The keyboard on the Bold is very big and well shaped. The buttons are angled based on what side they’re on. In other words, the left buttons are tilted slightly left and the right are tilted right. It makes for a comfortable typing experience. The keys are also well sized, so I don’t have to use my fingertips to press them.

It also has a standard headphone jack, which is nice. It comes with some really good earphones, too. They’re the kind that cut out other noise so you can hear the music.

The screen on the phone is my favorite part. HD BABY! Pics and Videos really look nice on the phone. The colors are vibrant and bright, and videos play flawlessly, especially accompanied by the stereo speakers on the phone. I also like that the screen will adjust the brightness depending on the surrounding light.

I have mixed opinions regarding the trackball. On one hand, it is a very convenient navigation method. Partially more innovative than a standard D-pad. On the other hand, it rendered some of the java games from my old flip phone unplayable cause they wanted a D-pad.

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