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(More customer reviews)I just upgraded from an Curve 8310 to the Bold. In fact, this is my 3rd BlackBerry, starting way back with the 8700. First thing to point out . . . the Bold is BIG. It's actually much larger than the 8310. In fact, it's really closer to the 8800-series in size. This isn't really a bad thing though. It feels comfortable in hand. The back appears to me made of real leather, although it's probably synthetic. I like the back because it adds some much-needed grip all while looking very classy. The keyboard is also very easy to use. There was very little learning curve needed going from the 8310 to the Bold.
What really makes the Bold "beautiful" is the HUGE screen. I thought the screen on my previous Curve was great. The screen on the Bold is twice the resolution (480x320 vs. 320x240). It is absolutely amazing. Not only is it stunning for movies and photos, it makes browsing the web and simply reading emails so much easier. You can fit significantly more information on the screen. The same auto-backlighting feature found on the Curve is also on the Bold. It senses the lighting conditions of the room and adjusts backlighting. I love this feature.
Much improved over the Curve is the multimedia software. Playing movies, viewing photos and listening to songs are very easy to do. The functionality rivals standalone media players. This application coupled with a big screen and a large MicroSD card, makes this a viable iPod Classic replacement. Like the 8310, the Bold also features a 3.5mm Stereo/Audio Jack built-in. This means no adapter is needed to use your own high quality headphones or earbuds.
Also like the Curve, it includes real GPS. This is awesome and in my opinion the best feature showing up in modern phones. The signal is acquired quickly and it is very accurate. Google Maps and BlackBerry Maps work perfectly with the built-in GPS. You can also pay a monthly fee for turn-by turn navigation via AT&T Navigator.
The biggest improvements for the Bold were actually listed in my Curve 8310's review as "Cons". BlackBerry added the much needed 3G (The Bold is MUCH faster than the Curve), Wi-fi, Video recording capabilities and FINALLY the external memory is accessible without removing the battery; via a small door on the side. It's like BlackBerry was listening to the customer's needs, maybe they read my review. :)
They hit this one out of the park.
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Designed to give business professionals and power users unprecedented functionality and performance, the BlackBerry Bold is the fastest, most powerful Blackberry yet, with support for tri-band HSDPA high-speed networks around the world as well as integrated GPS and Wi-Fi networking (802.11a/b/g). It features a lustrous black exterior, satin chrome finished frame and stylish leather-like backplate, a sophisticated user interface, and a newly designed full-QWERTY keyboard.
Keep yourself on track for your next meeting with turn-by-turn directions via the AT&T Navigator service, which is powered by TeleNav and provides spoken or text-based turn-by-turn directions with automatic missed turn rerouting and a local business finder service in 20 countries. It also supports AT&T mobile music services and access to thousands of video clips via Cellular Video. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth for hands-free communication, 1 GB of internal memory with MicroSD expansion (up to 32 GB), multi-format audio/video playback, and up to 4.5 hours of talk time.
The Blackberry Bold also comes with free access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots, available at more than 17,000 locations nationwide including Starbucks. The best part is that you don't need to sign up for anything new to use this service--Wi-Fi access for is included in all Blackberry Personal and Enterprise Rate Plans. (You must subscribe to a Blackberry Data Rate Plan to access AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots.) Additionally, the Blackberry Bold is the first RIM device that supports AT&T Cellular Video (CV).
AT&T Service This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band UMTS 850/1900 MHz network, and this phone is also compatible with 2100 MHz 3G networks (found in international territories). The AT&T 3G network provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services. (For use outside the United States, an AT&T international data plan is recommended.)
In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. You'll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming.
You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search.
With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what's playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what's hot with The Buzz music news portal. (A MEdia Max subscription bundle is recommended for accessing AT&T's Internet, video, and music services.)
The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.
Phone Features The elegant BlackBerry Bold smartphone features a lustrous black exterior, satin chrome-finished frame and stylish, leatherette backplate with a newly designed full QWERTY keyboard for exceptionally fast and easy typing and stunning half-VGA (480 x 320 at 217 ppi) color display that's fused to the undersurface of the lens, making images leap out with stunning definition and clarity. It also includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad. The BlackBerry Bold also boasts a new acoustic design for enhanced phone listening quality and clarity and numerous premium phone features, including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD).
The BlackBerry Bold smartphone's support for tri-band HSDPA and enterprise-grade Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g) networks and its next-generation 624 MHz mobile processor make short work of downloading email attachments, streaming video or rendering web pages. The BlackBerry Bold also includes 128 MB Flash memory plus 1 GB on-board storage memory, as well as a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that is conveniently accessible from a side door.
The Blackberry Bold delivers the legendary BlackBerry email experience. With BlackBerry service plans from AT&T, you can receive emails instantaneously from up to 10 email accounts (personal and enterprise). With BlackBerry push technology, you don't need to retrieve your email. BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, allowing you to be discreetly notified as new email arrives. Support is also built-in for viewing email attachments (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and PDF formats).
If your company has a BlackBerry Enterprise Server installed, you can also take advantage of the power of wireless calendar synchronization. Your calendar events are exchanged wirelessly and automatically so that your desktop calendar and BlackBerry handheld calendar are synchronized. All your Outlook meeting requests, changes, and updates are instantaneously synchronized instantaneously with your desktop. Make meeting requests, invite new attendees and more, all on your Blackberry Bold. Users without BlackBerry Enterprise Server support can manually sync with their desktop calendars and contacts via Bluetooth or USB using the included BlackBerry Desktop Software.
You'll enjoy enhanced Internet browsing on the Blackberry Bold. The trackball mimics a mouse, making it easy to navigate sites in Page View or Column View or to zoom in on specific parts of a web page, while various emulation settings allow you to choose between the full desktop-style HTML content and layout or the mobile version. Attachments can also now be downloaded from within the browser and there is support for watching streaming videos (RTSP, real-time streaming protocol).
The included BlackBerry Desktop Manager software comes with Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry, which includes new features that make it easier to organize multimedia content as well as manage music, videos and recorded Voice Notes between a computer and the smartphone. It also optimizes video files for smooth full-screen playback on the BlackBerry Bold smartphone's large display with support for full-screen and widescreen formats.
Roxio Photosuite 9 LE is also included, allowing you to easily enhance pictures and create photo albums on your computer. In addition, the new BlackBerry Media Sync application allows you to sync your iTunes digital musical collections . The BlackBerry Bold also boasts a new acoustic design for enhanced phone listening quality and clarity and numerous premium phone features, including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD).
Other features include:
Works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which enables advanced security and IT administration within IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novel GroupWise environments, as well as BlackBerry Professional Software for small businesses
2-megapixel camera/camcorder with flash, 5x zoom, geo-tagging capabilities, white balance settings, and choice of three picture sizes
Bluetooth 2.0, with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including car kits that adhere to the Bluetooth Remote SIM Access Profile) and other Bluetooth peripherals
Push Button Setup for Wi-Fi networking, making it faster to connect to protected wireless networks that require a sign-on process
Video format support: DivX 4, DivX 5/6 partially supported, XviD partially supported, H.263, H.264, WMV3
Audio format support: .3gp, MP3, WMA9 (.wma/.asf), WMA9 Pro/WMA 10, MIDI, AMR-NB, Professional AAC/AAC+/eAAC+
Polyphonic/MIDI ringtones
Speakerphone
3.5mm stereo headset capable
Vital Statistics The BlackBerry Bold weighs 4.8 ounces and measures 4.49 x 2.59 x 0.59 inches. Its 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.5 hours of talk time, and up to 324 hours (13.5 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as tri-band UMTS/HSDPA 3G networks (2100/1900/850 MHz).
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