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"A reviewer that used the iPhone before buying the Bold"
4.0 starson by morningrise11Pros: GPS, screen, keyboard, loud speakers
Cons: Battery life is terrible. Browser could use work.
Summary: There are some reviewers that are jumping to compare this to the iPhone. I have the feeling that some haven't used the Bold before writing their review. I switched from the iPhone (from the original but used 3G phone a lot as well). I haven't regretted the decision (yet?)...
Update: I turned off Wi-Fi on my Bold. The battery life has increased by about 200%. Now I can easily go through 2 days on normal use without charging. I would like to keep Wi-Fi on but its not reasonable to do so. Truth is, that with 3G, I don't really need wi-fi since I don't use the Bold for heavy browsing or video streaming too often.
The Bold does everything that I wanted my iPhone to do. MMS, copy/paste, true push email/IM, video camera, a GOOD, LOUD speakerphone and GPS. That is what I needed out of my phone and the Bold delivered where the iPhone fell short.
However, the Bold does lack in plenty places where the iPhone shines. First thing to come to mind is the browser. Safari is simply perfect. While the Bold's browser could use some work. If you only browse sparingly (like I do) the Bold is just fine.
Same goes with the media player on the Bold. The iPhone is better for heavy users of video, music and photos. Personally, I don't do that too much. I may have only watched video on my iPhone a dozen times in the year I was using it. I only need an iPod for the gym and photos are mostly just the ones I take on the phone itself. So the Bold works for me here just fine. I used the music player at the gym without any issues. I was able to navigate my music easily and sound quality is on par from what I was getting with the iPhone. Without headphones plugged in the Bold's speakers were significantly louder than the iPhone was. This goes with speakerphone on calls and ringtones.
Video is as crisp as it is on the iPhone. Iphone has the bigger screen of course. Youtube is available on the Bold as well.
As far as apps go, all I have installed is IM+, Gtalk, Facebook, ESPN, CNBC and NY Times. As far as choices go the iPhone wins with the app store. As far as having actual productive applications I'd go with the Bold. Simply because I'm always connected to IM and can get push messages.
If you need a phone that is used mostly for messaging (email, IM, SMS, MMS) then I'd be hard pressed to not go with the Bold. If you want the bells and whistles (superb multimedia, safari, plethora of games) then the iPhone is best suited for you.
A big negative with the Bold is the battery life. I charge it every night. From 8 to 5 I'm rarely using it. May send a few messages but that is all. It mostly stays in standby. BUT my office is shady with service and the phone is constantly going from no service to some service. This may affect battery life. In the evening I'm making more calls and messaging a lot more. I'm also using the media player for 30 mins to 1 hour a day. The Bold needs to be charged every night. My iPhone easily rattled off 2-3 days without an issue and some lighter usage.
In the end, for me, the Bold does everything I NEED to do and does it perfectly. It also does everything I WANT to do just fine but not as well as the iPhone does. Meanwhile, the iPhone is unable to do a lot of the things I need from my phone.
Updated on Nov 17, 2008
Updated on Jan 29, 2009My review seemed to help a lot of people so I wanted to update everyone on how my BOLD experiance has been.
It has been pretty much flawless. The phone is do everything that I need it to do and I am having no issues with it. It works great for my daily usage which is mostly text/IM/email.
As I said in my first review, I don't use the browser much. If I was a heavy browser, I would have issues with it. After using Safari for over a year, the Blackberry Browser just fails in comparasion. On its own, it gets the job done. Typically, I use it to get the phone number or address of someplace. A Google search for that take about a minute. Nothing to complain about. It just isn't logical for heavy browsing.
I use Google maps often since I don't want to pay for GPS. It works like a charm.
Apps that I use are: CNBC, ESPN, Facebook and Reuters news. All work flawlessly. However, I am disappointed with the Facebook app compared to the versatile Facebook app for the iPhone.
Updated on Jan 29, 2009I'll add another update since I can only have 1000 characters at a time:
As for multimedia: I rarely use YouTube but when I do it works cleanly. Pictures come out sharp since the phone has a flash included. I use the music player for about an hour a day at the gym. It is quick and easy. Getting songs loaded onto it is a breeze as well, just drag and drop.
Issues that I have is that AIM will cut out when service is poor. I mentioned in my first review that service in my office is bad. For some reason, I've been getting 2-3 bars now with few problems. With the Iphone I was getting 0 or 1 bar. I know that what phone you have should not affect service so take from that what you will.
Other than that the phone rarely freezes and when it does it needs a battery pull. This happens once a week. I also rarely experiance any lag.
All in all, I'm still impressed with the Bold. I want to thank everyone for reading and I hope this helps.
- 28 replies to this review
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Nice review ... kinda just makes a dicision harder... ;-p .. why don't they just include everythign you could want into one phone and scrap they others ? ;-p ...
and as for different phones getting different signal strength ... that is entirely possible and happens alot. usually with different model phones there will be a slight difference from positioning of the internal antenna or power of it. Usually its not more than 1/2 bar difference .. but it can be a large difference..... I've used one phones that got 1-2 bars , and a different phone in the same spot with 4-5 ... outa 5 on both -
How do you find the roller ball and the texting on the Bold as compaired to the touch screen and texting on the iPhone?
Victoria B.
PS Thanks for all your updates and comments, as I am going from a palm centro and I really like the touch screen, and also the buttons for texting, but also the availability to move to other apps while on the phone talking to someone - I can check my calendar etc., while on the phone. I'd like your input.
Thank you! -
Thanks so much for your great comments. I just bought the Bold and could use your help. How do you turn the WiFi off?
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This is a late reply, but a coincidentally a timely one at the same time. The new iPhone is coming out with most of the features that were missing from the 3G model. I am still on the edge about deciding between another BB or the new iPhone. Your review is a great one and only makes my decision tougher. I do have a suggestion about your battery issue though. Turning Wi-Fi off helps, but the biggest drain on your battery is the 3G. You should turn it off when you are in your office. I don't really see the big difference in 3g voice quality over the normal 2G. I mainly use 3G for web browsing in areas without Wi-Fi. I wish these phone manufacturers would make a button available that enables/disables 3G with a click. Would be very, very convenient.
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I have a Bold and love it for all the reasons discussed.
THERE IS A SOLUTION TO THE BROWSER PROBLEM !
Use the Opera Mini browser - it works brilliantly with the Bold.
A small download from: mini.opera.com
Charles -
Great Review!!! Just what I needed to help make up my mind. Really like the Iphone, but dont really need all the bells and whistles and dont want to be tied to a data plan the rest of my life. Thanks for all the good info.
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Excellent review! Been on the fence regarding which phone to purchase after I chuck my BlackBerry 8830. To IPhone... or to Storm... or... I have decided to be Bold! Thanks for a compelling guidance through all the hype!
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This is an Awesome review as i myself went from an iphone 3G to a Blackberry Bold.. I was apprehensive at first but, even though the iphone was a multimedia giant and enjoyed that aspect, i needed a phone that was a little more seroius when it came to a business aspect.... Also NO MMS was just killing me !!! The Bold did not disappoint !! It does what i need it to do and flawlessly... The BIG BIG aspect that really put it over the top was Downloading the OPERA MINI 4.2 Web Browser that puts the icing on the cake.. Try this WEB BROWSER and see if it does not give you a better experience on the web !!!! Thanks for the review
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I too have been having a battery problem. Initially, the BB went for 1 to 2 days without needing recharging, now I need to charge it twice a day. The ATT rep checked to see what programs I had open, and asked if I was using wi-fi and Bluetooth. I apparently left some apps open, and she said this drained the battery. I do not close an app when I leave it. For example, I dont close contacts when I exit it. I never have wi-fi on. Like the reviewer, I just don't use it much. I do leave Bluetooth on, but only actively use it when I am in my car.
So two questions: do you all close apps when exiting and does that save battery? Secondly, do you leave Bluetooth on even when not using it, e.g. the Bluetooth logo is visible in the upper right hand corner of the screen? I would find it very inconvenient to have to turn Bluetooth on every time I get in my car, instead I want my car to connect automatically, so I can use its built-in Bluetooth speakerphone. -
Thx Morningrise for your in-depth review, especially your updates. I am about to finally get rid of my obsolete flip-phone (Rzr) and get with the times and purchase a smart phone. Because of your review, I am going with the Bold. I've looked at the Storm and iPhone, but in the end it will be the Bold. I thought I needed a touch screen, but this phone just has way too many features that I will utilize compared to the other two. Thanks again for helping me make a BOLD and rational decision.
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Also used iPhone 3G before buying Bold and it was not contest for me. The iPhone had many more games and wow apps that everybody loves for 5 minutes but none of the useful things that I need everyday. The Bold has fully MS Office compatible Apps preinstalled and a Bluetooth Receiver that can be connected to a flat panel or projector for displaying PowerPoint Presentations, Excel Spreadsheets and a plethora of video formats. By carrying a pocketful of microSD cards I no longer need my laptop on business trips! But that leads me to MY biggest complaint... the little door you have to use to take the uSD cards in and out is a PITA. My hands are oversized even when compared with larger than normal hands, so it's worse for me, but the cards are REALLY hard to take out. Yes, the browser could use some work, but it's capable of displaying most any site I need. My favorite thing about the phone is Google Maps, a free GPS Navigator that doesn't blather on like a drunk sailor W/Street View!
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mac4tutor: I can try to help since I'm a Mac user too. I know there are different programs that will help you sync with a Mac but all I do is connect the phone to the computer via USB. Once that happens my phone prompts me if I want to turn on my media card. I select yes and the memory card appears on the desktop and once that is set up I just drag and drop. I'm pretty sure you need an SD card to do this. I honestly don't know how else to do it. Hope that helps.
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Great and practical reviews.
One major question regarding syncing with your computer, if you do?
I have had a Blackberry Curve that I thought was terrific EXCEPT for syncing with my Mac OS 10.4.11 . I did use Missing Sync which did an OK job of synching.
I waited and waited and bought the iPhone 3G which syncs seamlessly with my Mac.
Would appreciate your practical feedback. -
I am currently in the market for a new phone. Although nothing is wrong with my Curve 8330, I've had a blkberry for 3 yrs now (I was badly burned by other "smartphones" not to mention those that use a Windows mobile platform- OUCH!). Currently my choices are the following: 1. Blkberry Storm- interesting phone. I'm in the "let's wait and see what's wrong with the phone" mode. I think it was a little "rushed to the market" for me to feel comfortable buying it with a new plan, etc... Also it's size, RIM what's up with the size?! TIp: new models should be sleeker, less bulk. This leads me back to my original conclusion: "rushed to the market" "wait and see", you get the point 2.Blkberry Bold: from other reviews I am leaning this way. What's stopping me: just like others have said the resolution is amazing (mini pocket sized HDTV-cool). What's not cool...a 2.0 camera ! (makes you want to scratch your head, but this is not a deal breaker for me, annoying, but I'll live.
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god bless you for this review! it really helps alot.i wish cnet employs you to try out all new fones so you can give great reviews like this!
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Thanks, your review really helped me. I was so disappointed with the iphone especially with the text messaging, not being able to forward pretty much killed it for me.
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This is really helpful and thorough; esp. the update. It answers all the questions I had about choosing a new phone. Thanks!
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hey bro, thanx for the super helpful review.
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I'm nearing the upgrade term w/AT&T and have been debating on making the switch to an iPhone from a Blackberry Curve. From your review, I'm leaning toward sticking to the fundamentals of a Blackberry and bypassing the oh-so-stylish yet much hyped iPhone. Thanks for the details!
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This is an awesome review. I was a blackberry fan and I HAD to have an iPhone. The iPhone is wonderful, but I find myself, just like you not using it for a lot of the things that it's capable of doing. All the areas where the iPhone lacks, as you mention, are exactly what I want out of my phone! So...I'm really glad that you as an experienced iPhone user, but also as someone who has the exact same usage patterns (desires) as myself, has done a fair and thorough comparison. Now all I have to do is get the $$$ to buy it! Guess you can't help with that part, eh? Thanks for your review.
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Thanks for the excellent review. My Treo 750 has about run it's course, and I looking for another option.
As for your connection issues, A Z-boost from wi-ex or I think Wilson also makes a repeater for cell phones will dramatically increase your signal and therefore cut down on battery usage. I had limited reception from ATT, one or two bars, now I'm maxed out with full 3G service. Got rid of my office line, and saving $50 a month. -
Excellent! Thank you. Very thorough and helpful.
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The best and most unbiased review I've had the pleasure of reading. I too have an iPhone currently, and truth be told, I am getting sick of it already. I miss how the emails on my old blackberry (pearl) were in real time, as compared to the iPhone, whose emails sometimes have to be manually checked. This review answered all my questions. Thank you!
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Wow, this is the most informative review I have read in years for any electronic item. It has very little apparent bias and communicates clearly.
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Solid review. Thanks.
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I have been playing with the idea of an Iphone for the last year or so, and I keep coming back to the Bold (and now the Storm from Verizon). This was one of the best reviews I've seen. I'm leaning toward the Bold now (I do alot of the things you reviewed). Good Job!
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Very honest review. I agree with the con about battery life. The battery life on this particular phone is fairly poor, which is why I upgraded the stock battery with a stronger one.
http://www.blackberrysource.com/store/catalog.asp?item=4454 -
Wow. This is actually a really superb review. I like how he reviewed the phone itself and not just compared it to the iPhone. He mixed in the iPhone where it needed to be and was not biased. Good job
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