Boldy Going Where No Blackberry Has Gone Before

It's been a little while since I had a Blackberry upgrade at my job.  How long?  I'm not certain, but I think when I took my trusty old sidekick to the IT staff to see if they could resolve the problems I was having with it, one of the techs said something about me having Fred Flintstone's Blackberry-the BoulderBerry I believe they called it back then.

OK, so maybe it's really only been about four and a half years, but that's an eternity in technology, but being a good corporate soldier, as long as it worked, I saw no reason to call attention to myself by submitting a request for something that cost a few hundred dollars.  Somehow it figures it would become a necessity when budgets are even tighter thanks to the economic meltdown.  Ah...timing....

After accepting I needed to order a new model, I took a quick look at the three AT&T models I had to choose from-the ‘officially approved' list.  I looked over the size specs (relatively little difference), and settled on the Bold because of its higher screen resolution than the other available models.  A good part of my e-mail-on-the-go involves looking at documents with graphics, so the Blackberry Bold's 480x320 display and 65,000 color resolution jumped out at me as the big plus.  (If I'm going to be available all the time, I might as well save what's left of my eyes.)

The Blackberry's So Bright I Have to Wear Shades
When my Bold arrived, I was more than pleased with the results.  Suddenly, everything I had been doing on my old Blackberry was bright....vivid...and, er, bold (sounds like a list of laundry detergents).   Reading e-mail on my old Blackberry was not a problem per se, but the jump in quality to the Bold's screen is a bit like going from snowy reception on a 12-inch black-and-white TV to 42-inch HD plasma.  Pictures that were recognizable but showed little detail on my old unit are crystal clear on the Bold; the contrast on the screen for reading mail or checking my calendar is as sharp as I can imagine; and the colors are no longer variations on faded-out green, blue and red. 

In addition, unlike my old Blackberry, the screen shows up clearly in almost any light, from bright sunlight to pitch black. 

A Keyboard Packed Closer than a Can of Sardines
If there's something I'm not overly fond of, it's how Blackberry is shrinking the size of their devices by squishing the keys so close together that they're practically mating with each other.  On my old device, there was at least a few millimeters between the roundish keys; on the Bold, the more squared buttons making up the QWERTY keyboard have no such breathing room.  There is a bit of an "indentation" to each key in what I presume to be an effort to help your thumbs more naturally hit the key you want, but even without particularly large fingers, I find typos to be more common.  Perhaps it's a learning curve as I adapt to the new layout, but I do find it challenging sometimes to be precise in using the Bold's keyboard.

Cool, a Trackball...Does This Thing Play Centipede?
Old-school Blackberry users like I was will remember the precursor to today's models with a glowing trackball above the center of the keyboard was a click-wheel that scrolled up and down by default (and sideways if you hit the ALT key).  I'm still struggling with my instinct to roll my thumb along the upper right side of the Bold to scroll, but making progress to getting used to the trackball, which means scrolling up/down and forward/back with no need to hit some other key.  A definite enhancement to today's Blackberry.

That Symbol Means What Again?
Beyond the trackball, the key to using and navigating the Blackberry Bold is in the additional buttons just above the keyboard (and below the screen).  From left to right, you have: (1) the traditional green ‘call' button, which activates the phone or places a call to someone you've selected from your contact list or recent calls list; (2) the Blackberry symbol (a bunch of dots in a pattern that's supposed to symbolize....uh, something), which is actually the menu key (would the word "menu" have been that tough to use?); (3) a curved arrow to represent going back one screen in whatever application you're using (why not a straight backwards pointing arrow to symbolize ‘go back?); and (4) the traditional red "end call" button to disconnect from a phone call or to completely cancel out of an application you're in and send you back to your home screen.

Along the left and right sides of the Bold are programmable function keys.  From the main menu, if you select the set-up option, you can assign these two buttons to go straight to certain applications without having to go back to the home screen and selecting it from the icons on that screen.  I have my left button set up to go straight to my mailbox, and my right button set to open up my Blackberry Web browser. 

Things the Blackberry Bold Can Do That I Can't
Let's get some of the things I can't review because my IT department says so out of the way.  The Bold does have a two megapixel camera and a video recording function.  Two megapixels is ok; my last cell phone before my new LG Dare had that.  I honestly would have expected more from a device with such outstanding screen resolution, but what do I know.

The Bold also serves as a music player, so you can download your music via software on the included CD-ROM.  If your IT department is on the stingy side, well, then, no tunes for you.  With a slot for removable storage (micro SD), in theory you could load as much music as will fit on a card.  I've seen Micro SD cards of up to 4 megs, which should give you several hundred average songs.

Not sure where you are?  The Bold has a built-in GPS.  But....yeah, you guessed it, deactivated for me. 

Set-Up?  That's IT's Problem
Like many folks using Blackberrys, I have a great corporate IT desk that handles the initial set-up, so that it is linked to our corporate e-mail account.  However, if you're buying a Bold for your own business or personal use, you'll need to go through this process yourself.  Obviously, I didn't have to do this, but I read the set-up guide, and it appears that most tech-savvy types should be able to perform the steps fairly easily and quickly.

Overall Design: A Winner
At 4.5 inches high, 2.6 inches wide and just over a half-inch thick, this is one slim powerhouse of a smart phone.  Of course, it's usually being carried in a holster, adding some bulk to your belt or purse, but still, it's a sleek, slim and lightweight (just about five ounces) way to keep on top of your business life...or for your business life to keep on top of you.  Take your pick.

Battery Life: Could be Worse, Could Be Better
The official battery life is listed as 13.5 days standby time, and 4.5 hours talk time.  The practical reality lies somewhere in between, depending greatly on how often you check your messages.  I consider myself on the medium side in that regard, probably spending about one-two hours on mail a day, with minimal phone calls (one or two voice mail checks at most).  With that level of use, I can go three days before charging.  It might make it to four, but I'm not one to push things to the limit and get caught with a dead battery at the wrong time.

Bottom Line: If You Need an Electronic Leash to the Office, It Might as Well be a Nice Leash
Blackberry technology has moved forward in leaps and bounds, and the Bold represents a huge leap from the previous generation.  It's still basically a way to ensure you're never fully disconnected from work, but it makes life easier to manage with such a good screen and a stylish design.