The one consistent theme with RIM’s BlackBerry devices is that they keep improving. Even with the new Storm2 9550 that’s coming up, they listened to their clients issues regarding the Storm 9530 faults and fixed them.
Regarding the overall design of the Bold 9700, there are many great additions and in an odd way this new smartphone looks more like the Curve 8900 or the Tour than from it’s previous model, the Bold 9000. The classy elegant feeling from the original 9000 with its chrome casing, leather backing and overall larger size has been somewhat replaced with the 9700 feeling like it’s just one notch up from the Tour.
The reason it feels like this is because the 9700 is smaller than the original, which makes the QWERTY keyboard smaller and a bit cramped in. However, if this is going to be an upgrade from an 8900, Tour etc then this will be a natural progression. If this is coming from a 9000 you’ll dramatically feel the space issue on the keyboard as the overall dimensions are 109 x 60 x 14.1mm. The previous Bold 9000 came in at 114 x 66 x 15mm. The Bold 9700 weighs in at 89 grams, while the Bold 9000 weighs in a 136 grams.
When comparing to the Bold 9000, it was a mixed bag. We heard that people loved and hated the size. However, you can rest assured that the fake leather backing is still part of this device as it’s a signature accents and that the quality of speakers is still one of the best around. The resolution of the screen has been improved to 480 x 360 display on the 9700, up from the 480 x 320 of the original Bold.
Enough with comparing to an older device as this is a new product that should be reviewed separately. By far the best addition on the 9700 is the trackpad. No more trackball which has made the BlackBerry experience such a more pleasurable one. In addition the camera is a 3.2-megapixel and has auto-focus, flash and video recording. We took some pics and shot a video so you can see the quality (check out the video).
RIM has also made the speed and performance of the device faster by upgrading to 256MB of RAM and has BlackBerry OS 5.0. Other features are WiFi and GPS plus as usual this will do all your contacts, calendar and of course your e-mails and IM.
This is available through Bell, Rogers and TELUS. For our Review we used the Bell BlackBerry Bold 9700 model, this also comes with Unlimited NHL which is a great addition for any hockey fan. Plus, the Bell version once again has no Bell logo slapped anywhere on the outside.
The Bell BlackBerry Bold 9700 is available on the following price plans:
3-year contract: $229.95
2-year contract: $449.95
1-year contract: $549.95
No contract: $599.95
This TELUS BlackBerry Bold 9700 is available on the following price plans:
Month-to-Month/No Contract: $649.99
1-year contract: $599.99
2-year contract: $549.99
3-year contract: $249.99
This is available on Rogers on the following price plans:
3-year contract: $299.99
2-year contract: $499.99
1-year contract/Monthly: $549.99
No Contract: $599.99
