This won’t be much of a full detailed review but rather a focal difference between the iPhone and my 8310 Curve. If you want a full detailed review you can go to Endgaget, Gizmodo, or BoyGenius websites. Comparing the Bold to the iPhone isn’t fair. It would be more appropriate if the iPhone was compared to the upcoming Storm which is the Blackberry’s Touch-device.
The Apple iPhone is a gorgeous device. It’s sleek, minimalistic, and solidly built. You can also say the same with the Blackberry Bold. The big differences are their features and functionalities. The Bold can do everything the iPhone can do and then more. Email, SMS, music, video, YouTube, and even browse the internet. But features such as MMS, background apps, video recording, and cut-and-paste are not available to the iPhone. And I’m not sure why Apple hasn’t found a way to implement those features to their popular phone. I must say the iPhone’s web browser is still the King for any mobile phone device. And I hate to say it the Bold’s Browser is not even close, but it’s much better than any of the previous Blackberry devices.
So why did I switch to the Bold from my iPhone 3G? It’s quite simple. It’s the lack of those simple features that Apple has failed to implement. Having the ability to run apps in the background is a must for applications such as Beejive (a multi-protocol IM app). Cut/copy and paste should be a standard in any smart phone device. I work with emails a lot and I sometimes need to copy and paste directions or instructions and send them to someone else without having to forward the entire message. With a Blackberry it is something you can easily perform. Another big reason why I switched is the efficiency of the Blackberry. If you’re a Blackberry Power User then you know what I’m talking about. Shortcut-keys. You can instantly select a contact, text, call, cycle through apps, add a calendar event/ task/ memo, and browse the internet with no more than a couple of key presses. If the iPhone is the King in terms of web browsing then the Blackberry Bold is the King of multi-tasking and efficiency.
I’m sure everyone is familiar with the Blackberry Curve so I won’t go into detail about it. The Bold is slightly bigger compared to the Curve. At first the Bold feels awkwardly huge. Almost as if you were using the 8800 Blackberry. But after about a day of hands-on with the Bold the difference in size is negligible. If you like your Curve then you’ll love the Blackberry Bold. The new beefy hardware and updated 4.6 OS really makes the Bold shine. You can zip through apps, folders, menus without any lag. But the most important aspect of the Bold compared to any previous Blackberry devices is 3G. The updated browser with 3G makes web browsing a much better experience with the Bold.
Some of you may heard about the Blackberry 8900 Curve which will be released early next year. It’s basically the Bold squeezed into the Curve’s form factor. But you need to understand that the 8900 slightly crippled. It comes with a slower processor and it lacks 3G. The latter is a deal breaker. So if you have a Curve and you’re wondering if you want to upgrade and if you don’t mind having a slightly larger phone in your pocket then you should definitely go for it. But if you don’t care about 3G then I suggest waiting it out for the 8900. If money is no object get both. I need to get RIM’s stock to go up. 😀