Comments on: BlackBerry Bold review: we’ve been rockin’ it for a month

By: Carmen

Carmen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:53:38 +0000

yeah i love it when it turns off randomly all the time… i dont know if its just my bold , but mine turns off randomly allllll the time and its a pain because blackberrys take 5 minutes to turn on like a computer.. i have been in so many situations where my phone will randomly turn off and i REALLY need to use it , makes me wanna throw it… the slightest fall will turn it off… this morning i had my alarm set for 5 am so i could study before school… my phone fell from my bed, and shut off… slept in till 6 30 and missed out on studying because of my blackberry bold..this made me so mad that i came on this site to complain

By: Leigh

Leigh — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:46:41 +0000

Phil,

I do agree with you anout the IPhone, my sons sais I would love it so I put my Blackberry aside and tried it for one week. I lasted two days and went back to by Blackberry. Even with the battery draining right away (which I keep a spare now) I appreciate my Blackberry even more. I have had a Blackberry for 5 years and will stay. I just hope the next model they will have worked out the kinks!

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:44:36 +0000

I have to say I am a little bit nervous about opening the box on my new Bold… but then again it can’t be any worse than this past week I spent with my shiny new 32g iPhone… Uggggh! I was convinced by my wife.. a loyal iPhone user since day 1…that I would love it .. I would adapt.. I would get use to the keyboard and it would change my life! It changed it alright… clients didn’t get call backs cause I could never feel it ring… the amount of expletives that I found in my vocabulary after trying to type emails on the fly… or having to stop walking… was insane… long story short.. I used up an upgrade that I had been saving for 2 years.. and ended up selling the thing within a week …. hope my Bold gets here soon!!!

By: Big Al

Big Al — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:32:31 +0000

Well guys, I’ve had my BB for just over a month now and all I can say is that I think it is really cool. The calling is fab, sound quality is spot on, the e-mail just comes through with ease and the sound for the MP3 is fantastic. It’s that good I have done away with my Ipod. I bought a 16Gb card for it and away I went. Don’t get me wrong there are a few niggles I have but only 1 minor and 2 major. The minor is that the camera is crap compared to a nokia but I didn’t buy it for taking photo’s that’s why I have spent £500 on a Nikon.
The Majors so simple it’s untrue, the bloody thing can’t send business cards! I can buy a £10 Nokia and it can do that, but a £400 business phone can’t. What’s the crack there?
The other major is no skype. I have got so used to being logged onto skype and people calling me; me calling the States and Europe for free.
My overall impression is good and the score upto now is 7.5/10. If just phone and e-mail then a resounding 10/10, but hey we can’t have it all can we RIM.

By: Tariq Nayfeh

Tariq Nayfeh — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:07:21 +0000

I have had my bold for more than a year. Just started having the problem with it rebooting and crashing over this weekend. I am a trauma doctor on call this weekend too… It has been a nightmare.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:39:19 +0000

The blackberry bold is a lot more sturdier than the blackjack II and older blackberry’s. You are seriously mistaken for what you are saying about the bold.

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:51:49 +0000

My first BlackBerry was a Pearl 8130. Nice phone but it really lacked the power and resources to do all I wanted to do. After a year, I bought the Bold. Had to pay full price for it since I was only a year into my 3 year contract, but it was worth every cent!

This thing is fast, darn fine looking, and top shelf quality from processor to ear-piece. The sound quality is fantastic in-call or on loudspeaker, the screen is vibrant and sharp and the keyboard nice and crisp.

With 3G along with the 624mHz processor, this device replaces my iPod Touch, and both my hand held and dash-mount GPS systems. It plays the podcasts I listen to on my phone nicely, or through PodTrapper, and with a couple apps (one free, the other I paid $30) I have both GPS devices all wrapped up in one piece. So I don’t need a $230 iPod, a $280 GPS for the car, or a $200 hand held GPS for hiking or Geo Caching.

I see that some people in this post are unhappy with the Bold. I guess it could be a matter of personal taste or they have had bad luck with their Bold, and I’m sorry to hear that, but I have had no issues with mine at all (knock on wood) and I’m very happy with it. After using the iPod Touch, basically an iPhone (I was making calls with it over Wi-Fi using Fring), I just didn’t like tapping the screen to type – couldn’t get used to it. Plus, I like being able to switch between apps on the fly. Can’t do that with the iPhone.

I’ll stick with the Bold. None of the new BlackBerry models that have come out since have been able to turn my head yet, but who knows what the future brings.

By: Milly Milan

Milly Milan — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:51:20 +0000

A great review as I am pondering a Bold or a Storm. Presently an I-Phone user and not been happy with it. Still can’t decide which blackberry to choose though!

By: Marne

Marne — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:48:21 +0000

I have had my Bold for about 2 months now. I have not had ANY of the issues I am reading about! I love my Bold! I have about a dozen apps installed, and if I have several of them open during the day, yes, it will drain the battery, but I still have 50% by bedtime, and I just plug it in. I’ve never yet had to do a reset aside from after one of my app installs. I have a screen protector on it, and I’ve dropped it numerous times already…you’d never tell. No scratches anywhere. Phone works great, sounds great. This phone is solid, far more than anything I’ve had previously. WONDERFUL graphics! Keys have a great shape, which helps shorten the learning curve dramatically.
I got rid of my first BBerry some years back, hated it. I was toying with an iPhone, but the functionality of the Bold won me over. I have it sync’d with my itunes, loaded with apps and games, syncs my gmail calendar and mail…what else could I want? HIGHLY recommend this device!

By: Prakash Gupta

Prakash Gupta — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:13:45 +0000

bought BB BOLD month back, in 15 days a small highlighted line from left top corner at 45 degree. kept growing and in nxt 10 days reached in the centre. I spoke to the dealer who sent me to the stockist, who gave me a no which never went thru. upon calling the help line he gave me a no which didnt belong to the Service centre. Finally managed to reach the service guys who said as it a month over we need to send the same to Banagalore and would need 10 days to ascertain a repair or change. I really curse myself for buying a BB…

By: tom

tom — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:42:29 +0000

Just got my second bold because the radio is bad in it, but the new one drops calls faster than the old one. Not a good radio in these things at all.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:01:49 +0000

THE BOLD IS CRAP for calls! I just received my 3rd Bold in less than 2 months, Everyone I have talked to know matter what service carrier they have the same issues, dropped calls, failed calls, etc. You hvae to keep this phone plugged into the charger or your battery will be dead FAST!

I love the bb keyboard better than the I Phone for text and emails which I send a lot of but if you need to make a call good luck.

I just uploaded the new software and it is supposed to switch to the Edgw which it doesnt.

Stay away from this phone!!! PERIOD!!!

By: Big Al

Big Al — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:13:22 +0000

Just ordered my new bold and reading some of the reviews I’m thinking that I shouldn’t have bothered. I use and E71 at the mo and the RF is somewhat to be desired so I thought hey blackberry is all the rage, I’ll give it go. I’m kinda having second thoughts I’ll post again in a couple of weeks to let you guys know how I fair. Lets see if I’m back to the old trusty Nokia.

By: SuperK

SuperK — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:11:52 +0000

Hi I live is Srilanka, Just Purchased my BB Bold from a one of the 3 providers in SL. I am experiencing fast battery drain, the OS version installed is v4.6.0.451 .
Can anyone advice me how I can prolong the battery life on this phone and if there is another newer OS to download to fix my problems? Thanks

By: Leigh

Leigh — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:55:13 +0000

The Bold sucks!! I have been a blackberry user since they came out. I thought the Bold would have solved the past problems, no only does the battery overheat and go dead by the 10th hour, it consistently freezes up, powers down and tells me I have no GPS signal. Now a new problem has cropped up where the screen goes entirely black with the last flashing four blips over and over. When you call me it goes straight to voicemail like it is off! This is my thrid replacement in 6 months and to tell you the truth I am heading to the Iphone!

By: Jo-Anne

Jo-Anne — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:23:52 +0000

Newbie question: I don’t really want a data plan. Want the Bold as an organizer and phone. Plan to get a voice/data plan in order to get the phone cheap, and then later cancel the data part. Will the WiFi still work?

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:52:18 +0000

Forgot to add:

Even with the updates current, my blackberry crashes multiple times per week, disabling its use for up to 20 minutes. Very inconvenient if you need to make a call. Additionally, sometimes you have to make calls 3 or 4 times before they’ll go through. Also, the Bold definitely DOES have an overheating problem. With no additional apps and ONE e-mail address attached, all of these problems have been experienced in addition to the fact that the phone becomes so hot from even a five-minute phone call that the battery is compromised by heat damage.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:44:59 +0000

I bought the Bold. Huge mistake.

I’ve gone through 4 of them since Christmas.
Each time all of my saved information, applications, settings, and e-mails are wiped. First one was a software issue…the software was so dysfunctional that they ended up not even being able to load the OS update, so I received a second which boasted the same issue in addition to sucking down battery power like it was water. The third blackberry’s screen sustained a small crack in the upper left corner which disabled the screen in its entirety. The fourth has just received a large scratch to the screen, and I am unable to tell whether or not this is a crack but assume the thing’s on its way out.
Keep in mind, I baby my phones. I buy them all sorts of protective sleeves and cases and never put them in pants pockets or other hazardous areas.

Major problems:
Battery Life – heat exposure and anything but full-drainage, one-sitting full charge will absolutely ruin your battery life. When purchased the Bold’s battery life is impressive, to say the least.
Delicate Screen – the screen is incredibly easy to scratch, depress, or crack. I’m talking INCREDIBLY easy. I dropped my phone onto poured concrete from a height of 1.5 feet and the screen developed a small crack that disabled any viewing ability. the whole thing went white.
Trackball – goes out very quickly
Buttons/Keyboard – become loose and squeaky, the top four command buttons near the trackball will cease to function sporadically
The chrome trim – incredibly cheap plastic…butter soft. Your phone will not survive a single upset unscathed.

The only other issue is that the operating system isn’t particularly intuitive…i’m having difficulty deleting many applications that I have no use for. Additionally my reception with AT&T is god-awful, which is upsetting given I switched over from the superior verizon for this phone. Even with insurance, it’s well over one hundred dollars to replace.

Learned my lesson…Usually the more expensive phones are made with higher quality and more durable materials. Unfortunately that is not the case with the Bold. RIM really cut corners on this one.

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:44:41 +0000

This reveiw was very helpfull I wasn’t sure if I want to ever buy a Blackberry with all the problems I had with my lateest Blackberry8310 Curve I was sorry I ever got one but it seem that The Bold has solve all the magor problems I’ve come accross and more that I haven’t yet. I’m pleaed that I have deceided to have given Blackberry one more try.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 03:22:31 +0000

so what about the back cover that won’t stay on? I have used Curve for several years and upgraded only to discover Curve keyboard wobbles on new models _ I tested 8 Curves at the store – so went to the more expensive Bold (3G)/ Internet is no faster and back cover keeps falling off. Tacky workmanship for a $400 phone – no wonder I Phone is picking up market share – in our house 3 have switched to I phone and look at me like I’m nuts sticking to Bold – any solution as primary need is e-mail and we have blackbery server

Anyone else with this problem?

By: jlane

jlane — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 10:54:40 +0000

Studying my options and your review is the best. Very detailed and entertaining. Keep it up.

By: Leanne

Leanne — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:52:24 +0000

I’ve had the Bold since it was first released on at&t… most of the issues I’ve had with random powercycles and battery life are similiar to what I’ve had with previous BlackBerries; I use it to death, so I’ve just learned to have chargers all over the place. I also beat my phones up a lot (never EVER buy a phone without insurance, folks) and only had a case on it for a week, so I can tell you from experience that the screen does NOT scratch easily at all. The poor thing gets dropped, thrown, stepped on, slept on, wrestled by my kids, used in the rain, shoved in pockets, battered by keys and generally abused. The only nicks are tiny ones on the chrome edging from one of the many times it landed face down on pavement. 6 months and no trackball issues either like I had with my Curve (would only move up and down).

By: Brad

Brad — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:02:14 +0000

CDMA is UMTS/3G

By: kleo

kleo — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:24:55 +0000

Nice article but having used blackberries in a busy medical dept for yrs now, the bold has been a dissapointment for me.. It crashes 1-2x/wk for no apparent reason. Screen will not return unless you removed battery and restart phone. As we receive a discount w ATT at work, many of use have a bold and have had the same problem… not just me. Also, sometimes when placing calls w all bars up- there’s a long delay- too long. It’s great for texting! Seems to get overwhelmed easiy…

By: blackberrygirl

blackberrygirl — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:04:49 +0000

I purchased the Blackberry bold 3 months ago. At first it worked well and I was happy with it. About one month ago, I noticed the battery would not hold its charge as long as it used to. Also, the device drops calls frequently. I would remove the battery to reset the device. After reinstalling the battery, the startup takes about 2 mintues! Last week, the external speakers failed. And now, the battery will not charge at all. Right now, I am not happy with this device. It is not as sturdy as my previous blackberry nor the blackjack II. Buy with caution!!!

By: David Simon

David Simon — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:15:28 +0000

I bought a new blackberry bold 9000 from singapore airport. i noticed a strange thing in that phone. On the keyboard in place of Y there is Z and vice versa, which is different from other balckberry phones. Can any one tell me why it is like that. pls also provide the information where to contact and whom to contact regarding this problem

By: John Black

John Black — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:27:24 +0000

Your review of the new blackberry bold hit the spot.
I’m looking to upgrade from treo to blackberry soon.
Thanks for the review.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 25 May 2009 02:16:47 +0000

Blaine Tate is right i work for . I would agree with the USB statement. it breaks and they don’t cover shit. Sporting the iphone, Berry Bold, and a Nokia e71 int’l, The Bold is the phone you buy when you don’t want an Apple. With that said, nothing comes close to the amazing use and functionality of Safari iphone web browser. BB is ok. Just enough to say they included a browser really. Youtube was stuck loading in 4 bars 3g coverage. Battery is what I would say acceptable. i use all day browse, email call text. and im at 1 bar left at 6pm. Call quality is clear and loud. The speaker is very loud. Comes with nice headphones and handsfree, very nice. Itunes sync was very simple. Pocketmac have NEVER worked. Tried several things. Bluetooth works flawlessly. Email is awesome. Texting is awesome. No apps. Great phone. Definitely could improve is numerous areas and is a sweet phone to roll with. Recommended highly.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:04:16 +0000

Love the new Bold. Had it two weeks and everything is working very well. Fast. Not getting even warm – no sign of overheating. Do tons of calls a day, check email all the time. Check internet 2-3 times per day and send 5 texts or so. With all of that, battery will go from full charge to 1-2 bars. Never run low unless do not charge overnight.

Always good to have the extra charger and the car charger around though. Pantronics Bluetooth works very well with it.

Early yet – very satisfied.

By: jcocca

jcocca — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:22:50 +0000

I purchased in Feb. 2009 and I am on Blackberry Bold 9000 # three! The first one overheated to the point I thought it was going to start on fire. Then the speaker went out. Bold # two unit got hot and then guess what speaker went out. I am now four days into AT&T’s re-furbished replacement which I am sure will over heat and speaker will go out. For the money $$$ this phone has a ways to go. I wish I had waited for next generation and let asomeone else go through new product issues. I would suggest if people want one, wait for 6 months until they de-bug more!