Phone Scoop - BlackBerry Bold 9650 Info

User Review: Continuing to Be a Happy BB User

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:44:32 GMT

Nitestar20WV submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

I moved up from the Blackberry Curve 8330. Though I loved my old BB. Love this one even more. Browser speed is awesome. Love the BB keyboard which is one of the reasons I wanted to stick with a BB. Love the track pad. Camera is excellent. Have so much more device memory. Runs apps with ease. Although some of my family has moved to iphones, I am not sold on it. Too many gimmicks. For keeping my life organized and staying in touch with people there is nothing like my BB. I live in a rural area so we are kind of in a fringe area as far as reception but U.S. Cellular has put up many more towers and I am now getting service in areas I didn't get before. Even with 1 to 2 bars of reception, service is great even without using Wi-fi. I travel up and down the east coast and have never had a problem with reception in my travels. Was thinking of going to another carrier at one time, but now I will stay where I am. Again the phone is great!! Is much, much faster than my 8330. I will be a BB customer for life.

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User Review: Simply just works

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:31:55 GMT

drake submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

First of all I reccomend the Seido holster for any Blackberry purchase, it extends battery life, and automatically changes profiles (built in magnet)

The trackpad was a huge improvement from the Tour, has a sharp screen, and has a very sophisticated look and yet feels absolutely sturdy.

With the BB OS 6 update, the universal search is great, but I have noticed my battery last much less than before. So we wait for the plugin to fix whatever is causing it.

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User Review: Good phone, but some bugs

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:05:27 GMT

gitano1 submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 4 (out of 5)

My current Bold is my second one. I got the first after a warranty claim on a Tour that was defective. The first Bold was brand new. Unfortunately, even brand new you can have problems, and that one had a major one. Callers reported that I sounded like I was talking through cotton wool or cardboard. A second level tech at Verizon called me seven times in a row. 4 of the seven calls had normal sound, three were as had been described by previous callers. I was sent a new phone.
Both the new Bold (a certified previously owned) and the older one shared a problem. Neither produced any audible volume when using BlueTooth. I didn't do much with the older one, but the new one has been a project. I tried five different Bluetooth utilities, among them the BlueAnt Supertooth3. The headsets were completely inaudible, Supertooth just barely audible. Rather than request another replacement phone I have purchased a wired headset which works quite well. Other than the Bluetooth, the phone is perfect. Sound is clear and sharp. VZNavigator is a superb utility for the price. The keyboard is excellent. The internet is fast for a Blackberry. There are lots of utilities, free and relatively cheap available. The current OS is still and 5.0, but it is solid and stable. I suspect that Verizon would rather not deal with operating systems that are not fully tested on particular models before making them available, so OS 6 may be off in the future. I am happy with the phone. I would be happier if Bluetooth worked, but I can live without it. One major problem with changing phones as often as I have had to in order to get one that works is that each time I get a new pin. Some software developers are less than willing to relicense their software over and over again. This, I must admit was one reason I decided to not request a replacement for my current 9650.

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User Review: Great Phone

Sun, 03 Oct 2010 03:15:42 GMT

jessiep submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

I have owned 6 blackberry's and I will tell you this one by far is the best phone. BB has IMO always had a solid OS compared to other phone's such as Palm, HTC, Apple etc. I've owned an iPhone and I will tell you this, the iPhone is a decent phone but when you want quality look no further then BB. All the important applications are available on any smart phone not just the iPhone. Don't always buy into the hype. Plus it sucked I had to ALWAYS update my iTunes, and OS for the iPhone. Apple never seems to get it right and your always having to update the iPhone.

Pro's

Track pad (much better then the ball)

Size of this phone is great compared to others.

Wifi

Call quality

reception is great

Awesome screen resolution

Great camera

Key pad is easy to use

My battery goes for two days without a charge

Preloaded with OS 5.0

Con's

Phone should come pre-installed with the new blackberry OS 6.

Other than that none.

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User Review: Bold, For Sure!

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:53:26 GMT

Deviceguy submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

Ok, so.. my honest opinion -

The Bold is a device that truly gives you everything that you need to simply, GET THINGS DONE!

I used the Moto Droid, Droid Incredible and also came from the Tour. The additions of a higher resolution, faster processor and wifi, were the main things that needed to happen to make this device perfect.

I truly like the Droid series and also like the Iphone experience. That said, if you really want to get something done, I mean done and done right, then BlackBerry and the Bold is for you. I find myself releived when I am not worrying about a "touch Screen" or, 75,000 to 100,000 apps. See, with the BlackBerry, you only have a choice of about 16,000 apps. In my opinion, that is more than enough to have that special feeling of being cool.

The design of the Bold is rich. Add in that RIM kept it the same and simply upgraded the guts, tells me that the appeal of the Bold is apparent and will likely not change much.

Conversations are crisp, Downloaded the Miphone6 (BlackBerry 6 theme)and this puppy looks even sleeker and better.

Great Job RIM. If I were to knock off a halp a point, it would be that I would love if RIM made the charging port at the bottom of the phone. Not worth deducting though.

Good stuff!

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User Review: Magnifficiant

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:04:42 GMT

narn3049 submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

This phone is the best bb i've come across 4 awhile. i tried the 9530 for a short time and it was good. But it wasn't the true old blackberry. like u know the 8830 days. I'm glad that BB comes out with more devices to what they originally came out with.

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User Review: Wonderful Device!

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:40:15 GMT

divarela submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

PROs:

It's a great phone. It feels and looks good, the battery life is great, the web browser is fast, QWERTY keyboard is easy to use,nice display screen, and good sound quality (music and voice).

CONs:

I don't have any CONs. I've had the phone for over two months and it's been great. Good job Research In Motion!

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User Review: Reliable, Excellent Camera, Fast, Loud, Excellent Sprint Coverage and Service!

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 05:10:10 GMT

jdcbomb submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

This is probably one of the best all around BlackBerry devices every created.

This phone has ALL the features that its competitors have along with its storied and well developed BB e-mail / messaging system that has over 100 million users worldwide. The fact that it can be bought for $200 is an excellent value.

If you're looking for a phone that keeps you organized, connected to all your family and friends, entertained, and more, this is a great phone.

The e-mail, contact lists, and how all messages are combined into shared boxes is efficient and easy to use. The keyboard is responsive and fast...much better than any touchscreen out there. The battery life is phenomenal and turning off the WiFi and Bluetooth radios and closing extra applications extends it even further.

Regarding the cellphone service coverage, Sprint has vastly improved over the last 5 years. My friends and I took our BB phones up and down the East Coast and had excellent service the entire way: e-mailing, chatting, texting, sending pics, receiving pics, facebooking, etc. There were a handful of dead spots, but coverage and reliability was rivaling Verizon Wireless (former VZW subscriber of 10 years!)

Unlimited use of their voice command GPS network (LIVE traffic updates and rerouting!) is truly amazing and at least worth $200 in my opinion. The Sprint TV network is DARN GOOD with various channels that include LIVE ESPN.

The camera actually takes better 3.2MP pictures than the iPhone 3GS with full color and detail...with a LED flash that is blinding! (flashlight mode!)

Also, I've been able to stream Pandora internet radio nonstop for hours without barely using the battery

Sprint's Family plans are the best currently on the market. To have unlimited mobile to mobile calling (ANY CARRIER!), unlimited texting, unlimited data, for less than $40 per person per month is nearly miraculous. If you don't want to waste money on flashier smartphones, get this phone. You won't regret it! :)

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User Review: Reception Issues

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:05:12 GMT

Metcalfe1963 submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 2 (out of 5)

Pros:
A lot of good things about the phone. I like the way it is laid out and how it handles folders. Sound is good. Upgraded from a Curve.
Cons:
Have had battery life issues. Sometimes less than half a day on battery and I am not a hard user at all. Real problem is with reception. I do live in a fringe area but experienced an unusually high number of dropped calls. Would be talking just fine and, all of a sudden, poof! Also had lockup problems. Phone would stop working for 30 seconds to a minute then go on. Had phone back to Sprint twice with no improvement except for some with battery life. Folks at Sprint have always been very nice and tried to help. Have gone back to the Curve and am no longer having any problems. I may just have had a bad phone but I was not at all happy with the Bold.

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User Review: BBY Bold 9650 --- Awesome

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:20:42 GMT

MotoLuvr submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

All good, no bad. Love it !!! Best phone I've ever had !

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User Review: AWESOME!

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:25:54 GMT

wizpop submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

This phone is GREAT! If you like Blackberry, then you will love this phone... And I will not compare Verizon with T-mobile. Verizon is BY FAR the superior network and phones. I have had T-Mobile and there is nothing I would rather have as Verizon and Blackberry combo.

Great Job BB and VZ

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User Review: Not as good as the 9700

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:29:25 GMT

tazman1 submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 2 (out of 5)

This is not a great phone. I am going to review this by comparing it to my 9700 on T-Mobile. I have had both phones.

The only things that are Bold about the 9650 is the 512MB memory and the Network(Verizon)although T-Mobile is getting better. Other than that, the 9700 beats it in every respect.

The Back cover is superior. The 9700 has the best back cover on a Blackberry today. The 9650's cover is the same as the horrible Tour battery cover.

The size of the 9700 is better. It is smaller that the 9650 but it feels like it is better built and the size lets you type on it with one hand.

The Battery is better. The 9700 uses the same battery that the original Bold used. The 9650 uses the same battery as the Storm, Tour and storm 2. Enough said

The T-Mobile 9700 uses UMA. This is great for low signal areas. The 9650 will not use that.

The 9700 has the black button accents. This was supposed to be a staple in the BB future. The 9650 doesn't use it.

The 9700 has better placement of the charging port

The 9700 starts up faster than the 9650. seriously the 9650 takes forever to reboot. This is a deal killer for me

If you're on Verizon or Sprint go for the 9650. You'll probably like it but if you're on T-Mobile or ATT stay with the 9700 on that Network. you will not be sorry. Oh and if you're worried about putting OS6 on the 9700 don't. Either ther will be a 9700 made with more memory or RIM will adapt an OS6 system for the current one

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User Review: BlackBerry Bold ---Not at All

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:52:32 GMT

MegaWhy submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 2 (out of 5)

I am soo disappointed in this phone. I expected excellent call quality and a very fast business device. I did not get either.

Pros
Nice looking device
Good Key Board
More Memory

Cons
The call quality is TERRIBLE. I sound muffled to the people I call, like I have my hand over the mic. RIDICULOUS
the LED light goes off for no reason...no other indicator. So I get blinking red LEDs with no calls, no email, no SMS, no tasks due...help me here.
This device has frozen a number of times and needed to be rebooted.
The Browser is slow and so far behind every other phone.

Is this phone defective? I suppose I will try to get a new one and see if this one is just a lemon. The other reviews seem so positive...and I cannot see how they possibly could be satisfied.

Blackberry..what is up with you!

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User Review: Love it!

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:23:24 GMT

kmcnulty25 submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

This my 3rd Blackberry, having previously owned the Curve 8330 and 8530. The latter was nothing but an expensive piece of plastic (and a slow one at that) which dropped calls on me ALOT, and after having it less than 6 months the trackpad started coming out, so I said "enough" and upgraded to the Bold. I'm so glad I did! This phone is very fast, and I love the fact that it's a solid, well-built phone without being clunky. Call quality is excellent, loud enough on only half volume, unlike on the 8530 which had to be turned all the way up. Very easy to use.

The only things I might have a problem with would be the dark blue screen after clicking on the menu button, and the small font/magnifying glass cursor on the browser. You have to zoom in and out, and sometimes you zoom in and out unintentionally. It's also a little tricky to copy and paste.

Other than that, this is a great phone!

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User Review: Great Phone

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 02:32:16 GMT

JonnyBold submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

Comming from the Curve 8330 the Bold 9650 is an awesome phone.

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User Review: Blackberry 9650. Great upgrade but...

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:29:51 GMT

mrtasle submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 4 (out of 5)

Coming from a 9700 on T-Mobile to get to a better network was important to me. I had the Tour before on Verizon and while the Bold 9650 is a definite upgrade from it, it kept a few of the things that I hated on the Tour. For instance the back door. It is tighter than on the Tour but it relies on the same lock. I can see this becoming a problem later. It still has the chrome accents that I hated on the Tour and the Tour had the worst placement of a Micro USB port and this is just as bad. The battery is very underpowered.Every one of these negatives pales in comparison to the 9700. The one thing that it has that the 9700 doesn't is memory but that will be addressed with the 9700a. the real deal killer is the boot up time. While Blackberries are notoriously slow this one is the slowest I have ever encountered. this is a deal breaker for me. I love the fact that the upgrades (WI-FI, Trackpad and memory) are there but I'll be trading this in for a Droid

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User Review: What happened to the volume?

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:27:28 GMT

andy2373 submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 3.5 (out of 5)

Having used the BB Tour and coming from the BB 9700, whatever RIM has done to these new BB's (9700 & 9650) the ringer & notification volume is too low.
Strange the BB Tour is almost identical to the BB Bold 9650 yet the 9650 isn't as loud.
And just coming from the 9700 the 9650 seems slower, even though it has more memory. Defiantly slower boot up time.
PROS:
VZW 3G coverage
Track-pad
More memory
2GB SD included
Red number pad
Ear piece is nice and loud for phone calls
CONS:
Your going to miss calls, etc in noisy environments

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User Review: I upgraded from a Blackberry Tour 9630 to the Blackberry Bold 9650

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 04:46:28 GMT

Cel X Generation submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

*-This phone is CDMA and also GSM, it could be activated for example with Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T etc.

*-Some people get confused with the change of name on the 9650 with “BOLD” instead of putting “Tour 2”, what I think is that blackberry wants to assign name models to specific types of their phones, for example the “8xxx series with Curve”, “9xxx series with Bold” “Candy Bar type series with Pearl”, “Touch screen series with Storm” “Flip series with Pearl Flip”

Differences

*-WI-FI added.
*-Track-Ball upgrades to Track-Pad
*-The Blackberry Bold 9650 keyboard is more compact, buttons are more together and
softer to type in.
*-Internal memory upgraded on the Blackberry Bold 9650, moves much faster even if you have a lot of information in the phone, the Blackberry Tour 9630 used to freeze numerous times.
*-The convenience key on the LEFT or RIGHT side on other BlackBerries I’ve had, I used to assign it to execute the KEYBOARD LOCK, now on the Blackberry Bold 9650 you cannot do this, I guess the company wants us to use the original KEYBOARD LOCK button located on the upper left side of the phone.
*-On The Blackberry Bold 9650 when receiving calls, sms, or emails etc, you can put it to vibrate AND ring at the same time, on the Blackberry Tour 9630 and other blackberry models I’ve had you can only set it to vibrate THEN ring.
*-The Blackberry Bold 9650 when you charge the phone with the keyboard locked the phone does not display the big numbered clock, if you would like to view the big numbered clock while charging it has to be keyboard unlocked, with the Blackberry Tour 9630 it’ll display the big numbered clock with keyboard locked or unlocked, I like the Tour 9630 in this option, wish I can modify that part.
*- The Blackberry Bold 9650 displays the contact name and number if stored in the phonebook, on the Blackberry Tour 9630 if contact is stored in the phone book it will only display the name without the number.

That’s all I noticed

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Review: BlackBerry 9650 Bold

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:41:46 GMT

We just published our In-Depth Review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650.

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User Review: Nice upgrade!

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:04:03 GMT

customerX submitted this review of the BlackBerry Bold 9650:

Overall rating: 5 (out of 5)

I am coming off a 2 yr old Curve on Verizon to a Bold on Sprint.

I find the build quality on this to be great so far. I have no battery door issues that I've read about. The browser has better imaging and faster than my curve. The trackpad after getting used to is a nice change from the trackball. I really like the keyboard. This is weightier than the Curve. Pro for me, maybe con for others.

Call quality so far is excellent - It may even be batter than my Curve was - clearer calls it seems.

Battery life is OK so far. Memory - well let's just say I need more after syncing my BB with itunes but that's to be expected.

Signal - I am unsure whether there is actually any difference yet and if there is I am sure it will be due to carrier change and not device. I did take this new Bold all over new england this weekend and pretty much had a signal everywhere - didn't miss calls, didnt drop calls.

Vibrate - I really do think this was stronger on my Curve, not enough to nick a star on rating but I use vibrate a lot and wish it were more "forceful".

This is a solid phone. As an FYI - My primary uses of the Bold are: Phone calls, music player, texting, black berry msging, and email.

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