BlackBerry Bold 9650
Phone Scoop Review
Jun 4, 2010 by Eric M. Zeman
Research In Motion boldy goes nowhere new with its latest BlackBerry, the 9650 Bold. It's solid and capable, but fails to break any new ground. For boring suits, it suits just fine. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Magnifficiant
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.
Reliable, Excellent Camera, Fast, Loud, Excellent Sprint Coverage and Service!
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! :)
Better Late than Never
After having this phone one week after owning the Tour for nearly a year, the Bold proves to be a decent upgrade but only if you have to have the latest.
Pros:
Almost 3 times the internal memory of the Tour.
WiFi is nice.
Track pad is cool once you get accustomed to it.
Slightly heavier than the Tour. I think that's a pro. Some might disagree.
5.0 OS already installed.
Cons:
Battery life is slightly worse than the Tour probably due to WiFi.
Charging port has moved from where it's original annoying position was on the Tour to just a few more annoying centimeters difference on the Bold that now will require a new case in most instances.
Should have shipped with OS 6
Sprint should have released this phone last summer instead of the Tour. Better late than never though.
Excellent phone
Just got the 3 of the phones yesterday from Sprint.
Pros: WiFi is great, can now talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time. Battery life is actually a bit better than the Tour's, about 20% longer, even though using the same battery. Voice quality is great. Browser seems to be a bit faster too.
Cons: No cons so far.
Not available for Verizon yet, sorry Verizon BB fans.
Continuing to Be a Happy BB User
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.
Simply just works
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.
Good phone, but some bugs
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.
Great Phone
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.
Bold, For Sure!
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!
Wonderful Device!
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!
