BlackBerry Bold 9900 Video Review
BlackBerry Bold 9900 Video how to fix
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the GSM version of the CDMA network BlackBerry Bold 9930 on Verizon and Sprint. Beyond the cell radio inside and carrier branding, the phones are identical. To get the full rundown on the Bold 9900/9930, be sure to check out our full written BlackBerry Bold 9930 review.
T-Mobile's version of RIM's latest QWERTY flagship phone has 4G HSPA+, and you can really feel the difference vs. 3G on the Verizon and Sprint versions. Web pages download faster as do email attachments and applications, though App World remains mysteriously slower at download compared to its iOS and Android counterparts. Reception is excellent as is call quality: RIM knows how to make a phone that works well for voice calls.
The hardware is simply stunning: the lines are clean and the materials are top notch. From the aluminum ring around the sides to the cool carbon fiber battery door, it's primo materials. The keyboard is RIM's best yet; even better than the impressive Bold 9000, and larger too. The optical trackpad works well for those who aren't yet in the habit of using a touch screen, though the capacitive display works well with touch. At 2.8" and VGA resolution, text in web pages is quite small, so you'll need to make liberal use of pinch zooming and panning.
The phone has a 1.2GHz single core CPU and it is very fast. The Bold 9900 runs BlackBerry OS 7 with an updated version of BBM that integrates with social networking and other services like the Wikitude AR browser. It has 768 megs of RAM and 8 gigs of internal storage plus a microSD card slot for further expansion. Though RIM designed the 9900 series to support NFC, Sprint is the only carrier to enable that feature, so no NFC here.
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BlackBerry Bold 9900 Video Review
Conclusion
Is this RIM's best BlackBerry ever? You bet! The build quality and materials are downright ritzy and tasteful, the keyboard is the best on a mobile device and 4G speeds are good. It has excellent reception and call quality, a responsive though small touchscreen and a decent camera. But some modern amenities are still missing; there's no mobile hotspot feature, no WiFi calling and no front camera. The phone is also quite expensive with a contract at $299 (after a $50 rebate). The price and lack of radical redesign in BlackBerry OS 7 won't convert users from other platforms, but the phone will make existing BlackBerry fans happy.
Price: $299 with a 2 year contract after a $50 rebate ($350 out the door), $599 without contract
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