Who should get this phone? Business users who want all the functionality of a BlackBerry, but in a slimmer, more powerful model.
What cell phone compares to this model? The BlackBerry Bold 9930 for Verizon and the BlackBerry Bold 9900 for T-Mobile.
Why should I get this phone? You want all the rich messaging BlackBerry features in a stylish phone with a full tactile QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen.
In a nutshell:
The BlackBerry Bold 9930 is a solid step in the right direction and fills a gap in the smartphone market. Anyone who wants basic smartphone features such as e-mail, social media connectivity, a solid integrated camera, and great call quality will find it in this device with a user interface that’s more fun to use.The BlackBerry Bold 9930 is the slimmest BlackBerry to date. Measuring just 0.41-inches deep, it feels like it’s about half the depth of previous models. There are a few other noteworthy changes. Nestled between the volume keys is a mute key that also does double duty as pause/play when in music player mode. The silence button typically found at the top of the phone is gone and in its place located at the top middle of phone is a lock key for locking the screen. (Tip: When not using the phone press this button and lock the screen otherwise you may accidentally send a text or create a contact.) Of course, the biggest difference between this BlackBerry Bold and its predecessors is the inclusion of a touchscreen. We found the display bright and easy to read. Overall, we liked the inclusion of the touchscreen and the ability to scroll between multiple windows and press just about anywhere on the screen to manage features. For example, to adjust the ringtone setting just press the speaker icon located in the upper left hand corner of the screen just below the date. (Tip: To quickly manage network settings press the top right hand corner of the screen where the network icons are located. A network settings menu will drop down. That’s also where you’ll be able to activate and deactivate Airplane mode.) Although, there is a 1.2GHz processor in the phone there were times that we had to wait for the screen to respond. That said we have experienced this issue from time to time with most touchscreen smartphones.
As expected the signature BlackBerry Bold tactile QWERTY keyboard is included. It’s a bit more spacious than the keyboard found on the BlackBerry Curve. We rarely suffered mistypes when using this keyboard. Above the keyboard are the Call, Menu, Trackpad, Back, and End Call/Power keys. The silver that surrounds the cell phone gives it a high-end look. We also appreciate the keys on the side of the phone are similar to those found on existing BlackBerrys. There are volume keys and a one-touch key that launches the camera (Tip: You can change the application the side key launches by selecting Settings from the main menu and choose Device. Once in that menu, select Convenience Key and tap the highlighted feature to reveal more options. Choose the feature you want and select Save.) on one side, a 3.5mm headset jack and an uncovered microUSB port on the other, and a screen lock key at the top of the phone. You’ll definitely want to activate the screen lock when the phone is going to be in a purse or pocket, since you can accidentally set a search in motion or something else. The smartphone can support up to a 32GB microSD card, but you’ll need to remove the back cover of the phone and the battery to access it. Since this is a true world phone there’s a SIM card included that’s located underneath the battery.
Testing the BlackBerry Bold 9930
Making Calls: When placing calls we could callers were loud and clear and callers reported they had no problem hearing us clearly. The BlackBerry Bold supports conference calls and it’s fairly easy to add and drop callers using this feature.
- Volume Adjustment: You can use the side buttons to adjust the volume, but we rarely needed to use them. There’s an additional key in the middle of the volume keys that’s used to mute the phone.
- Speakerphone: Call quality is clear when using this feature. We didn’t cut each other off when speaking simultaneously.
Operating System:
The smartphone comes loaded with BlackBerry OS 7 and supports multitasking and multiple screens with the ability to organize apps just about any way you want. Overall, the user interface is fairly straightforward and icon friendly and the touchsreen just adds to a solid user experience. BlackBerry OS 7 isn’t a huge departure from BlackBerry OS 6. The search feature has been updated to include voice support for universal search so you can speak search selections. This feature worked pretty well. Additionally, we appreciated how well the notifications worked. At any time you can easily see any notifications including missed calls, messages, Facebook updates, Twitter mentions, and calendar appointment in a glance. We particularly appreciated upcoming events listed in Facebook appeared in the calendar notifications.
- E-Mail: We were able to easily set-up and access both corporate e-mail and web-based e-mail accounts such as Yahoo!, AOL, and Gmail. You can have up to 10 e-mail accounts on the phone. There’s also settings for how to reconcile the accounts and add an option to delete on mailbox and handheld or just handheld before deleting a message.
- Web Navigation:
The BlackBerry OS 7 web browser experience is greatly improved. Having a touchscreen is definitely added plus. Many of the features found on other smartphone browsers are evident here. You can use the touchscreen to intuitively scroll around a website with ease, pinch and zoom, and zoom in and out.
The BlackBerry Bold does a decent job of handling bookmarks. When surfing the web there’s a bookmark icon in the top right hand corner, press that and the existing website gets pushed down the screen to reveal screenshots of all the bookmarked sites. Web pages loaded faster than expected over a 3G connection (this is a result of the new OS 7 and the speedy processor) and it supports HTML 5 video. Microsoft’s Bing is the default search engine on the site and we found it did a good job of finding query matches.
- Social Media: In addition to including mobile versions of Facebook, and Twitter, the BlackBerry OS includes the Social Feeds application. It’s an easy to use application that aggregates updates from all your social media accounts and RSS feeds.
Camera Features: The BlackBerry Bold sports a 5-megapixel camera with a flash on the back of the cell phone. Using the flash in dark settings added a lot to overall picture quality. It lacks a tiny mirror for framing self-portraits. The side convenience key is set to launch the camera, but this can be easily changed. (Tip: To change which app the convenience key will launch, choose Setup from the main menu and select Convenience Key. Next press the bar with the arrow and choose a new feature. Then select Return to Setup and then Save when prompted.)
- Shutter Speed: The BlackBerry Bold shutter is fairly fast, so you should have no problem capturing spur-of-the-moment shots.
- Photo Settings: You can control the flash, digital zoom, picture review,select a scene mode (landscape, sports, portrait, face detection, party, close-up, snow, beach, night, and text), choose single shot or continuous, and add geo tags.
- Video Features: You can record 720p HD video with this cell phone and you can select a scene mode (auto, portrait, landscape, close-up, and beach) or use the flash as a video light. Overall video quality was acceptable, however, the screen is a bit small for watching videos longer than a few minutes.
Music Features: Playback of music through the BlackBerry Bold’s speaker is solid; songs sounded loud, but not distorted or too tinny. Music also sounded great through the included headphones. When in the music app you can use the volume and mute keys on the side of the phone to play, pause, and skip/rewind to the next song.
Formats Supported: We were able to play MP3, and unprotected AAC (Apple’s audio format) formats.
Features: Repeat, Shuffle, and Playlists (you can even create playlists on the cell phone), which we recommend doing since all the sounds are stored in one spot. There are a couple of other features to enhance the audio quality such as Headset Music EQ and Audio Boost, but we didn’t need to use them. Plus, you can save tunes stored in your cell phone as a ringtone.
Connectivity: The cell phone works with 3G networks, but you can do a lot on this cell phone using a WiFi connection. Additionally, this is a true world phone and comes with an included SIM card for use overseas or in areas with a GSM network.
- Bluetooth: The cell phone worked seamlessly with the Motorola Roadster. Callers didn’t know we were using a Bluetooth connection. We were also able to connect the phone with a MacBook Pro and transfer contacts, pictures, and music.
- WiFi: It has 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (that’s pretty secure) and we were able to log onto available WiFi networks to surf the Web or send/receive e-mail with east. It just takes moments to set up. The only thing you need is the WiFi network you want to use and password if needed.
Battery Life: The battery life on the BlackBerry Bold 9930 is acceptable for a smartphone, but not stellar. On a full charge, the phone lasted about a day and a half when using it to regularly check e-mail, surf the web, place calls, and take a few pictures. On the plus side, you can recharge the phone when it’s connected to a computer via the USB-to-microUSB cable.With its touchscreen, BlackBerry OS 7, and slender design the BlackBerry Bold 9930 is a solid choice for people who want a smartphone that excels at email, calls, and keeping track of appointments. Plus it still has a great sounding music player and impressive 5-megapixel camera that can record 720p HD video.
