Once will not hurt, the Canadian RIM (Reserch in Motion) renews its entire range of phones in a particularly short period of time. Thus, the BlackBerry Bold 9900, Torch 9860, Curve 9810 and 9360 for the newly landed delight of mobile users. Today, we focus particularly on Bold 9900. Does it bring significant improvements? The answer in the following lines!
BlackBerry Bold 9900
Key Features
Operating System BlackBerry OS 7.0
Processor / speed QC 8655 1.2GHz
Memory / Storage Internal Storage: 8GB eMMC
RAM: 768 MB
Micro SD slot (SD 2.0 compatible up to 32GB (optional)
Screen technology and definition VGA (640 x 480) capacitive
Camera 5 megapixel camera
with flash
(Capture video in 720p)
GPS Yes
FM Radio Not
Battery 1230 mAh lithium-ion removable
Dimensions 114.4 x 64.6 x 10.7 mm
Weight 130 g (with battery)
Design and components
Not surprisingly, the Bold 9900 takes the form factor of its illustrious predecessor. There are a candybar design wide enough to accommodate a screen (landscape layout) of 640 x 480 with a full keyboard (backlit) very comfortable. The aesthetic, the Bold is mainly distinguished from its predecessor by introducing a brushed steel strapping on the edge of the device that recalls a smartphone touch … Little anecdote: during the official presentation of the product, the commercial device did not fail to point out that this area was not playing a metal as an antenna, QED.
The capacitive touch screen VGA (480 x 640) multiplies the number of pixels by two compared to the Bold 9000. Of course, it is far from the resolutions of the Android mobile or iPhone 4. However, given the relatively small diagonal of 2.8 inches (the remaining area being occupied by the keyboard), the touch screen produces an image very thin. In addition to these two input modes (screen / keyboard), there is a clickable touch trackpad that is right.
On a purely technical level this time, the Bold 9900 double the power of the preceding series by including a Qualcomm processor running at 1.2 GHz. Memory is also revised upwards: the new Bold is equipped with 768 MB of RAM supplemented with 8 GB of onboard storage (expandable via micro SD card).
For multimedia, RIM team foal of a 5-megapixel camera (without autofocus) with flash. Note also that this time the device is able to do 720p video.
We loop this description by addressing the list of wireless circuits. Here, connectivity is complemented by a GSM circuit Wi-Fi dual band 2.4 GHz (b / g / n) and 5 GHz (a / n). For accessories, RIM has not forgotten to include a chip compatible Bluetooth A2DP . While this is less common, there is an integrated NFC chip that allows for validation of payments or title without contacts in the presence of compatible information systems (boxes store, or other terminal station, the explanation video here ) .
Call quality
The Bold has a sound quality slightly down compared to competition. In addition, for the duration of the test, we also observed sporadic cuts (with good network coverage). The concern is it related to the moving target? Is it due to the Bold? Given the random and infrequent side of the thing, it is difficult to isolate a cause. For its part, the headset microphone wired to the unfortunate tendency to pick out noisy surroundings.
OS 7: Change in continuity
The Bold 9900 is one of the first line of branded smartphone to integrate BlackBerry OS 7. According to RIM, this system provides improved performance mainly Web (40% faster), a graphics accelerator of the OS as well as support for Open GL ES 2.0 (paving the way video games modeled 3D).
The new multimedia API in the BlackBerry Java SDK v7 also allow you to capture video in HD. Finally, although prototypes shipping OS 6 compatibility NFC already embraced the new API set now allows the creation of applications that read or write NFC tags.
Little or no change in the side of the interface.
Side of the interface this time, RIM does not revolutionize the genre (to put it mildly). Overall, we find the organization and the machinery that characterized the previous version of the OS. If the interface is far from bad, we were expecting more developments. Layer provides a touch more undeniable, but the interface is not thought to enjoy. This aspect is not disabling hybrid everyday, but RIM has enjoyed the transition to version 7 to rethink its interface to avoid the cascading menus that remind us of the heyday of the late Windows Mobile (Windows CE, Pocket PC, etc.). which itself is more or less content to clone a desktop environment (Windows 95, CE 1.0 was released in 1996).
Internet
During the presentation of mobile device referred to a speed increase of 40% on the Web. If the number is difficult to verify, we see that efforts have been made: even if (or because) ignores the Flash (HTML5 is the compatibility of the game), the browser will pocket shows effective. Of course, software optimizations are not the only ones to participate in such good performance. Here, the boost provided by the doubling of the frequency and number of processor cores (not to mention the amount of memory revised upwards) plays a role.
Web browsing in landscape mode
To navigate and click on the links, you can use the mini trackpad (which then acts as a mouse), or multi-touch screen that responds to perfection (the pinch and zoom are well managed). Among the features annexes, RIM offers a tab manager that lets you open more than 11 pages at once. In fact, one should avoid falling into these excesses, the tabs are relatively memory intensive and CPU resources. The automatic resizing by double tap are also present, but they do not always like clockwork, and do not necessarily centered on the section width of the screen (sometimes, the text is truncated).
As far as multimedia streaming, the Bold 9900 offers a shortcut that links to the mobile version of YouTube. With this popular sharing site, the videos that we could test were performed without a problem. Even gives Daylimotion or Vimeo: the HTML 5 is supported for as long as the video codec used is compatible with BBOS7. Although the media is back to face Android (no Flash), the browser still offers great benefits.
Multimedia
By default, RIM offers a rather powerful audio player compatible with both formats as its main OGG and MP3 (playlists are also supported). Finally, RIM provides compatibility with the kiosk Amazon MP3, a paid service that provides access to 18 million shares. In terms of ergonomics, everything happens for the better since it is possible to sort by artist, album or genre. If the software side, RIM marks a no-fault, we can not be said of the wired headset.
BlackBerry Bold’s music player
Apart from the lack of remote control remote, which is unfortunate on a high-end segment (here, it is limited to play / pause), the sound quality is passable. Music lovers will soon replace the grass in the helmet by a model that offers an optimal (see here and there when needed).
Photo viewer
For its part, the image viewer does its job perfectly. The pictures open quickly, and the touch screen scrolls his works in a perfectly fluid. If necessary, you can also synchronize with the BlackBerry Desktop Software (available for Mac or PC) to carry your favorite photos anywhere.
Video Options
To transform the Bold 9900 in a small pocket cinema, RIM offers a more powerful player. While Android and iOS are still limited to MP4 (except players alternative) BBOS 7 adds native support for most codecs and variants Divx (XVID) with a perfect fluid. In contrast, HD (MKV and others) should be re-encoded (download MediaCoder or Super if needed). Good at all.
Capture photos and video
The BlackBerry Bold is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera lacks autofocus, but with a small LED flash. The lack of development could do fear the worst, but in practice, the sensor selected by RIM to a depth of field large enough to compensate for this absence. Better yet, clichés. JPG 2560 x 1920 (from 1.2 to 1.3 MB per file) are detailed, clear, and provide an accurate rendering of colors. Simply put, even if it does not reach the heights of Galaxy S2 and other iPhone 4, the report lies in what is the best resolution sensor equally. In addition, it also appreciates the presence of a geotagging option.
Do not spoil the good indicators of the party are confirmed by video camera. The sensor of excellent craftsmanship associated with 1.2 GHz processor able to swallow a stream 720p AVC (.3 GP file in 1280 x 720 @ 30 fps) without flinching offers excellent results. Good at all.
Applications
For office, natively integrates RIM’s famous mobile suite Documents To Go Recall that this application is able to open Office files (. Doc,. Docx,. Xls,. Xlsx,. Ppt, etc.). To read, or edit. While Documents To Go is often proposed trial in the competition, here we are dealing with the full version. This bonus can be explained by the fact that RIM has acquired DataViz (the software) in September 2010.
Social networks have not been forgotten since customers found Facebook and Twitter. In both cases, it is more of shortcuts pointing to the mobile version of site. The page can still access the main features (post messages, news of loved ones, mailbox, address book, buddy list, geolocation).
GPS and augmented reality
The Bold 9900 is equipped with an integrated GPS chip. This can be exploited with BlackBerry Maps, a small program similar in principle to Google Maps (here, the map data is provided by TomTom). The application is still more basic than the equivalent Google, and although it is possible to calculate a route (with options bypass highway), no voice guidance and visual and no possibility of storing cached maps were provided. You must not rely too much on the App World to catch up the situation: the blockbusters such as TomTom or Navigon (road version) were not suitable for this platform. Exit also Nav4All, a browser program Java compatible with many phones (including Blackberry) service which has just closed its doors in January 2010 following the termination of the license agreement provided by NAVTEQ (now owned subsidiary 100 % of Nokia).
At the same time, RIM natively integrates Wikitude, an augmented reality application available on virtually all mobile platforms (iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, Bada). The concept is similar to AroundMe , but Wikitude goes even further. When the mobile turns around, points of interest nearby are shown superimposed on the screen. And unlike AroundMe, Wikitude is also capable of displaying POI from Wikipedia, YouTube, Twitter, Filckr, Starbucks, to name only these services.
This version also offers an integrated BlackBerry Messenger to identify and if necessary, to converse with other users of the service nearby. Note that it is possible to disable its position to avoid being detected by other users.
NFC Tag
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is equipped with an NFC (Near Field Communication). If this technology is a lot of attention, its practical applications are little known to the general public and for good reason, the use of NFC is far from being democratic.
Simply put, over time, allow compatible devices to make contactless payments, or validate a ticket (to name a few). Read NFC tags can also contain a contact card, a URL, plain text, advertising or promotional offer.
Performance tests (Web, battery life)
Here the Bold 9900 is hardly better than the EVO 3D. In fact, once the request is completed, the pages load with a heavy fast honest.
Battery Life
RIM terminals are known to provide a data push energy-efficient. The Bold 9900 he departs to the rule? Good news, despite the presence of a processor running at 1.2 GHz, the device maintains a satisfactory self. In moderate use, it is possible to consider the two days to 2.5 days between charges. Our test of independence in use confirms the positive trend since the mobile is positioned in a rather high average.
Conclusion
BlackBerry Bold 9900
Let the debate critics who oppose the physical keyboard for those who defend it tooth and nail the time of conclusion. Whether we like it or not this input method, it must recognize that the full keyboard backlight appears comfortable. Since it addresses the physical attributes, the Bold is made of materials that inspire confidence and offers an excellent finish. However, we can not be said of the wired headset unworthy of a smartphone of this caliber (poor audio quality, materials and finish on the cheap).
Side of the operating system, the contribution of touch is not to question, but we regret that the interface did not use the upgrade to version 7 of BlackBerry OS to evolve significantly. There are always the famous cascading menus, the setup pages austere (black characters on white background) and in some cases, the touch-sensitive layer is not used when it could be (for example: when to video playback, it is impossible to change the ratio by simply double tap on the screen).
Despite these small criticisms, the Bold has strong arguments to satisfy the fans of mobile users smartphone keyboard. If you enroll in this class of users, or you want to go to the physical keyboard, do not hesitate to consider the case of the Bold 9900 with all the interest that it should be. The features are there, the ergonomics are good, the quality is excellent and, best of all, autonomy is better than most of its competitors.
Related articles
- RIM Confirms BlackBerry Bold 9900 Power Problems, Working on Fix (brighthand.com)
- BlackBerry Bold 9900 Leaked ROM Adds WiFi Hotspot (pocketnow.com)
- AT&T BlackBerry Bold 9900 Retail Packaging Pictured (pocketnow.com)
