BlackBerry Bold 9700
Phone Scoop Review
Nov 5, 2009 by Eric M. Zeman
Phone Scoop takes RIM's new Bold 9700 for a spin. Top-notch build quality and a solid software experience make this smartphone a better 'Berry. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Blackberry Bold 9700 vs. iPhone
I absolutely love my Blackberry Bold 9700 (AT&T)! This is my first Blackberry, and I was a little skeptical at first due to the small keyboard and trackpad, but it didn't take that long to get used to. I previously tried the iPhone and even though it was pretty "neat," the phone call quality was very poor. In my opinion, it's more of a toy/gadget than a phone. On the other hand, I have no problem hearing my calls loud and clearly on the BB 9700! I guess it depends on what you're looking for... if you don't make many phone calls, don't do a lot of texting, and want something "fun" than the iPhone is for you. However, if you want a practical, solid phone to send and retrieve text messages and e-mails quickly, browse the Internet occassionally, and most importantly, make calls (afterall, isn't that the purpose of a "cell phone" in the first place?!?) than go with the BB 9700... you won't be disappointed!
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Greatest blackberry made
What can i say about this phone that it is simply the greatest blackberry ever made aside of the 8900 of course i love the design of it and the camera takes great pictures even in total darkness.The one thing i don't like is the keyboard is alot different than my 8900 i guess I'll have to get use to it.
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Fantastic
This is everything that the Toour should've been. I had three different Tours and they all had problems,(Trackballs,back door, etc.) This phone is solid. It is the best that RIM put out. Youo can't go wrong. You think you will not like the track pad but you will
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Great phone!
As an long time user of Blackberries I would say this one is the best!
Pros:
Battery life!!
Easy to use and nice screen resolution!
Nice keyboard to type emails and BlackBerry Messinger!
Nice size and it feels like it's sturdy and solid.
Cons:
The ringtones sound kind of muffled.
I've used the iPhone to the Palm Treo as PDAs and yet somehow I've always went back to the BlackBerry.
This one is a real winner!
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Hands on Experience
Have this for a year and it works perfectly never fell or got wet, second to none with emails I dare anybody to prove me wrong on that and I even have radio even though its not in the specs I got a radio app and its fantastic I can listen to radio stations worldwide, camera although just 3.2MP is best quality as well as video recording, and I have amazing virus protection from the BB servers no wonder Blackberry is the smartphone of choice in the Whitehouse and business professionals worldwide!!!!!!!!
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impressed but
i had just got my new bold and it was the first blackberry i ever owned. such good reviews about them made me own one. i was very impressed with the phone and the software. i had only been playing with it for about 15 mins. when i notice the trackpad sinking in at the top. i had heard some problems with this issue before. hope i wouldn't be confronted with this. guess what...i was. i was not gonna mess with this. i sent my blackberry back and got a android. maybe i will get a blackberry again sometime but, not anytime soon.
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Best BB Yet
My Curve 8700 on T-mobile finally gave out after a hard 2 years. I loved that phone. When I called t-mo to get a warranty replacement they informed me they would have to send me the Bold 9700. (at no charge I might add). I have a new love. This the best Blackberry I've ever owed.
Pros....
Nice screen
Excellent voice quality
Tons of Apps on BB app world
Fast Web on 3G
Threaded texting
Touchpad mouse is so much better than the trackball
Solid Battery life
Basically everything I want it for it has performed flawlessly....
Cons.
None yet...Except it locks on Slacker radio...but i think that is user error.
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Best ATT Berry
I had this phone for a while and it was awesome and I liked the size of it. Its very good for email and text messaging. The fact that its a 3G Blackberry makes a huge difference as well its fast.
PROS:
3mp Cam w/ Flash
3G Speed
Nice Keyboard
Email ease of use
Blackberry Apps and 3rd Party Apps
Fairy Decent Battery
Customize Fonts and Size
Customize Themes
Very good LCD Screen
Able to watch movies if you put on SD Card
Multiple Customize of Profile and Create your own Profiles
CONS:
Comes in Only Black...
Other than the color only coming in black this Phone is the Best Blackberry I've ever used.
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Great Phone!
This is a great phone. I am going to review this by comparing it to my 9650 on Verizon. 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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Almost perfect B-bbery, better than 9000
AT&T in greater Olympia area of WA
better is almost every way than the 9000
in my experience
+PROS
+Screen is amazing. Better res, color brightness, much easier to read text
+size: a little smaller overall with almost same size keyboard. Makes it easier for one-handed operation. Great tactile feel overall to phone
+5.0 OS is amazing! Faster. Multitasking MUCH more stable & smooth. Apps open quicker & stay open
+Threaded text messaging ... FINALLY
+Media support in general has been fantastic
little slow to preview pics though :(
+Signal: radio equip is amazing. Used to have tons of dropped calls and failed calls on 9000. 9700 has been 99.999999% reliable no problems at all switching between 2G/3G or using WiFi. 9000 had terrible WiFi support. 9700 has been flawless. Live in rural area and getting more bars and clearer calls Kudos to RIM
+Great little app runner - Facebook integration works well, google sync behaving quite nicely, google maps nice, vlingo really good, root mobile running in background and doing well and not interfereing. Multitasking is surprisingly good.
+Memory: this has been talked about a lot that RIM dropped the 1GB from the 9700 down to 128MB + mem card. In practice I have more memory available & more apps loaded with more operating simultaneously than the 9000. It's a better phone, period.
+Customization really good
+Trackpad
-CONS
-Camera & video capture still mediocre. I love bberry & wish they would fix this. Fiance has iPhone & both cameras have same MP but iPhone camera ALWAYS looks better. 9700 has flash & it makes people look jaundiced or anemic in every shot. iPhone camera with no flash does way better at night/lowlight than bbery with flash does. FIX THIS RIM!
-slacker app like to glitch on 9700 periodically
+INBETWEENS, MAYBE'S, I WISH-
-smallish but functional keyboard
-Bring back the stereo speakerphone from the 9000!
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