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BlackBerry Bold 9700
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Iago
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Join Date: Jul 2009
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2009-12-28, 14:30

I upgraded from the iPhone 3G to the new Bold, and thought I'd give you guys a little write-up, since I know there are some die-hard RIM fans on here as well as some people who like to know where the competition is at!

I was sick of a few things on iPhone which I didn't see being fixed with any great urgency:

1. The OS becomes sluggish too often, especially when I lose carrier signal. As I commute between the bowels of the South of England and London weekly, and lose my data connection seven or eight times on the journey, that's a real problem for me. Freezing from springboard, stalling over loading anything from emails to SMS, ugh!

2. Lack of consolidated email actually is a big annoyance as I run five email accounts simultaneously.

3. The carrier I was on (O2 UK) were pretty awful. Poor signal, slow 3G and extortionate prices on the 3GS (if I wanted to upgrade it was going to run me an 18 month contract & £185.)

4. The actual quality of the phone part of the iPhone isn't so great, and it used to annoy me that everyone sounded like they had a cold.

5. This is a small issue, but even on the 3GS, the camera is piss-poor. I'm sure Apple will include a flash on this year's model, but to not put one on the 3GS was annoying.

6. As someone who uses their telephone as more than a paperweight, I demand to either have a battery which lasts out the day, or the option to replace the battery. Neither of those are an option with iPhone. I got sick of taking my charger everywhere with me.

So with this in mind I began looking at BlackBerrys, and eventually settled on the 9700 on Orange. I've had it for a month or so and here are my thoughts:

1. Phones 4 U bought out my O2 contract and gave me a great deal on Orange. They also gave me an unlocked / non-Orange unit because I moaned that there was an Orange sticker on the model they gave me at first. Kudos

2. The form factor on the 9700 is better than the iPhone IMO. It's a more solid build, more compact, fits better in the hand, and the faux-leather panel on the back feels great.

3. Katie Holmes has one, which is a shame.

4. The OS is much more stable than iPhone on the whole. I've been really impressed by how snappy everything is, from Google Maps to SMS. Email in particular is lightening fast.

5. It's a lot faster to boot, and a lot slower to reset.

6. The web browsing experience is not as bad as I thought it'd be. It's not as intuitive as iPhone, but it's snappier and not as sluggish.

7. Having multiple apps running at once is great after iPhone

8. The. Battery. Kicks. Ass. Something like 39 hours of continuous music playback? It's phenomenal.

9. There is a perceptible, dramatic increase in call quality. It's much clearer. The girl has noticed it too. "It's like you're standing right next to me " (choice of emoticon hers )

10. Camera has a flash and digital zoom for stills and video.

Overall I'm really pleased with it. It feels like a phone built to be used, rather than a phone built to be seen like iPhone. The downsides:

1. I need to restore the OS (beautiful irony), because every five or six text messages, I'm getting a showstopper which means I have to reset the device (battery pull.) A Java error which prevents me opening the SMS/MMS app.

2. Not as many neat-o apps in AppWorld. I've covered all the time saving utilities I had on iPhone, but I'm struggling to find all the time wasting apps

3. BlackBerry community = not as good as Apple community.

4. Katie Holmes has one.

I think I'll probably go back to iPhone if they fix the battery life and beef it up a little (and no, the 3GS didn't do anything for me. I used it continuously at work for a long time and it was faster but still prone to sluggishness and needed reboots), but for now I'm very happy with the Bold!

I'm Joseph Fritzl, and no windows was my idea.
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
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2009-12-28, 16:39

Yay you are back!

I heart the 9700. It's easily the best BlackBerry ever. I like that it actually seems to take after the Curve 8900 more than the original Bold 9000, because the original Bold was huge. They should have called it the BlackBerry Boat. But the 8900 had a very nice form factor. It just needed 3G, and now it has it in the form of the 9700.

I'm glad that they ditched the trackball, too. Trackballs drive me nuts.

I still feel like RIM is really due for a big leap ahead with their OS, and 5.0 wasn't it. Continuing to make only incremental updates is a good way to end up irrelevant...but that's really long-term stuff. For now, BlackBerries are outselling iPhones, but we'll see what happens when the iPhone goes multi-carrier (in the US).

I agree that BlackBerry apps seem to skew toward productivity apps rather than fun apps, but hey...at least you've got Block Breaker, right?

BlackBerry just turned ten, so maybe we'll see some of that future-vision stuff at CES, hmm?

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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Iago
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2009-12-29, 08:53

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
Yay you are back!
Ish Been ridiculously busy for a few months. Feels like I haven't used the internet properly in forever. People are looking at me like an out-of-towner.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
I heart the 9700. It's easily the best BlackBerry ever. I like that it actually seems to take after the Curve 8900 more than the original Bold 9000, because the original Bold was huge. They should have called it the BlackBerry Boat. But the 8900 had a very nice form factor. It just needed 3G, and now it has it in the form of the 9700.

I'm glad that they ditched the trackball, too. Trackballs drive me nuts.
Agreed. The touchpad thingy is really great. Navigating on the 9700 is faster than iPhone, because you aren't constantly moving your finger to a different area of the screen and tapping.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
I still feel like RIM is really due for a big leap ahead with their OS, and 5.0 wasn't it. Continuing to make only incremental updates is a good way to end up irrelevant...but that's really long-term stuff. For now, BlackBerries are outselling iPhones, but we'll see what happens when the iPhone goes multi-carrier (in the US).
I just hope they make it watertight. The current version is missing a few things I want (a better selection of audio & video codecs; discriminate call forwarding, etc.) but it's very good on the whole. The thing I like most about it is that it just runs and runs. iPhone OS has always been like Windows for me: you have to reset it regularly. BB OS is like when I switched to Mac OS. Uptime of 13 or 14 days on the bounce with no problems.

Having said that, the SMS/MMS app bug is really getting to me. Yesterday I had to do five battery pulls because of this one problem. Going to install Windows later to do an OS restore.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
I agree that BlackBerry apps seem to skew toward productivity apps rather than fun apps, but hey...at least you've got Block Breaker, right?
Actually I'm getting into the poker game on there. It also has sudoku, which I'd quite like if it wasn't the hobby of choice for utter dicks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
BlackBerry just turned ten, so maybe we'll see some of that future-vision stuff at CES, hmm?
PLEASE. Better Mac tools would be a start. Imma download a .exe this one time for you, RIM, but no more!

I'm Joseph Fritzl, and no windows was my idea.
  quote
Robo
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2009-12-29, 09:07

It is rather hard to believe that until a couple months ago, there was no (official) BlackBerry software for Mac.

BlackBerry Desktop for Mac is great -- it's a simple, small-ish app, but I prefer it to the Windows BlackBerry Desktop for perhaps that very reason -- but you're right, allowing people to restore the OS really is a pretty basic thing that should be covered on either platform.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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Iago
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2009-12-29, 09:52

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
It is rather hard to believe that until a couple months ago, there was no (official) BlackBerry software for Mac.

BlackBerry Desktop for Mac is great -- it's a simple, small-ish app, but I prefer it to the Windows BlackBerry Desktop for perhaps that very reason -- but you're right, allowing people to restore the OS really is a pretty basic thing that should be covered on either platform.
I moaned about this in an email to my friend who has the HTC Hero, and he has the same thing. There's no Linux client for it, despite it being, y'know, a Linux phone. He has to dual-boot Windows. I'm incredulous. It's not so hard, in 2010, to put together a piece of software that does both Windows/Mac. I guess RIM uses a lot of proprietary filetypes that were built for Windows only.

I'm Joseph Fritzl, and no windows was my idea.
  quote
DMBand0026
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2009-12-29, 10:54

I about had a stroke when you guys mentioned Blackberry Desktop for Mac, I didn't know this existed and was living sans phone/computer syncing. I downloaded it immediately after reading this thread and....

It doesn't work. :/

It freezes in the middle of the backup EVERY time. This requires me to force quit Desktop Manager and pull the battery from my Curve. I guess I'll continue to live without my phone and my computer getting along until the iPhone finds its way on to a carrier that actually allows me to make a phone call from my house (right in the middle of one of the largest cities in the country...AT&T should be embarrassed )

Any tips on getting it to work?

Come waste your time with me
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Robo
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2009-12-29, 11:09

Quote:
Originally Posted by DMBand0026 View Post
I about had a stroke when you guys mentioned Blackberry Desktop for Mac, I didn't know this existed and was living sans phone/computer syncing. I downloaded it immediately after reading this thread and....

It doesn't work. :/

It freezes in the middle of the backup EVERY time. This requires me to force quit Desktop Manager and pull the battery from my Curve. I guess I'll continue to live without my phone and my computer getting along until the iPhone finds its way on to a carrier that actually allows me to make a phone call from my house (right in the middle of one of the largest cities in the country...AT&T should be embarrassed )

Any tips on getting it to work?
Which Curve do you have? 83xx, 8900, 85xx?

It was launched more or less alongside the 8520, so it should work with those ones pretty much out of the box. For the older ones, idunno...in any case, you could ask around on HoFo?

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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DMBand0026
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2009-12-29, 11:13

I think I got it figured out after about an hour of frustration and sadness.

It seems to work now, but extremely slowly. I'll take slow over completely functionless any day though. I'm trying to update my applications again, syncing worked, but the app update has been giving me trouble now. I guess it's not imperative that I update everything, but I'd rather be running the most current apps and version of the OS if I can.

Edit: I have the Curve 8330 for Verizon

Come waste your time with me
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DMBand0026
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2009-12-29, 11:54

Update: I was successfully able to update the long list of applications that were avaiable for my Curve, when the phone finally rebooted, all my texts and contacts were gone and my calender is hopelessly screwed up. If I can't fix this I'm going to flip out. I have over a years worth of texts and e mails on my phone, some of which are very meaningful to me. I REALLY need to get this fixed

I did a backup before I updated anything, I'm trying a restore now. This is not good.

Come waste your time with me
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
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2009-12-29, 11:58

Oh no! Yeah, I would seek guidance on HoFo before doing anything else. You don't want to lose all that stuff.
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DMBand0026
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2009-12-29, 12:46

HoFo? I tried restoring SMS by itself and it keeps telling me that the SMS database can't be restored.

Edit: HoFo = HowardForums. Google is my friend.
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
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2009-12-31, 02:21

Did you have any luck, DMBand?
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DMBand0026
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2009-12-31, 10:53

I got my texts restored, but the calendar is still really messed up. It took me almost 4 hours to get everything straightened out and I'm still working on it. I'm glad to have my texts back, but trying to survive without a calendar for the last few days has been challenging to say the least. Thanks for asking!

Come waste your time with me
  quote
Iago
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Join Date: Jul 2009
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2010-01-01, 19:38

Just thought I'd update you guys as I went on my first road trip with my Bold over New Year (happy new year by the way ), and have some more observations:

1. The quality of the audio is exceptional. Streets ahead of the iPhone. The headphones included with the unit are really good if horribly ugly, and I found that the quality of audio still seemed superior through the standard Apple headphones too (that might be my mind unwittingly compensating, as I listened after I'd tried the RIM ones.)

2. The battery is incredible. I'm keen to know how exactly the battery is so much better than iPhone. It strikes me that the larger screen and touch-screen element probably drain a lot. For me Apple simply has to come up with a smash hit battery in the next serious revision of iPhone.

3. RIM are very good at attention to detail. The volume bumpers on the side of the device, when held down rather than pressed, skip tracks forwards and backwards. Apple has missed a trick there.

4. The RIM OS seems smarter than iPhone OS. Little things, like if I put 'etc.' into a sentence and it starts the next word with a capital on my behalf, all I need to do is go back and delete the letter and re-type it, and BB OS knows what I mean. The non-invasive corrections, too, seem better. Any UK users who have typed Reading (the place) a few times will know what I mean. I use the verb, reading, more than the noun, Reading, but reading is invariably corrected by iPhone OS. Not so on BB

5. Chicks everywhere have this phone. I'm such a fucking pussy.

I'm Joseph Fritzl, and no windows was my idea.
  quote
Robo
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2010-01-01, 19:53

I'm glad that you like it! Yeah, the Bold 9700 is my favorite BlackBerry ever...but I think I'm going to go with the Nexus One (or whatever comes after it) when I switch to T-Mobile. I'm spoiled by teh embiggened touchscreen, and we're still waiting for RIM's WebKit browser.

But who knows what could happen this year?

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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chucker
 
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2010-01-01, 20:23

Quote:
Originally Posted by Iago View Post
2. The battery is incredible. I'm keen to know how exactly the battery is so much better than iPhone.
Because BlackBerry OS, like Symbian OS and Windows Mobile, is built to be much simpler than iPhone OS. Fewer resources, but also fewer capabilities. The former three have to be retrofitted to allow for modern features; iPhone OS was designed to scale from the start (since it is a scaled-down OS X, rather than a customized specialized embedded OS like the former three).

Quote:
3. RIM are very good at attention to detail. The volume bumpers on the side of the device, when held down rather than pressed, skip tracks forwards and backwards. Apple has missed a trick there.
That strikes me as rather random. Why don't they instead, say, set the brightness? Switch between running apps?

Quote:
5. Chicks everywhere have this phone. I'm such a fucking pussy.
  quote
Robo
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2010-01-01, 21:38

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Because BlackBerry OS, like Symbian OS and Windows Mobile, is built to be much simpler than iPhone OS. Fewer resources, but also fewer capabilities. The former three have to be retrofitted to allow for modern features; iPhone OS was designed to scale from the start (since it is a scaled-down OS X, rather than a customized specialized embedded OS like the former three).
That's a good point. I bet the iPhone OS is more futureproof...they'll have to spend time and effort "bolting on" to BlackBerry OS what's built-in to iPhone OS, and it still probably wouldn't be as good (as bolted-on things tend to go).

It's kind of like (I know you're going to hate this example) webOS. Some people have complained that it lags, especially on the Pixi. But I guess that's because the OS was designed with the future in mind, to give them room to grow, no? We're just waiting for hardware to catch up.

That reminds me of the first iPhone (which wasn't the speediest thing out there), but the best example would probably be the first OS X, right? When that first came out, that was slooooooooow. Tech at the time could barely handle it, it seems, with all the huge icons and transparencies and genie effects. But that's because Apple wanted it to look nice, and they new that the hardware would catch up eventually. And it did.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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chucker
 
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2010-01-02, 08:30

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
It's kind of like (I know you're going to hate this example) webOS. Some people have complained that it lags, especially on the Pixi. But I guess that's because the OS was designed with the future in mind, to give them room to grow, no? We're just waiting for hardware to catch up.
Yes, actually. I think Palm may be too small or inexperienced to optimize webOS, but fundamentally, it's the same: as "hardware catches up", iPhone OS and webOS will become less of a headache to use, whereas BlackBerry OS will feel just as outdated as it already has.

Quote:
the best example would probably be the first OS X, right? When that first came out, that was slooooooooow. Tech at the time could barely handle it, it seems, with all the huge icons and transparencies and genie effects. But that's because Apple wanted it to look nice, and they new that the hardware would catch up eventually. And it did.
Yep. However, Apple also came up with tons of ways to optimize it. And they continue to — Snow Leopard comes with new mechanisms yet again to speed up the launch of apps as well as their quitting.
  quote
Iago
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2010-01-02, 11:19

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Because BlackBerry OS, like Symbian OS and Windows Mobile, is built to be much simpler than iPhone OS. Fewer resources, but also fewer capabilities. The former three have to be retrofitted to allow for modern features; iPhone OS was designed to scale from the start (since it is a scaled-down OS X, rather than a customized specialized embedded OS like the former three).
That makes sense. I'd suggest BB OS has fewer potential capabilities than iPhone OS, because I'm not noticing anything that one can do that the other can't; touch screen and accelerometer aside. Better font rendering on iPhone maybe.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
That strikes me as rather random. Why don't they instead, say, set the brightness? Switch between running apps?
I think it makes sense. I frequently adjust the volume on tracks anyway, so it's nice to have the skip controls in the same place. There is a bumper button on the left which by default is set to switch between running apps, and one on the right which IIRC is set to camera by default, but you can customise those two.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
That's a good point. I bet the iPhone OS is more futureproof...they'll have to spend time and effort "bolting on" to BlackBerry OS what's built-in to iPhone OS, and it still probably wouldn't be as good (as bolted-on things tend to go).
That's true. I'm one of those people who wants what works now, though. I gave my old iPhone to the girl and she loves it but is so annoyed by its deficiencies. Battery life, lack of hardware keyboard (which I've come to believe actually is a bigger issue, especially since Apple announced the patents for that touch feedback system), lack of background apps, etc.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
That reminds me of the first iPhone (which wasn't the speediest thing out there), but the best example would probably be the first OS X, right? When that first came out, that was slooooooooow. Tech at the time could barely handle it, it seems, with all the huge icons and transparencies and genie effects. But that's because Apple wanted it to look nice, and they new that the hardware would catch up eventually. And it did.
Agreed. I'm heartened by the fact that Apple has taken an increasingly proactive role in developing their own components. That's one area I don't think Jobs & Co. get enough credit in.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Yes, actually. I think Palm may be too small or inexperienced to optimize webOS, but fundamentally, it's the same: as "hardware catches up", iPhone OS and webOS will become less of a headache to use, whereas BlackBerry OS will feel just as outdated as it already has.
I don't think it feels especially outdated. It's not as snazzy as iPhone OS, but for me at the moment it stops there. There aren't nice transitions between screens on apps and there's no rubber band scrolling, but it's not functionally outdated.

I'm Joseph Fritzl, and no windows was my idea.
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chucker
 
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2010-01-02, 11:32

Quote:
Originally Posted by Iago View Post
That makes sense. I'd suggest BB OS has fewer potential capabilities than iPhone OS, because I'm not noticing anything that one can do that the other can't; touch screen and accelerometer aside. Better font rendering on iPhone maybe.

[..]

I don't think it feels especially outdated. It's not as snazzy as iPhone OS, but for me at the moment it stops there. There aren't nice transitions between screens on apps and there's no rubber band scrolling, but it's not functionally outdated.
Ah, but what looks like mere eye candy are hints of future-proofing. I fully understand your "I'm one of those people who wants what works now", and I do think the iPhone has deficiencies in that regard (though the S is a big improvement, especially thanks to increased RAM). But I for one wanted a phone that won't feel dated two years from now.

Are devices from two or three years ago ever going to get BlackBerry OS 5.0, and eventually the Torch Mobile-derived browser? Because, in the same timespan, Apple has provided iPhones with several major new software features.
  quote
Iago
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2010-01-02, 11:46

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Ah, but what looks like mere eye candy are hints of future-proofing. I fully understand your "I'm one of those people who wants what works now", and I do think the iPhone has deficiencies in that regard (though the S is a big improvement, especially thanks to increased RAM). But I for one wanted a phone that won't feel dated two years from now.
Suppose you have the 3G. That's 18 months old this month, and it struggles to run 3.0 by all accounts. Feature-wise, your 3GS probably won't feel dated in 2 years, but I'm betting it will definitely be clunky to use.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Are devices from two or three years ago ever going to get BlackBerry OS 5.0, and eventually the Torch Mobile-derived browser?
Probably not. I don't think RIM was convinced that future-proofing their hardware was a smart move 3 years ago. I think RIM is now addressing that: the 9700 has a faster processor than 3GS, the same amount of RAM, a higher screen resolution, better camera, etc.

I think my basic problem with the iPhone is that I don't have any self-control, and the compulsion to run the latest software with terrible performance would override my desire to have a phone which functions as intended. The problem with that is that on many, many occasions when I needed my iPhone in the past year or so, it failed me: battery, apps crashing, lag, refusing to unlock after swiping, etc.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Because, in the same timespan, Apple has provided iPhones with several major new software features.
I'd prefer RIM to provide a bespoke or semi bespoke OS to each device in order to preserve performance than one ostensibly better OS which means in two years my Bold is running at a snail's pace. Just my preference though.

I'm sure the mismatch between iPhone software/hardware will eventually come into balance (probably as a result of Apple developing hardware components themselves), but I don't see that happening in the lifespan of my next phone contract.

I'm Joseph Fritzl, and no windows was my idea.
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chucker
 
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2010-01-02, 11:49

Quote:
Originally Posted by Iago View Post
Suppose you have the 3G.
As a matter of fact, I do.

Quote:
That's 18 months old this month, and it struggles to run 3.0 by all accounts.
I think that's an exaggeration. I certainly wish it had more RAM. As far as performance compared to 2.2 goes, though, there are also areas in which it's better (such as JavaScript).

Quote:
I'd prefer RIM to provide a bespoke or semi bespoke OS to each device in order to preserve performance than one ostensibly better OS which means in two years my Bold is running at a snail's pace. Just my preference though.
Fair point.
  quote
Iago
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2010-01-02, 12:26

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
I think that's an exaggeration. I certainly wish it had more RAM. As far as performance compared to 2.2 goes, though, there are also areas in which it's better (such as JavaScript).
Maybe it was just me, but I found that it really struggled with 3.0. There were many small improvements (JavaScript performance; the contacts app, y'know, actually loading), but overall it just felt very sluggish and half-asleep. As always I move at a million miles per hour (even Pages lags when I type on it at full speed), but the difference between the 9700's responsiveness and that of 3.0 on the 3G is marked. As you say, though, that may not be the case for long depending on what RIM decide to ship in the future. The Opera Mini browser is fabulous to use compared to the crappy built-in one, but it has to display a progress bar to load with. Even on 3.0/3G, Mobile Safari was never anything less than instantly on screen.

I'm Joseph Fritzl, and no windows was my idea.
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chucker
 
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2010-01-02, 12:38

Quote:
Originally Posted by Iago View Post
(even Pages lags when I type on it at full speed)
iWork is still ridiculously slow. Numbers is the worst offender.
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Robo
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2010-01-02, 14:45

I have an iPhone 3G that I got in April. I wouldn't quite say it "struggles" to run 3.x. It's not exactly speedy, but it wasn't on 2.x, either. I am glad that Apple decided to focus on performance with the "S" processor upgrade (and more RAM), though. That might not get the attention of whiz-bang camera or screen upgrades, but it shows that they really care about the user experience.

I'm excited for the Nexus One, though. I mean, SnapDragon + 512MB RAM = awesome, right? (Maybe not for battery life... ) Android's been stuck on ancient 528MHz MSMs for too long.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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Matsu
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2010-01-27, 05:47

I had the bold 9000. It was great until it drowned in a shallow pool on my kitchen counter, where it sat for a couple of hours until someone noticed. IT gave me an surplus replacement 8000 or some such (black slab, chrome sides, no camera...) a few months ago, but I've just been lazy about getting my replacement. I Just couldn't be bothered most of the time. Going backwards, it seems to me like the battery life of non-3G phones is substantially better. I would be almost be tempted to turn off 3G, since email is the main thing anyway...

That said, corporate now offers the Bold 9700 and will soon offer the Storm 2.

The original Storm had a number of issues according to the media, and confirmed by our IT. Most of them were exchanged for bold 9000 models, but they're going to offer the sequel nonetheless...

Any users out there of the Storm 2?

I like the idea of a bigger screen - my eyesight isn't so good and I spend so much time reading and looking at screens, that I have to seek relief wherever possible.

Also interested in the media playback abilities of the newest BBs. It would be nice to use it as an MP3 player at the gym...

Finally, a good GPS would be really great, I wonder if Rogers (our carrier) will hamper it somehow...

.........................................
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Iago
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2010-01-28, 09:01

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matsu View Post
Also interested in the media playback abilities of the newest BBs. It would be nice to use it as an MP3 player at the gym...

Finally, a good GPS would be really great, I wonder if Rogers (our carrier) will hamper it somehow...
The media capabilities on the Bold 9700 outstrip the iPhone / iPod Touch IMO. I'm still only just coming to terms with it. Sound quality is much better. The volume bumpers on the right can also be used to skip tracks up and back. The 'mute' button on the top of the phone doubles as a pause/play button when you're listening to music. It's great to have physical keys you can press.

GPS isn't as good as the iPhone. Even the Google Maps app.

I'm Joseph Fritzl, and no windows was my idea.
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Matsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-01-28, 09:53

Is it possible to make Wifi calls with the Bold 2
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2010-01-28, 15:52

Quote:
Originally Posted by Iago View Post
The media capabilities on the Bold 9700 outstrip the iPhone / iPod Touch IMO. I'm still only just coming to terms with it. Sound quality is much better. The volume bumpers on the right can also be used to skip tracks up and back. The 'mute' button on the top of the phone doubles as a pause/play button when you're listening to music. It's great to have physical keys you can press.
The iPhone can do all those things with physical keys too. And they're on the headphone cord, so you don't even have to take the iPhone out of your pocket.

I'm sorry, I'm just *really* going to have to disagree, regarding media playback. I think the iPhone is the better media phone, hands down. That's Apple's strength.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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Iago
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Hmm?
 
2010-01-28, 17:26

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
The iPhone can do all those things with physical keys too. And they're on the headphone cord, so you don't even have to take the iPhone out of your pocket.
That's great if you're stupid enough to use Apple's crummy headphones. The standard BlackBerry headphones do the same. The point is that you're able to do it on the device, without unlocking it

If you're not using the headphones that came with the device, the only way to change tracks on iPhone is to get it out, double tap the home button and press the "next track" button on the screen. You could probably make a stab at guessing where that button is in your pocket. With BlackBerry it's just a case of holding a physical button for a second. Much easier. Even easier than reaching up to a button near your ear

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
I'm sorry, I'm just *really* going to have to disagree, regarding media playback. I think the iPhone is the better media phone, hands down. That's Apple's strength.
You can disagree, just back it up It's not enough that Apple's strength has traditionally been media. I've found the sync process on BlackBerry to be a lot quicker than iTunes. I just drag and drop my tracks into the folder on the device. It gobbles them up as quickly as I can put them on there. There's always a weird latency with iPhone, not to mention that iTunes periodically becomes unusable when you're adding large quantities of music (or at least, it did for me and it was a known issue at Hanover St.) There's also zero lag on album artwork when switching tracks. It just slides straight across, no matter how long I've been using the phone for.

For video I'd say iPhone is better, but the overall audio experience with BlackBerry has outstripped iPhone by quite a distance. It was the thing I worried about the most when switching, and it's been amazing to find something better

Oh, and 38 hours of continuous music playback doesn't hurt either I wonder how long iPhone would last with 3G and push enabled...

I'm Joseph Fritzl, and no windows was my idea.
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