BlackBerry Bold 9900 - the last hero?
Fresh BlackBerry 9900, in common “Dakota”, is the pinnacle of the phone industry of the Canadian company RIM. The best design among all BlackBerry smartphones. The best ergonomics. The best keyboard. The best operating system BlackBerry OS 7. But, unfortunately, this may not be enough to withstand smartphones on iOS, Android and WindowsPhone. Turn on analytics mode: this is definitely not enough.
Sorry, that there is no 720p - source can not find: (
RIM has big problems, this is a well-known fact. The company follows Nokia’s path: in time, not responding to trends, it is now desperately trying to offer something to surprise the market. Remember how John Travolta started? Handsome, dancer, hero of musicals - he exploited one image and achieved perfection in it, but at some point the audience simply tired of musicals, and Travolta was not needed. Well, he was picked up by Tarantino, and the actor had a comeback, but would RIM have a new, recently launched BBX platform for the new director, which will soon be transplanted not only tablets, but also smartphones? We are only for. It would not be too late.
')
What is there to say a lot? You can just watch and admire. The classic, iconic form factor is now supported by luxury materials: a lot of metal (edging and stainless steel end buttons), carbon fiber cover, velvety plastic. There was no prettier QWERTY smartphone. In addition, it is also the thinnest (10.5 mm) in the entire history of smartphone construction at RIM, although this is not felt - the metal frame seems too massive.
RIM supported the trend to increase the size of smartphones with a simultaneous decrease in thickness. The device has become larger and wider, as they say, “uhvastistee”, and at the same time perfectly balanced. It lies well in the hand, it is convenient to manage both one and two hands, and it weighs less than you expect. I am very pleased that the BlackBerry 9900 is so strong and monolithic, the assembly is phenomenal, in the best traditions. The control is as convenient as possible, with end “hot” keys that can be reassigned to other functions. It is convenient to “hang up” the launch of the tweeter client on the photo button on the right side. Above it - the volume keys, and between them the button Mute, she also puts the player on pause. For some reason, another button escaped from the left side, now there is only a deeply recessed microUSB connector and an audio jack. Despite the touchscreen display, they decided to leave the trackpad, although the need for it is clearly less. Now the trackpad also glows, as in Nokia QWERTY smartphones.
I am a fan of QWERTY-keyboards, located under the screen, and did not miss any of these devices that went on the Russian market. I responsibly declare: I have not met the best keyboard. Prior to that, he considered the model keyboard of the BlackBerry 9700 (for two whole years it was my “main” phone), but the Bold 9900 has a wider area and buttons are even more convenient. The keys are branded bevelled, pressed easily, with a small stroke and a pleasant “click” sound - that's all right! Color inverse: all the letters and symbols on the white buttons, including the receive and end keys.
Yes, he's touch! How much time did RIM take to make it right ... Everyone remembers the failed Torch? The physical size increased as well (2.8 ”against 2.44”) and resolution (640x480 against 480x360). Bright, clear, contrast, capacitive, with excellent viewing angles and two-finger “clickability”. Indispensable when surfing.
No matter how RIM tried to betray a good mine, by promoting the “revolutionism” of the new platform, customers will not be fooled. The new OS has even been assigned an index of 7, although, by and large, there are few changes, the system should have been called BlackBerry OS 6.1. No matter how ingenious the constructive, without a modern shell and a large amount of software, it is not interesting, and nothing essentially new has appeared here. Although all they could have done in RIM. Desktops are now “brushed away” with a finger, as in Android and iOS, the gadget began to work even faster, the menu just flies.
The entire new line of BlackBerry 7 based smartphones is a Qualcomm Scorpion MSM 8655 processor with a clock speed of 1.2 GHz based on the Snapdragon chipset. Why not dual-core? First, the BlackBerry OS is not necessary in principle, and secondly, the battery life does not decrease. A lot of new features are “tied” to hardware accelerated graphics (they called it Liquid Graphics in RIM) and an Adreno 205 GPU processor. This is needed to support 3D graphics, HD video, and a host of other features, such as browsing. This is generally the main block of innovations: the browser has received hardware acceleration, it works on the WebKit engine with the fastest JavaScript JIT compiler (Just in time). But with all this, there is no joy from surfing, and the point is not even the lack of support for Flash. Thanks to Apple, people more often use a smartphone to surf the Internet than to make calls, while the BlackBerry 9900 still has too many compromises in the browser. Like Nokia's Symbian, by the way. The letters are small and it is difficult to read websites, everything is scaled not healthy, sites are not loaded as fast as those of competitors, and so on. The RAM increased to 768 MB, but the RIM devices never had problems with it, 512 MB in the BlackBerry 9700 was enough for the eyes. Also, the new platform supports high-speed HSPA protocol (up to 14.4 Mbit), from which neither is hot nor cold. By the way, the Bold 9900 has a twin brother, the 9930, the only difference is in the radio part, it works in CDMA networks.
Nevertheless, RIM will not grasp the multimedia functions in any way, in this QWERTY format it is impossible, and this indicator, of course, loses iOS and Android. You can watch videos and photos ... But the screen is still too small, and the right software is not very much. Although the audio chip is worth mentioning separately: the quality of the music is very decent, you can listen to the tracks in large, good headphones. The local App World essentially loses by the number of applications to the Apple App Store, but here it’s not even so much the amount of software, as in their appearance and usability. Everything looks too archaic and outdated - for young people who are used to epple-oriented interfaces, it's like MS-DOS. There are those here who remember these five letters, right? :) Once RIM built its empire around the text: these are letters, BB-messenger, chat rooms and SMS, and getting away from this past is not so easy. Plus, there are a lot of unobvious, but very useful pieces that speed up text input and work in general, you just need to know them. For example, the point can be put by double pressing the space, and if you press the space while typing the email address, the @ sign is automatically put, there are lots of such combinations and hotkeys. Writing letters and chatting with BlackBerry is much easier and faster than on touch devices, but this trend is gone, remaining relevant only among the audience of business people that RIM was originally aimed at.
A look under the cover is worth it, if only because on the cover itself, from the inside along the perimeter, there is a frame with an NFC antenna, a very original solution. Unfortunately, the replacement of microSD is not “hot”, the battery will still have to be removed - everything is too tight.
There is no hot spot function (it may appear in new firmware), but for the first time, it supports the new-fashioned wireless NFC protocol, designed, for example, to pay for travel in the subway. In Russia, however, it is still useless, and now you can use it exclusively for Bluetooth-pairing with a Playbook tablet.
BlackBerry in the antiphase market all reduces the capacity of batteries. You might think that Canadians are just mocking. Like, you and your Android phones live half a day, and we, while improving the screen and processor, can afford to reduce the battery capacity. Everything turned out to be more prosaic: the engineers could not tamp the 1500 mAh battery into such a thin case, so here it is more modest at 1230 mAh. However, this did not affect the time of work very much: if the Blakcberry 9700 sits down in 2-3 days, then this one requires a socket in 1.5-2 days with active work. This indicator is still unattainable for competitors.
Good: finally, BlackBerry smartphones are shooting 720p HD video, the picture is very decent. The bad: for some reason, the photo module has lost autofocus, which is a big minus for a business decision - how to photograph business cards and checks? It seems that the technology EDOF - increased depth of field, had to solve this drawback. But ... does not solve. Obviously autofocus removed again to reduce the thickness, but this, of course, is complete nonsense. In all other smartphones on the BlackBerry 7 (Torch 9810, 9850 and 9860) autofocus remained.
This item is rarely in the reviews of phones, but in the case of the BlackBerry it certainly needs to be added. Only with these devices you understand how clean and high-quality the voice of the interlocutor can be in the dynamics: and you hear beautifully, and everyone hears you so well that they regularly ask again where you are calling from. Here's the option with the iPhone just does not compare.
The Finnish QWERTY smartphone Nokia E6 is a very formal competitor, it loses to Canadian on almost all fronts. Although the E6 itself is a pretty good product, it’s still not so thoroughbred, not so smart, not so functional. True, the cost will obviously be cheaper.
BlackBerry designers, engineers and marketers did everything they could, the BlackBerry 9900 is the best product, and it’s not clear what else can be changed in the new version, except that the camera can be customized. Those who are familiar with the BlackBerry, do not need to explain anything, they know why they need this smartphone, they were waiting for just that: the touch screen, QWERTY-keyboard, chic design and generally the best product in their league. But beginners can scare away an outdated OS and a small amount of software. After all, the next flagship will probably come out on the BBX platform, but who wants to be the last hero?
OS: BlackBerry OS
Processor: Qualcomm Scorpion MSM 8655, 1.2 GHz
Video: Adreno 205
RAM: 768 GB
Main memory: 8 GB
Screen: 2.8 ", 640x480
Communications: 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0, NFC
Connectors: USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack
Cameras: 5 megapixels.
Navigation: GPS, GPS
Battery: 1230 mAh
Dimensions: 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm
Weight: 130 grams
Price: from 25,000 rubles.
Sorry, that there is no 720p - source can not find: (
RIM has big problems, this is a well-known fact. The company follows Nokia’s path: in time, not responding to trends, it is now desperately trying to offer something to surprise the market. Remember how John Travolta started? Handsome, dancer, hero of musicals - he exploited one image and achieved perfection in it, but at some point the audience simply tired of musicals, and Travolta was not needed. Well, he was picked up by Tarantino, and the actor had a comeback, but would RIM have a new, recently launched BBX platform for the new director, which will soon be transplanted not only tablets, but also smartphones? We are only for. It would not be too late.
')
Design
What is there to say a lot? You can just watch and admire. The classic, iconic form factor is now supported by luxury materials: a lot of metal (edging and stainless steel end buttons), carbon fiber cover, velvety plastic. There was no prettier QWERTY smartphone. In addition, it is also the thinnest (10.5 mm) in the entire history of smartphone construction at RIM, although this is not felt - the metal frame seems too massive.
Ergonomics
RIM supported the trend to increase the size of smartphones with a simultaneous decrease in thickness. The device has become larger and wider, as they say, “uhvastistee”, and at the same time perfectly balanced. It lies well in the hand, it is convenient to manage both one and two hands, and it weighs less than you expect. I am very pleased that the BlackBerry 9900 is so strong and monolithic, the assembly is phenomenal, in the best traditions. The control is as convenient as possible, with end “hot” keys that can be reassigned to other functions. It is convenient to “hang up” the launch of the tweeter client on the photo button on the right side. Above it - the volume keys, and between them the button Mute, she also puts the player on pause. For some reason, another button escaped from the left side, now there is only a deeply recessed microUSB connector and an audio jack. Despite the touchscreen display, they decided to leave the trackpad, although the need for it is clearly less. Now the trackpad also glows, as in Nokia QWERTY smartphones.
Keyboard
I am a fan of QWERTY-keyboards, located under the screen, and did not miss any of these devices that went on the Russian market. I responsibly declare: I have not met the best keyboard. Prior to that, he considered the model keyboard of the BlackBerry 9700 (for two whole years it was my “main” phone), but the Bold 9900 has a wider area and buttons are even more convenient. The keys are branded bevelled, pressed easily, with a small stroke and a pleasant “click” sound - that's all right! Color inverse: all the letters and symbols on the white buttons, including the receive and end keys.
Display
Yes, he's touch! How much time did RIM take to make it right ... Everyone remembers the failed Torch? The physical size increased as well (2.8 ”against 2.44”) and resolution (640x480 against 480x360). Bright, clear, contrast, capacitive, with excellent viewing angles and two-finger “clickability”. Indispensable when surfing.
Filling
No matter how RIM tried to betray a good mine, by promoting the “revolutionism” of the new platform, customers will not be fooled. The new OS has even been assigned an index of 7, although, by and large, there are few changes, the system should have been called BlackBerry OS 6.1. No matter how ingenious the constructive, without a modern shell and a large amount of software, it is not interesting, and nothing essentially new has appeared here. Although all they could have done in RIM. Desktops are now “brushed away” with a finger, as in Android and iOS, the gadget began to work even faster, the menu just flies.
The entire new line of BlackBerry 7 based smartphones is a Qualcomm Scorpion MSM 8655 processor with a clock speed of 1.2 GHz based on the Snapdragon chipset. Why not dual-core? First, the BlackBerry OS is not necessary in principle, and secondly, the battery life does not decrease. A lot of new features are “tied” to hardware accelerated graphics (they called it Liquid Graphics in RIM) and an Adreno 205 GPU processor. This is needed to support 3D graphics, HD video, and a host of other features, such as browsing. This is generally the main block of innovations: the browser has received hardware acceleration, it works on the WebKit engine with the fastest JavaScript JIT compiler (Just in time). But with all this, there is no joy from surfing, and the point is not even the lack of support for Flash. Thanks to Apple, people more often use a smartphone to surf the Internet than to make calls, while the BlackBerry 9900 still has too many compromises in the browser. Like Nokia's Symbian, by the way. The letters are small and it is difficult to read websites, everything is scaled not healthy, sites are not loaded as fast as those of competitors, and so on. The RAM increased to 768 MB, but the RIM devices never had problems with it, 512 MB in the BlackBerry 9700 was enough for the eyes. Also, the new platform supports high-speed HSPA protocol (up to 14.4 Mbit), from which neither is hot nor cold. By the way, the Bold 9900 has a twin brother, the 9930, the only difference is in the radio part, it works in CDMA networks.
Multimedia vs Text
Nevertheless, RIM will not grasp the multimedia functions in any way, in this QWERTY format it is impossible, and this indicator, of course, loses iOS and Android. You can watch videos and photos ... But the screen is still too small, and the right software is not very much. Although the audio chip is worth mentioning separately: the quality of the music is very decent, you can listen to the tracks in large, good headphones. The local App World essentially loses by the number of applications to the Apple App Store, but here it’s not even so much the amount of software, as in their appearance and usability. Everything looks too archaic and outdated - for young people who are used to epple-oriented interfaces, it's like MS-DOS. There are those here who remember these five letters, right? :) Once RIM built its empire around the text: these are letters, BB-messenger, chat rooms and SMS, and getting away from this past is not so easy. Plus, there are a lot of unobvious, but very useful pieces that speed up text input and work in general, you just need to know them. For example, the point can be put by double pressing the space, and if you press the space while typing the email address, the @ sign is automatically put, there are lots of such combinations and hotkeys. Writing letters and chatting with BlackBerry is much easier and faster than on touch devices, but this trend is gone, remaining relevant only among the audience of business people that RIM was originally aimed at.
Inside
A look under the cover is worth it, if only because on the cover itself, from the inside along the perimeter, there is a frame with an NFC antenna, a very original solution. Unfortunately, the replacement of microSD is not “hot”, the battery will still have to be removed - everything is too tight.
Chips
There is no hot spot function (it may appear in new firmware), but for the first time, it supports the new-fashioned wireless NFC protocol, designed, for example, to pay for travel in the subway. In Russia, however, it is still useless, and now you can use it exclusively for Bluetooth-pairing with a Playbook tablet.
Battery
BlackBerry in the antiphase market all reduces the capacity of batteries. You might think that Canadians are just mocking. Like, you and your Android phones live half a day, and we, while improving the screen and processor, can afford to reduce the battery capacity. Everything turned out to be more prosaic: the engineers could not tamp the 1500 mAh battery into such a thin case, so here it is more modest at 1230 mAh. However, this did not affect the time of work very much: if the Blakcberry 9700 sits down in 2-3 days, then this one requires a socket in 1.5-2 days with active work. This indicator is still unattainable for competitors.
Camera
Good: finally, BlackBerry smartphones are shooting 720p HD video, the picture is very decent. The bad: for some reason, the photo module has lost autofocus, which is a big minus for a business decision - how to photograph business cards and checks? It seems that the technology EDOF - increased depth of field, had to solve this drawback. But ... does not solve. Obviously autofocus removed again to reduce the thickness, but this, of course, is complete nonsense. In all other smartphones on the BlackBerry 7 (Torch 9810, 9850 and 9860) autofocus remained.
Connection quality
This item is rarely in the reviews of phones, but in the case of the BlackBerry it certainly needs to be added. Only with these devices you understand how clean and high-quality the voice of the interlocutor can be in the dynamics: and you hear beautifully, and everyone hears you so well that they regularly ask again where you are calling from. Here's the option with the iPhone just does not compare.
Competitor
The Finnish QWERTY smartphone Nokia E6 is a very formal competitor, it loses to Canadian on almost all fronts. Although the E6 itself is a pretty good product, it’s still not so thoroughbred, not so smart, not so functional. True, the cost will obviously be cheaper.
Summary
BlackBerry designers, engineers and marketers did everything they could, the BlackBerry 9900 is the best product, and it’s not clear what else can be changed in the new version, except that the camera can be customized. Those who are familiar with the BlackBerry, do not need to explain anything, they know why they need this smartphone, they were waiting for just that: the touch screen, QWERTY-keyboard, chic design and generally the best product in their league. But beginners can scare away an outdated OS and a small amount of software. After all, the next flagship will probably come out on the BBX platform, but who wants to be the last hero?
TTX
OS: BlackBerry OS
Processor: Qualcomm Scorpion MSM 8655, 1.2 GHz
Video: Adreno 205
RAM: 768 GB
Main memory: 8 GB
Screen: 2.8 ", 640x480
Communications: 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0, NFC
Connectors: USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack
Cameras: 5 megapixels.
Navigation: GPS, GPS
Battery: 1230 mAh
Dimensions: 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm
Weight: 130 grams
Price: from 25,000 rubles.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/130862/
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