| May 13, 2010
When BlackBerry first launched its Bold 9000 a couple years ago, people loved the sleek and professional design with its smoother (than Curve models) keyboard and 3G compatibility but still complained about the large body, easily-broken trackball and poor 2MP camera. Fortunately, the people at BlackBerry listened and fixed those faults with the release of the Bold 9700. And for the style conscious, it will soon be available in white. Still if you’re a Steve Jobs devotee, just ignore this review as your iPhone 3GS still comes out on top.
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The sleek design that features a polished black (or white) body with a metal finish as well as a genuine leather back. The 6.1” TFT screen which features 65,536 colors through 480x360 pixel resolution. Full QWERTY keyboard that offers a much smoother touch via the new trackpad making the previous trackball a distant memory. The phone supports HSDPA network and 3G. 3.2 million-pixel camera comes with auto-focus function that enables better snaps. The battery life is pretty impressive. Our test model stayed alive for more than two days. BlackBerry OS 5.0 is faster and smoother than the previous versions. The white model is only officially available in some countries, making it kind of limited edition, which we love. |
The screen is still too prone to scratch. We still prefer the material and designs of the old Bold 9000 and the earphones it comes with look dull and cheap. The model is more compact, which results in a smaller screen and keyboard, making it that little bit trickier to type. The white phone gets dirty easily, especially if you can’t stop reading Thairath. |
Verdict: If you like BlackBerry and its QWERTY-keyboard, buy it—this is the best BlackBerry so far.
Price: AIS: B22,900 (VAT included). DTAC: B21,399 and B18,399 with monthly package. Truemove: B21,300 with monthly package.