RIM BLACKBERRY BOLD 9000

Bold in the USA



If the Bold works, don't fix it. AT&T has mostly done well by following that advice for its version of RIM's BlackBerry Bold 9000, which is very similar to the Bold model for Canada's Rogers Wireless. This is an excellent executive smart phone with a gorgeous screen, reliable e-mail, MS Office document editing, and a terrific media player. But we wish AT&T had worked on the troubled Web browser, which still struggles to load pages that contain JavaScript.


At 4.5 by 2.6 by 0.6 inches (HWD). the 4.8-ounce device feels solid in your hand. Although the keys are slippery the keyboard is roomier than others and easy to use. This phone has the best-looking screen
(320 by 480 pixels) I've ever seen on a mobile device; I just wish the display were a bit larger (it's 2.6 inches, compared with the iPhone's 3.5).

The Bold features a 624-MHz Marvell Tavor CPU, which is a little bit faster than the iPhone's proces-sor. BlackBerry handhelds are typically very responsive. and I found the Bold to be snappy except for its Web browser, which was often sluggish. This phone did not drop calls during testing, and it transitioned between 2G and 3G networks seamlessly. But our Bold had t rouble connecting calls in areas with weak 2G signal. Its battery life— 4 hours 28 minutes—is about the same as that of of her 3G smartphones but will disappoint BlackBerry loyalists. The iPhone has a better Web browser, but the decision really comes down to what you prefer—a keyboard or a touch screen.-Sascha Segan and PC Jacobowitz


PC Media January 2009