The new BlackBerry handset is intriguing, but the real news is RIM's new, much faster platform.

"The US' top smartphone maker, Research in Motion, today announced its first major new platform in two years. The BlackBerry Bold 9000 still looks like existing BlackBerrys, but it's packed with new power, most notably a 624-Mhz processor and

The 9000 is only the first of a new line which will come to all major US carriers (both CDMA and GSM— even on T-Mobile's 1700-Mhz band), and will appear in various form factors, much as RIM's existing platform comes in businesslike 8800, casual Curve, and petite Pearl styles, CEO Mike Lazaridis said.

Superficially, the 9000 looks a lot like a streamlined Curve or 8800. The all-important keyboard has the 8800's sculpted keys, but the rows are separated by curved barriers. The screen is higher-contrast and higher-res, at 320 by 480, and the device runs a new version of the BlackBerry OS, 4.6.

We got to play with the Bold a bit during our meeting, and found some interesting tidbits. The device feels solid, with a fake-leather back and metal accents. At 4.5 by 2.6 by 0.55 inches and 4.7 oz, it's wider, longer, and heavier but slightly slimmer than the BlackBerry Curve.

The keyboard feels better than the 8800's tight keyboard, mostly because of the space between the rows.

The new screen is simply gorgeous; it looks flush with the front of the device, and it has an excellent viewing angle.

The UI is familiar to any BlackBerry user, but some elements use 3D effects and translucency. And the thing feels fast—really fast. The camera can now record 480-by-320 videos, and can geotag photos with your GPS location. (Yes, there will be a camera-less version.) You can browse the device's memory and save files into it from e-mail."

Read PC Magazine's Hands-On with the BlackBerry Bold .

Labels: blackberry, review

¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 5/12/2008 12:53:00 AM