New BlackBerry 9780 (Review)

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by Rixter, Dec 24, 2010.

  1. Rixter

    Rixter Well-Known Member

    Jun 14, 2009
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    Well I swapped out my BlackBerry this past week when the audio on my phone went. It was the 9700 Bold-2. The new model is the 9780 Bold running the new OS6. I call it the Bold 2.5 and I think its the best one yet. I'm not going to compare it to an iPhone, of which I'm only vaguely aware (both my Dad and bro have iPhones) and I can't compare it to an Android device but compared to other BlackBerry's I think its the best one they've made. Just so you know I'm not a noob to smartphones and handhelds, I've owned the 9780, 9700, 9000, 8800, 8700, 7290 (and probably a couple of others I can't recall). Also owned at least 1/2 dozen HP IPAQs and about 8 Palms (way back in the dark ages). So I've gone thru a few devices in my day :rolleyes:

    The 9780 is the same form factor as the 9700 but there's some much that's improved. For a side-by-side hardware spec comparison check out http://www.mobilespeedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/blackberry_bold_9780_vs_9700_specs.png

    The new OS6 is somewhat snappier, navigating thru the screens is fast, there are a gazillion sub-menues now. Some of my favorites are:
    1) When you highlight the sender's name in a message and press the track-pad, a window pops up with 6 options to choose from: Copy, Show Address, Email, Text, View Contact, Full Menu
    2) When you're in the Messages app, and you press the Options button you can Compose Other which leads to sub menu for Text, PIN, IM or Social Feeds
    3) In the Music app you can subscribe and sync Podcasts
    4) The camera now offeres Geotagging and the common functions like flash on/off, there's even a sceen mode now. Although for a tiny camera like that I'm not sure that any sceen will look any different regardless of the mode. I suppose it has to do with the focal point
    5) While not an advertised feature, the reception is better. At the hockey rink I'm practically in a concrete bunker and the 9700 would fade in and out of coverage constantly. Not so for the 9780
    6) The new browser has tabs now, woohoo. I like it much better yet I still find I have to use Opera Mini for some sites

    Its not all good new though, here's the downsides:
    1) Not all 3rd party apps work with OS6 yet. My PayPal app stopped as did a news app from local radio station
    2) The home page can get rather confusing to navigate with the new Frequent / All / Favorites mid-screen banner, the search icon and new signal icons it's a bit busy

    Overall though I'm quite happy with it. I opted not to get the Tourch (9800) because I didn't care for the size and weight of the unit.

    For those of you in the market for a BlackBerry I highly recommend the 9780. When I get back in the office in the new year, I'll try to upload some screen shots of the new menus.
     
  2. Angib

    Angib New Member

    Nov 25, 2009
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    You might want to see this alternative view:

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI]YouTube - My Blackberry Is Not Working! - The One Ronnie, Preview - BBC One[/ame]

    Sorry :blush2:
     
  3. Rixter

    Rixter Well-Known Member

    Jun 14, 2009
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    That was GREAT. Thanks for replying with that post! :Thumbsup:
     
  4. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

    May 7, 2009
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    Why the rapid turnover? Unless they are supplied by your workplace. Isn't it a financial penalty with each switch?

    I work for a company that develops software on all the platforms (well, not yet Palm/HP WebOS). For the past 6 months, I've been programming on Windows Phone 7 and I like it.
     
  5. Rixter

    Rixter Well-Known Member

    Jun 14, 2009
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    I work in IT and I get to try all the new devices and then 're-gift' them to somebody else ;)

    Years ago, when I used to do a lot more writing, I opt a piece in TechRepublic about why Windows Mobile (or WinCE, PocketPC, etc, etc) was the best choice at the time for business use (over Palm). Palm had really lost their edge since the initial release of the Palm Pilot. Anyways that year that article was the number one read (and flamed) article on TR. I really like Windows Mobile but I found it so frustrating how Microsoft constantly made their old platforms obsolete every time a new version of the mobile OS came out. They also had the wrong aproach back then of trying to squish Windows into a handheld device, instead of building a device that excels at something that people want. BlackBerry's really excel at messaging, and the iPhone at multimedia and as an app platform it is phenominal. I've not been given an Win7 device yet but I'm curious to see where it thinks it can take away marketshare from either RIM or Apple or Google (sorry I have no Android experience so I can't comment on the platform).

    What app(s) are you involved in?
     
  6. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

    May 7, 2009
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    Our apps are music and movies (streaming and cloud based). Our primary customers have been the wireless carriers although we have been branching out into the app marketplaces.

    Windows Phone 7 is targeted at the consumer market and currently not well suited for many business applications. When I say consumer market, think Zune, XBox, Facebook, and a marketplace with 99 cent apps. Microsoft's immediate goal is to gain a foothold in the exploding consumer smartphone market. Over the years, Microsoft received much criticism for security holes in software, and I think that as a result they became very self conscious about it for Windows Phone 7. Each app runs in a very isolated ("sandboxed") environment. That isolation extends to blocking system services that might be needed by some business applications (but not a concern for most consumer apps). Windows Phone 7 was released only a couple of months ago and Microsoft will be in a continuing process of reviewing how/if they want to position it for businesses.
     

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