When Research in Motion released the Blackberry all those years ago, they unleashed one of the most popular smartphones on the market. Known for its all business performance, the Blackberry was sought after for its email capabilities and other cutting edge functions. To keep the Blackberry at the front edge of the curve, RIM created the Blackberry Bold, a handset that improves upon an already successful formula.
Where the Bold really excels is with its improvements on the screen. The 2.6-inch diagonal screen is slightly larger than the one found on the Curve. The Bold also adds three quarters of an inch to the width of the screen, bringing the total to 2.25 inches. The clarity and vivid colors on the Bold make older Blackberry screens seem dull by comparison. The resolution of the Bold is 480 x 320p, and Samsung has utilized the larger screen and better picture quality by updating the UI with bigger icons that are clearer and easier to handle.
The UI in question is the Blackberry OS 4.6. Precision Zen is the default theme this time around and wallpaper can of course be applied to the home screen. Precision Zens display arranges six icons dock-style along the bottom of the screen. Dimension Zen is also available, adding color only to the icon selected. Larger icons lead to fewer rows, as the Bold offers only three rows instead of four. This leads to a bit more scrolling around. If you have a hankering for some fun, the Games folder contains Sudoku and solitaire. There are also two online games that let you try your skill against multiple Bold users.
Everyone knows that the Blackberrys claim to fame is email. RIM certainly knows this and hasnt changed much with the Bold. Because previous Blackberry handsets already had it right, RIM has simply freshened things up, such as adding the ability to see pictures in message and full HTML. Attachment viewing is also included but outside of that, it is pretty much the same email experience. Of course, the text is easier to read on the improved screen, but the process is the same.
The Blackberry Bold has taken a proven performer and freshened things up a bit. RIM has made some adjustments with the Bold in order to stay relevant, but longtime users as well as those new to Blackberry will appreciate the Bold.
