The BlackBerry Bold is one of the longest running product lines to RIM have produced, the latest version, the 9780 is being an update to the highly popular BlackBerry Bold 9700. The 9780 features BlackBerry’s latest operating system OS6 (which is faster and includes a superior browser), an increased memory capactity at 512MB and an improved camera with 5 megapixes.
The BlackBerry Bold 9780 sticks to the tried and tested chasis used in previous handsets, and of course uses the same excellent QWERTY keyboard and optical trackbad. There really is little to distinguish this handset from its predecessor other than the features mentioned above. If you have had a BlackBerry Bold before, you will be on familliar ground. I guess BlackBerry took the line “if it aint broke dont fix it” when developing this phone, and with good reason. The Bold 9700 was one of the best selling handsets on the market, it remains a top seller and an excellent phone, so there is little to improve upon. As ever with BlackBerry email support is good, with popular services such as Gmail and Hotmail integrating nicely. There are also some social networking applications installed for Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. This phone has 3G support, WiFi, Bluetooth, MicroUSB etc.
BlackBerry Bold 9780, 100 minutes to any network and unlimited texts. BlackBerry Mail Booster included.
Tariff Name: BlackBerry 100 mins Unltd texts (18m), Network T-Mobile, 18 Month Contract, 100 Anytime Minutes, 3000 Free Text Messages, BlackBerry Bold 9780, Free Mobile Phone, Total Savings £158, Total Cost After Discounts £302
The specification of the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is as follows:
- 2G and 3G connectivity for faster internet access
- Screen Resolution: 480 x 360 pixels
- Camera Resolution: 5 Mega Pixel (2592×1944), Auto Focus, LED Flash
- Alerts: Vibration, MP3 ringtones
- Audio Output: 3.5 mm audio jack
- Internal Memory: 256 MB storage, 512 MB RAM
- Memory Expansion: microSD up to 32GB
- Data Connection: microUSB v2.0
- Bluetooth: v2.1 with A2DP
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, BlackBerry IM
- GPS with A-GPS support
- Standby Time: 408h (on 3G, 528h on 2G)
- Talk Time: Up to 6 Hours
- Browser: HTML (improved with OS6)
The BlackBerry Bold 9780 is a very capable phone but practical phone. It is easy to use thanks to the optical trackbad seen in other handsets of late, and the QWERTY keyboard. BlackBerry phones are increasingly popular with domestic users too, particularly those who use email and text messaging a lot. Despite its small size the keyboard is surprisingly easy to use. This is a great all round handset and a very popular choice.