My First 24hrs With My BlackBerry Bold 9900

I first off want to say, even though I am a huge RIM fan, I was having my doubts.  I now own an iPhone 4 and have had 2 Android devices in my possession within the last 5 months.  All of them competing for my dedication, and each wanting to become my primary device, replacing my tried and true 9700.  Then I got the call from my local Bell World (I have become friends with one of the sales guys) that the 9900s are now in the store, and locked in his managers office.2 days later, they were able to sell them, a very sneaky and stealth release, as a Bell CSR told me on the phone that the official launch is August 16th.  I went down yesterday and picked one up, and immediately I was impressed.  It feels slick , well engineered, the keyboard is very big and spacious. It beats my old favorite keyboard of the 8900.  The screen is very bright, and detailed, and the over all aesthetics of the device are best to date on any BlackBerry I have held or seen.

One thing I was worried about, was the integration of the touch screen in to the normal navigation and use of the device,  and let me say it is very intuitive and comes natural.  I find myself using it more and more, and my trackpad being ignored.  I am still not accustomed to using it for pictures or viewing web pages, but I am sure it will come.  I will say it is very nice to be able to flick scroll through the navigation panes on the homescreen; and it is very fluid, with no lag.

The device is solid, and very fast.  I barely see the hourglass (I have only seen it while service books were rolling in, and while I was installing/uninstalling apps), the big keyboard is superb, a little clickity, but it will break in.  And over all I would say one of the only downsides would be the lack of auto focus on the camera, but its a phone, I carry a camera for pictures.

I am still awaiting for app support for applications such as SocialScope, and other apps that work, show up as unsupported in AppWorld so it a s hunting game right now looking for latest updated OTAs and finding out if they work correctly.

Overall I am impressed, I wont say it is a home-run that will save RIM, but it is a huge step in the right direction, using the 1.2Ghz processor makes the device so fast, and I honestly had to get used to scrolling because there was no lag what so ever.  One thing I will say though, is that this device will remain my primary, and the others will get dusty on my shelf.

Note: Please note that I did not include more screenshots because it is very very similar to OS6, but upon request will show more.

More on BerryReview

My First 24hrs With My 9900

I first off want to say, even though I am a huge RIM fan, I was having my doubts.  I now own an iPhone 4 and have had 2 Android devices in my possession within the last 5 months.  All of them competing for my dedication, and each wanting to become my primary device, replacing my tried and true 9700.  Then I got the call from my local Bell World (I have become friends with one of the sales guys) that the 9900s are now in the store, and locked in his managers office.2 days later, they were able to sell them, a very sneaky and stealth release, as a Bell CSR told me on the phone that the official launch is August 16th.  I went down yesterday and picked one up, and immediately I was impressed.  It feels slick , well engineered, the keyboard is very big and spacious. It beats my old favorite keyboard of the 8900.  The screen is very bright, and detailed, and the over all aesthetics of the device are best to date on any BlackBerry I have held or seen.

One thing I was worried about, was the integration of the touch screen in to the normal navigation and use of the device,  and let me say it is very intuitive and comes natural.  I find myself using it more and more, and my trackpad being ignored.  I am still not accustomed to using it for pictures or viewing web pages, but I am sure it will come.  I will say it is very nice to be able to flick scroll through the navigation panes on the homescreen; and it is very fluid, with no lag.

The device is solid, and very fast.  I barely see the hourglass (I have only seen it while service books were rolling in, and while I was installing/uninstalling apps), the big keyboard is superb, a little clickity, but it will break in.  And over all I would say one of the only downsides would be the lack of auto focus on the camera, but its a phone, I carry a camera for pictures.

I am still awaiting for app support for applications such as SocialScope, and other apps that work, show up as unsupported in AppWorld so it a s hunting game right now looking for latest updated OTAs and finding out if they work correctly.

Overall I am impressed, I wont say it is a home-run that will save RIM, but it is a huge step in the right direction, using the 1.2Ghz processor makes the device so fast, and I honestly had to get used to scrolling because there was no lag what so ever.  One thing I will say though, is that this device will remain my primary, and the others will get dusty on my shelf.

Note: Please note that I did not include more screenshots because it is very very similar to OS6, but upon request will show more.

More on BerryReview

Leaked OS 7.0.0.261 For The BlackBerry Bold 9900 & 9930, Torch 9850 & 9860

Please report any feedback/findings in the comments.

DISCLAIMER: Install at your own risk. This is Leaked/Beta software that is not guaranteed to be stable, and therefore will not be supported by RIM or your wireless carrier should you run into some problems. As a precaution, if you decide to upgrade, it is highly recommended that you make a backup before using this software. If you are not comfortable using Leaked/Beta software you should probably wait for the next official release. *

Leaked OS 7.0.0.176 For The BlackBerry Bold 9900

Please report any feedback/findings in the comments.

DISCLAIMER: Install at your own risk. This is Leaked/Beta software that is not guaranteed to be stable, and therefore will not be supported by RIM or your wireless carrier should you run into some problems. As a precaution, if you decide to upgrade, it is highly recommended that you make a backup before using this software. If you are not comfortable using Leaked/Beta software you should probably wait for the next official release. *

Google Ad “Confirms” Verizon Wireless Launching The BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930

Verizon has been super quiet about their upcoming BlackBerry smartphones but John, a reader and fan of BBRocks.com, let me know they may have slipped up with a Google ad. If you go to Google and search for “bold touch 9930″ the ad at the top should be for a “Bold Touchscreen” which everyone by now knows can only be one device, in this case, the BlackBerry Bold “Touch” 9930. When RIM first announced the Bold 9900 series they didn’t specifically mention which carriers would offer it but it looks like Google isn’t good at keeping secrets, which is nothing new.

Clicking on the ad takes you to a page that says “The selection you made is unavailable at this time” but it does take you to the official Verizon site which can only tell us one thing…they’re getting ready. When they’ll actually launch the Bold 9930 is still not known but RIM said it’s “expected to be available from carriers around the world beginning this summer” and since summer is already upon is, it’s definitely around the corner.

Anyone on Verizon (or any other carrier) excited for the Bold 9900 series?