My First BLOG: Blackberry Bold 9870 (a must have)

-BLACKBERRY BOLD 9870-

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BlackBerry as always is more concerned by it's loyal core of customers than competing with iPhone and Android. So Bold 9780 is the next logical step for RIM, and they updated on the previous generation rather than bringing something completely new. The new Bold 9780 will come with a few nice surprises.

BlackBerry Bold 9780 Specifications

The Blackberry Bold 9780 measures 109*60*14 mm and weighs 122 grams. It might not be the most slim or light phone but it's comfortable to hold in one hand or two and the overall built quality is great. The front of the device is occupied by the 2.44” HVGA+ screen, the comfortable full QWERTY keyboard, the responsive trackpad, the Call,Menu,Back and End Call button,and the Earpiece. On the left side we find the 3.5mm standard audio jack,a microUSB port and a customizable shortcut key while on the right we find the volume rocker and the camera key. On top we find the trademark invisible keys:Mute and Lock. On the back we find the 5MPx LED flash camera and the loudspeaker. Under the cover we find a 1500 mAh Li-Po battery that gives 528 hours of stand-by and 6 hours of talktime and the microSD card slot.

BlackBerry Bold 9780 runs the latest  6th version BlackBerry OS which is mere user friendly and better looking then the previous versions but still not as good as Symbian^3. The homescreen is more colorful and the icon tray has been replaced with several tabs, besides that it's pretty much the same. You also get a virtual button that toggles Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well as the settings menu and alarm clock and a search button that searches in the BlackBerry App World and Portal, Slaker radio or even Youtube. Other improvements include some animations and major responsiveness and speed upgrades.

The BlackBerry Bold 9780 got a better looking phonebook than the 9700 but still has the same great functionality. Contacts are listed alphabetically bye first, last name or company and navigation is pretty fast thanks to the build-in search. Like all Blackberry devices you can put sort your contacts either in business or personal categories. Smart and voice dialing is also present as well as SNS integration. Call quality is great, as expected. There were no drops in call quality or call disconnecting during the test. Messaging and emails are handled with ease but you need Blackberry Internet Service subscription for emails. The 9870 can handle all kinds of messages using very well organized app and even has a few IM apps preinstalled. That combined with the best QWERTY keyboard out there makes the Bold 9870 one mean messaging machine. But we still would like a choice regarding BIS.

The BlackBerry Bold 9780's music doesn't bring anything new since BlackBerry OS 5. You get quick search and all the standard features like sorting by artist, album and genre and playlist creating. You also get a equalizer, album art options and support for most audio formats. The audio quality is decent, nothing to brag about but not to worse either. The video player is pretty good and offers great functionality and with the decent landscape screen watching movies is bearable. But you won't get a Blackberry bold to watch movies. But in case you want to it offers DivX and Xvid support just in case.

The photo gallery is nice and fast. It gets some minor tweaks and cosmetic changes to set it apart from the previous version. You can view images in grid mode or list and you can search the images by name. Browsing,zooming and panning is pretty fast and overall the gallery is quite good.

The 5 Mpx,LED flash camera is the best you can get on a RIM smartphone. Unfortunately the interface remains the same. With low number of customizable settings and very low user-friendliness. The dedicated camera key is also very uncomfortable since most pictures are done in portrait mode and the key will be pressed with your thumb. You can also take pictures with the trackpad but it doesn't support autofocus. Other features include Geo-tagging,scenes and face detection. Image quality is quite good with decent noise levels, good contrast and colors. Video recording is done at VGA resolution and 25fps which is good considering what the previous Bold had to offer, but very poor considering that other phones offer 720p and 1080p resolutions.

n terms of connectivity the BlackBerry Bold 9780 offers quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE,3G with HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP, microUSB, microSD card slot and GPS with A-GPS(Blackberry Maps preinstalled). Other features include a decent and fast web browser without flash support, a great organizer (like a tru business phone),Mobile Office app with editing options,Notes, a To-Do manager,Calculator, Alarms and more. Unfortunately you don't get a PDF viewer. But you can always get it from BlackBerry App World which is pretty well organized, but you can only find just over 4000 apps.

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BlackBerry Messenger

BlackBerry® Messenger is an instant messaging app just for BlackBerry® smartphone owners. With a chat style layout, and unlimited characters, BBM™ makes it easy to share with the people who matter.

Why do BlackBerry users love Blackberry Messenger? I will discuss it.

Features:

Chat with your closest friends anywhere, anytime with BlackBerry® Messenger. BBM™ gives you the features you need to express yourself your way.

Speak Your Mind! Send and receive messages with unlimited character length.

Personalize it! Choose your own BBM display picture.

Know It's Delivered! Get real-time confirmations when messages are delivered and read.

Say It with Picture! Share photos, videos and more with multiple contacts at once.

Add Your Friends! Add your contacts by scanning barcodes or sharing PINs.

Share What You're Listening To! Reveal the music that’s playing on your smartphone.

How to see BlackBerry Messaging?

If you have a BlackBerry cell phone you may be familiar with regular texting and using instant messaging services, such as the AOL Instant Messenger, on your phone. There is also another messaging service available on your BlackBerry--BlackBerry Messenger. BlackBerry messaging with BlackBerry Messenger is free to use and does not use up any of your airtime, texting or data plans. Locating, setting up and viewing your BlackBerry messaging is easy to do.

Instructions:

1. Power on your BlackBerry if you do not already have it on. From the Home screen, click on the BlackBerry Messenger icon.
   
2. Create a display name and password if this is your first time using BlackBerry Messenger. Once you do this, the system will automatically log you on each time you are connected to a network.
   
3. Add contacts into BlackBerry Messenger by pressing the "Menu" key on the contact list screen. Click on "Invite Contact," enter the contact's PIN or email address and press "Send.".
   
4. View activity updates from your contacts by clicking "Recent Updates" from the contact list screen.
   

The ins and outs of BlackBerry messenger

Back when I had a consumer phone, I used to text message my fair share. I remember the parental blowup when the heavy texting started…who thought 10 cents a message could add up so fast? But really, messaging goes further back than that. Before I could even imagine everyone having a cell phone, I — and nearly all my friends — were AIM junkies. Cell phones just allowed us to take that computer-based messaging and move it to a mobile platform. No, we couldn’t have endless conversations via text at 3 a.m. — though we certainly tried. But with the introduction of the smartphone, complete with full QWERTY keyboard — the game changed again.

If I’m so inclined, I can install any messenger I want on my BlackBerry. I’ve got MSN, AIM, and GChat on my computer at home, and it’s a simple process to install those programs and use the very same accounts I use on my laptop. Plus, I have the added bonus of text message. And then there’s the hidden gem of the BlackBerry world: BlackBerryMessenger.

SMS

It’s tried, it’s true, and it works to and from every cell phone nowadays. The best part is that the recipient doesn’t need any special software installed. As long as they’ve got a mobile phone, you’ve got a means of communication. There are some pitfalls, of course, including the fee you’ll incur if you don’t have a bundled text message plan. But in terms of simplicity, this is the tops — even if some messages get a bit bungled with T9.

BlackBerry Messenger

Ah, the hidden gem in your BlackBerry. See, RIM has these messages routed through its BIS service, so these messages are not marked as text messages, nor are they marked as data. They’re actually free as free can be. So if you’re talking to fellow BlackBerry Geeks, this is probably the best method.

All you need is your PIN number, and the PIN number of whoever you want to talk to. Of course, in order to do this, you’ll need to know your PIN. It’s printed on the box your BB came in, but chances are you don’t have that lying around anymore. Just click “Options” and then “Status.” Your PIN will be listed there. It’s eight digits long.

Once you know your PIN, head to the BlackBerry Messenger icon — the red dialogue bubble with the dots — and start adding contacts. You’ll have to get everyone else’s PIN, but once you do, it’s hellooooo free messaging.

GoogleTalk

This has really revolutionized the way I IM on my computer. Forever and a day, I was an AIM user. But once I graduated college, I got a bit frustrated with it. Don’t ask me why; I don’t think I can properly explain it. It’s a combination of a number of things, really, including all the people I had added during my college years and don’t talk to at all.

It was around this time I started to use Gmail. No, it’s not the prettiest interface, but it’s uber-efficient. The “conversation” system is so good that I’m very surprised that other email clients haven’t adopted it. And while it doesn’t have traditional folders, organizing and archiving your emails into “labels” is an acceptable substitute.

But the best part of Gmail is that you can chat with other Gmail users while you’re checking your mail. And since many people keep their mailboxes open all day, this has led to a kind of instant messaging revolution. The best part, of course, is that the list starts fresh, so I’m only talking to the people I want to talk to.

Installing GoogleTalk on your BlackBerry is simple. Just point your BlackBerry tohttp://www.blackberry.com/GoogleTalk. You can access it from your computer if you wish, but only if you’re using Internet Explorer (which you shouldn’t be — though maybe it will get better). You then just have to follow a few steps (selecting you language, agreeing to terms, finally hitting the “download” button, which downloads and installs it for you). From there, just click on the GoogleTalk icon, and enter in your Google account info. If you don’t have one, you can sign up at Gmail.com.

MSN and Yahoo

This is the computer IMer of choice here at BBGeeks. And so it makes perfect sense that I would want the application on my BlackBerry. Installing it is as easy as it was for Google. Just point your BlackBerry browser to http://www.blackberry.com/livemessenger, and you’ll see a similar screen to that of the GoogleTalk download. It warns that you’ll need a Passport ID, which you can obtain at http://www.getlive.com, though you’ll have to do so from your desktop browser.

Unfortunately, I get a message that tells me that my system doesn’t meet the requirements of MSN. That’s because apparently it doesn’t work on Verizon. So we’ll go over a workaround later on in this piece for all you VZW people.

This was a bit disappointing, since I used MSN Messenger to handle both my Live Messenger contacts and my Yahoo Messenger contacts. I ended up using an all-in-one client to solve this problem, and yes, I’ll go over this in just a minute (or you can scroll right down to the heading if you so desire). But Yahoo’s messenger goes by the same process. Point your BB browser to http://www.blackberry.com/YahooDownload and follow the uniform RIM download instructions.

AIM

Ah, old faithful. And because it’s run through RIM, it’s an easy download. Same process as before, actually. Just point your BB browser to http://www.blackberry.com/aim and click through the download. You can nab a user ID if you don’t have one — though if you don’t have one now, do you really want one at all? — at AIM.com. The installation is simple, and you’ll be chatting to your fellow AIM junkies in no time.

ICQ

Yeah, some people still use ICQ. And I don’t meant that in a derogatory manner. I used to use a ton to collaborate, so I understand the virtues of the system. And since there is still a demand for it, RIM has made it available through its website. So go tohttp://www.blackberry.com/icq and follow the download instructions. You’ll have to visitICQ.com to get a user ID. But after that, it’s as simple as ever.

All-in-one

There are a number of all-in-one instant messaging applications out there, and each has its ups and downs. Unfortunately, many of them cost money. It makes sense, since people took the time to write these applications. However, If you want the free version, head over to EQO. Their application gives you free access to MSN, AIM, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, QQ, ICQ, and Jabber.

To use this, click “Get EQO” from eqo.com. You’ll have to register, which literally takes a minute. You’ll then be sent a text message that brings you to the download. You can also download it to your PC, or download it from your BlackBerry browser at get.eqo.com.

Once you have it installed, run the program. It’ll take a few minute to initialize, and then you’ll be at the main screen. Click all the way right to the IM services icon, and click the menu button to add new IM services.

Of course, it isn’t perfect. The lists take a while to populate, and there’s a “$2.50″ sign in the upper left corner. It does offer voice and texting services through it, which might account for that $2.50. I don’t plan to use those features, so I can’t report on them. But I’ll certainly update if I see something on my bill next month.

BLACKBERRY BOLD 9870 A MUST HAVE!!!

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