BlackBerry Bold 9930
Phone Scoop Review
Aug 23, 2011 by Eric M. Zeman
Phone Scoop takes RIM's newest BlackBerry for Verizon Wireless for a spin in this full review. Find out if the BlackBerry Bold 9930 has what it takes to compete with today's leading smartphones. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Gorgeous hardware but lackluster performance
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I traded my HTC EVO for a Blackberry Bold 9930 four months ago so I am ready for an honest review. Why the drastic change? Well even though is a decade back wards in technology, I always been fond of BB and I hate virtual keyboards. First I must say that the 9930 is a outstanding machine. Beautiful and classy. First rate fit, finish, and build quality. Blackberry truly knows how to make the best keyboards ever! The best email integration system, NFC, Blackberry Bridge with my Playbook is a breeze. This phone is very customizable from the LED to the themes. People know you have a Blackberry when they see you using it and not a "me too" unlike Android or iOS. Now.....for the negatives. This really is a decade behind in technology. BB 7 is lackluster and primitive. I have a BB Playbook and the QNX system is amazing. I can't wait for BB10. I just hope is not too late for BB. The signal strength and reception are abysmal! No 4g. Sprint 3g is a joke. I'm always on 1x inside my house and when it switches to roaming it would not send text messages. Rf is a big Failure on this phone. Once it goes to 1x or roaming this phone is completely useless. Which is of course inside my house. That never happened with my EVO. Even with the Wi-Fi on, this phone fails. App market is a joke and expensive with primitive apps and games. Battery life is OK. I barely can use it inside my house anyways. And I'm stuck with a two year contract. Great! Well I will wait for BB10 to see if it is worth it or I would go back to Android.
Very Good Blackberry, if that is what you are needing.
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(Sprint review) I used this device for about two months and overall my experience was good. Solid battery life, pretty good camera. The hardware though....SO NICE! This phone feels so great to use and hold, just flat out great.
Blackberry 7 OS was not that great, it still lacked a lot. the update to 7.1 helped and added a few things missing (mobile hotspot, stability.) The touchscreen and keyboard were fantastic and very easy to type on and use. Media features are basically the same from ten years ago, it works but it needs work.
If you are looking for a Blackberry I would say check out this device, very solid and sexy looking. I am keeping an eye out for Blackberry 10.
Productive and Reliable
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Pros:
-With the latest update to 7.1, the phone is extremely stable and reliable.
-Touchscreen really adds another dimension to the Blackberry experience. Allows faster interaction with the phone.
-Updated blackberry applications are greatly improved over buggy previous versions. There are some great apps available to customize the blackberry (ie LED colors, alternative SMS applications).
-The keyboard is the BEST that has been offered on a blackberry to date. Messages can be typed with remarkable speed, the wider keyboard really helps! In my view, it is hard to overstate how close to perfect the ergonomics and tactile feedback of the keyboard are.
-Still has the classic reliability of the Blackberry brand.
Cons:
- Battery life unfortunately has dropped, especially after 7.1 update. Some settings changes can help this, but still underperforms in this area. It will give you a solid day of use.
All in all, this phone is about productivity. It does this well, as Blackberry's should. But the options to customize it and engage in social media are also there and the apps are becoming better with every update!
The BEST BlackBerry yet!
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I was a die-hard BB user prior to the OS 6 push to the VZW Bold 9650. The phone kept freezing and I could not revert back to OS 5. This forced me to look for another device. After using the iPhone 4 since the February launch, I'm happy to say the I'm so happy to be using BlackBerry again!
Pros:
Keyboard is so easy to type on, touch screen works flawlessly, the camera takes beautiful pictures in vivid color, call quality is wonderful in the Grand Rapids, MI and surrounding areas, battery life has been excellent (even when using WiFi and Bluetooth), so glad that the OS still allows you to change font size globally on the device. For those of us with eye issues, this is a huge plus!
Cons:
Haven't found any yet!
Join the BlackBerry family and let's get back on top!
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Bold 9930 sprint
Carrier: Sprint
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Well I waited along time for the next bold, and it is truly a very good upgrade to the first bold ASIDE the battery life. I just can't figure out why apple and rim continue to make these great phones with all the great apps that they do but continue to have such week batteries... This bold has a truly excellent processor and display. Everything seems to load very fast and operate very smoothly. Touch screen is very responsive as well. The signal strength is always good with sprint of coarse! BUT I your one of us that doesn't sit in front of a computer or have constant charging access during the day and your a constant texter or emailer, I'd highly suggest getting a different phone... Seidio and Mugen are not currently making extended batteries for any new blackberry due to economic times, oh and blackberrys smart chip on the battery. RIP blackberry- that sealed your fate!
TINY keyboard, heavy phone
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The first thing I noticed about this phone was how heavy it is. After about 90 minutes of setting it up, choosing my ringtones and so on, I was tired of the TINY TINY keyboard so I returned the phone.
Blackberry
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i have the last version of the blackberry bold...with an extended battery and i can get a full day of max usage or 2 days of normal usage on a single charge... i picked up the new bold touch screen and I made it half way through the day and needed a charge... this is a deal killer for me....
as for the other features, definitely a better processor...although i hate the touch screen...too small of screen to be touch screen, so my pocket kept causing commands....
i returned it after a week...
no battery, no phone... what's the point.... overall it felt like a downgrade in practical application.
Could not wait to get my hands on it!
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I had the VZW Bold 9650 and when the 9930 came out, I wanted to kick the 9650 off a cliff.
Everything about the 9930 impressed me. I especially loved the responsive touchscreen and the larger keyboard.
Pro: Touchscreen with a physical keyboard, extremely responsive, light and thin design, and HD camera.
Cons: some of my older apps aren't available,
The 9930 is just a little wider and taller than the 9650, but it does feel better in my hand.
Overall, this is an amazing phone and I would recommend anyone looking into a new phone to look into the 9930 as well!
Great combo of QWERTY keyboard and Touchscreen!
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I upgraded from the 9650 and find the QWERTY keyboard on the 9930 a very nice change.
The response is also great. Beautiful display.
Built-in Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is a nice feature. Was very useful when I was traveling and needed to connect to my wife's laptop in our hotel room that only had wired Ethernet.
Only complaint is NFC was disabled and the browser does not support flash.
My New Toy
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As with many people on here, I have owned every phone from the Sanyo SCP-5150 (one of sprints first color screen phones) to the blackberry torch, to the HTC EVO to the iPhone 4. I more than likely will be carrying around 2 phones with me for the next couple of years or so, and let me just say that if I had to pick 1, as of now it would most certainly be a blackberry. I had been waiting for this phone for quick some time, and have not been disappointed. Keyboard second to none (close second would be keyboard on the touch pro 2, but I like the fact that the 9930 is better for 1 handed texting), fast internet not only for a blackberry, but for any phone, very modern and stylish look and feel to the phone, very slim and comfortable in the hand, and of course I have to get to the touchscreen. A lot of people were thrown off by the catastrophe know as the storm, and the blackberry torch wasn't received that well either, but I feel as though the 9930 will exceed your expectations in this department. The colors are bright and vivid, and actually makes you want to touch the screen as much as possible. With all these "super" smartphones that are coming out, it is nice to see blackberry staying consistent, but I will admit, this phone should have been out over a year ago. All in all this is a great phone, and I know its sold out online for sprint right now, but if you can get your hands on one, definitely check it out, it is worth it. The only two complaints I have is with the battery life (I have no problem buying an extended battery, when they finally release it) and even though there are some nice apps in the new Blackberry App World 3.0, I feel as though they are overpriced. If you want cool, get an iphone (which I currently own as well), cool with a cheaper price and more variety, go android (which has nice phones as well, but none that make me run to the store as of right now, and good ol reliability with nice specs,the BOLD 9930 is the phone for you.Hope this helps
