What was the first blackberry bold

When you get right down to it, the BlackBerry Bold is pretty much a BlackBerry Bold -- it's not a major departure from the once-iconic device's history, which may explain why it has struggled in the marketplace. Keep up on key mobile developments and insights via Twitter and with the Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter.

We tested the T-Mobile version. Hardware At first blush, the Bold looks like its predecessors, except for the larger screen: a 2. Although the screen has twice the resolution of the previous Bold model , it's still too small to use for most Web pages and the kinds of apps you'd run on an iPhone or Android device. It's also painfully restrictive for many apps, including the Settings app, but it works OK for messaging and simplified Web pages, such as for dashboards.

The display is quite crisp. But the BlackBerry Bold's hardware has been upgraded in several other ways. First, the Bold sports a faster processor than its predecessor -- 1. The bezel feels higher-quality, with its carbon fiber and metal. The physical keyboard feels more responsive, and its labels are easier to read as they are both larger and dispense with the muddy red-on-black theme for symbols.

I find a touchscreen keyboard easier to use, but that's a personal preference. It can be expanded to 40GB via SD cards. The battery has less capacity, going from 1, milliamp-hours to 1,mAH, as the battery was shrunk to make room for other components. Still, battery life remains excellent. The rear camera there is none on the front is a typical 5 megapixels with an LED flash, but without autofocus as you'll find on most competing smartphones.

The Wi-Fi radio now supports There's also a near-field communications NFC short-range wireless chip, but it's not enabled in the OS as yet. The Bold is thin, light, shiny and downright sexy. Not only is the Bold a looker, it's built to last. The most common problems I've had with BlackBerrys over the past few years typically relate to trackballs, wireless signal issues, and faulty battery covers. The Bold doesn't have a trackball, and the new trackpad is a solid replacement -- I've yet to have any issues with my Bold trackpad.

I haven't experienced any significant wireless signal problems since embracing the And the Bold battery cover, composed with a leatherette material, not unlike the original Bold's cover but classier looking, both fits like a glove and is easy to remove and replace. A new bezel design with contoured edges gives the device a more polished look.

Inset, user-customizable "convenience" keys on both the 's sides look like they're all part of a single surface.

And shiny silver charging panels on the bottom left and right let you use the BlackBerry Bold Charge Pod to power up while reducing wear and tear on the main micro-USB charging port. RIM has shipped OS 5. Verizon Wireless shipped the OS 5. I'm a very heavy texter, so keyboard design is very important to me when choosing a smartphone. In fact, keyboard design is one of the top factors that keep me loyal to BlackBerry, despite flashy devices like the iPhone and Motorola Droid.

RIM's Bold-style keyboard -- contoured keys with little or no horizontal space between them and guitar-like, chrome frets spaced vertically between rows -- is by far my favorite BlackBerry keyboard design. And the Bold 's keyboard doesn't disappoint, though I do wish it was slightly larger. More on that subject in the next section. The BlackBerry Bold gets RIM's "trackpad": As mentioned earlier, a common problem area for recent BlackBerry smartphones was the pearl-like trackball used for device navigation.

BlackBerry trackballs typically work great when you first get them; they roll smoothly with no obstruction. But as you use your BlackBerry and the trackball sees a bit of wear and tear, it's not uncommon for the ball to start to stick or slow down.

In the past, I typically replaced my BlackBerry trackball once every three or four months. That's all fine and good if you're comfortable with replacing BlackBerry parts, but the trackball has been a thorn in the sides of BlackBerry power users and large IT departments, which constantly have to deal with faulty trackballs. No more, thanks to the new BlackBerry trackpad, which I've really come to love over the past months.

It has since made its way to the BlackBerry Bold and Curve And RIM has plans to do away with the trackball entirely, so you'll be seeing more of the new trackpad in the future. The BlackBerry Bold 's battery life is exceptional: The best thing about the BlackBerry Bold , in my opinion, is the device's outstanding battery life.

The Bold has average talk-time of six hours on 3G, standby time of up to 17 days, and music playback time of as long as 38 hours, according to RIM. Those are impressive numbers, especially when you compare them to the weak battery life stats of comparable devices like the BlackBerry Bold and iPhone 3G S, which both get significantly less talk, standby and music-playback times than the My BlackBerry Bold on T-Mobile lasts about 36 hours bouncing between Wi-Fi, 3G, and EDGE coverage -- I get around -- frequently listening to music, making a few random voice calls, and receiving well above a hundred messages a day.

And the Bold uses the same mAh battery found in the Bold , so original Bold users who upgrade will be able to use their old Bold batteries as backups. I use and evaluate many different smartphones in the course of my job as a mobile blogger, and I can say without any hesitation that the Bold is a cut above the rest when it comes to battery life. For that, RIM, I salute you.

So, that's a whole lot to like. But nothing in this world's perfect -- beyond Patron tequila, let's be fair. I found a few things I don't like so much about the BlackBerry Bold The Bold has 1GB of on-board memory, so the Bold took a step down in that regard.

And the new Storm 2, which is largely aimed at consumers who use the device to manage and consume multimedia, packs a full 2GB of on-board memory. That means the Bold needs a MicroSD memory card to store any significant amount of pictures, images, or other data. And it reduces the total potential storage space available to Bold users. In other words, you're out of luck if you're a Verizon or Sprint customer who wants the new Bold but you're unwilling to switch carriers.

Its older brother, the Bold , is roughly 4. The new Bold trimmed down a bit to 4. Those changes might not sound like a lot, but when you consider the tiny size of most smartphones, the tweaks can -- and do -- make a world of difference. I'm mostly used to the new size of the Bold , but initially it bothered me to no end that RIM reduced the original Bold's size so drastically.