First Impressions: The Blackberry Bold 9700

So I picked up a Blackberry Bold 9700 to give it a run for its money. I will post a review later in the week but here are some of my first impressions:

• Looks: The phone is beautiful! It is the sexiest Blackberry I have ever seen and has that WOW factor that people are always looking for. Take one out of your pocket and your friends will be intrigued! The screen is also gorgeous although it is small when coming from a phone like the iPhone or Droid.

• Feel: The phone I received feels sturdy except for the trackpad. So far I love the feel of the phone in my hand BUT the trackpad definitely is looser than what I would expect. There should obviously be a little play in it but the one I have wobbles a little too much from side to side.

• The Keyboard: In one word: Amazing! I am a long time user of the iPhone and although I am use to the touchscreen keyboard by now, using the Blackberry keyboard was a relief. I can send messages much faster and I don't really mind typing out a long SMS or e-mail. Go to the store and try one for 15 min; you won't be disappointed!

• Sound Quality: Now take this with a grain of salt because I use AT&T and I never really have a problem with service but the sound quality definitely improved over previous phones I have used. It seems like I can hear people better and they can hear me better.

Overall, the phone leaves my very impressed. The one thing that will take me a little time to get used to us the Blackberry OS (Simplicity or just plain ugly?) Check back here in a couple of days for my full review on the phone.

iPhone vs. The Droid - I'll Decide For You!

So everyone is wondering if it is worth it to take the plunge and switch over from the iPhone to the new Verizon Droid. A week ago, I took that plunge and let me tell you, the Droid is an amazing phone. Here are a couple of important things to consider before making the jump.

• Design + Hardware: At first glance the Droid is not as sleek looking as the iPhone. It has more of an industrial design and none of the sleek, sexy curves that the iPhone has. Does this mean the Droid looses in this category? Not necessarily. Design is more of a personal preference than anything. Some people will love the design of the Droid and some will hate it. If your looking for a light, well built phone that feels good in your hand, my opinion is to stick with the iPhone. On the other hand, if you NEED a physical keyboard then you will be persuaded to go with the Droid. I must warn you though, in my opinion, the Droid's physical keyboard is garbage! The keys are not spaced properly and there is not enough tactile feedback when pressing down on them. Once again, it all comes down to preference; go to the store and play with each device yourself.

• The OS: In my opinion, this is a close call. Let me start off this section by saying I LOVE both OS's. Each has something the other does not and each caters to different personalities. The iPhone's OS is simple and intuitive while the Droid's OS takes some getting use to but is extremely customizable. What it really comes down to is what you want to do with the phone. If you are happy with simplicity, stick with the iPhone but if you want to be able to multi-task and customize how every little thing operates on your phone, move on over to Android. I want to take this time to tell everyone to mark my words - within the next year, Android will be everything and more the iPhone OS is now! There are endless possibilities with Android and in my time with it, I was extremely impressed.

• Conclusion: Your confused and I am here to make up your mind for you. If you are an Apple fanboy who loves everything about the iPhone (the OS, the touchscreen, having an iPod & phone all in one) then stick with the iPhone! The Droid is not yet polished enough to compete with the ease and simplicity all you Apple fans are use to. On the other hand, if you are using the iPhone and want to do MORE with your phone then the Droid is for you.

My final opinion on what you should do.. WAIT! As you can tell from what I have said thus far, the Droid is an evolution of the Android platform. Give this platform another 6-12 months and it will evolve into a beautiful monster! I, for one, would love to buy the Droid but I know that within the next year, there is going to be a great amount of progress made with this wonderful platform.

-Anthony

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Welcome everybody! My name is Anthony and this blog is here for one purpose - gadgets! Punch it here for some of the best tech news on the web!