By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-05-12 12:40:59 | Word Count: 664
There is a lot happening with BlackBerry latelyâ€"it’s about time. It seems as if BlackBerry has fallen far behind competition in the smartphone race and I was beginning to lose hope. So much so, that I recently (like yesterday) opted to leave the BlackBerry family to join the cool kids over at Android. They seem to know a thing or two about modern technology over there.
Low and behold, right when I’m just starting to get obsessive about me new device (the Thunderbolt, to be exact) news hits that BlackBerry has come up with something new. Can’t say that I’m regretting my decision to leave the company…yet, but maybe with the new developments those of you who are still there will have a little more incentive to stay.
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Research in Motion (RIM) recently hosted a BlackBerry World event in Orlando, FL and released a newer BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 models that is also being referred to as the Bold Touch. Upon first glance this looks like your classic run-of-the-mill BlackBerry but supposedly on the inside it has so much more. The phone is stated to have a sleeker design (10.5mm) than any other RIM phones currently on the market. It also has a 2.8 inch VGA touchscreen. That stat makes me giggle a bit because in a world where screens are upping 4 inches (mine is 4.3, to be exact), it is hard to be in the least bit impressed with a screen that’s half the sizeâ€"and to make it touchscreen? Really? I hope there is a stylus that comes with that because I don’t know anyone whose fingers are small (or precise) enough for this thing. It sucks that I’m bashing the BlackBerry like this, having just left yesterday and all (where are my loyalties?) but this is just ridiculous. BlackBerry, to remain a serious player in this game you MUST come harder.
The feature that is being depended on to set this new device apart is the networks that are supported by it. The 9900 will run 4G via HSPA connectivity (kudos for this) while the 9930 will be RIM’s world version with dual-band CDMA and quad-band GSM (another point for BlackBerry).
Both of these devices have a 5 megapixel camera (my phone has 8, but who’s comparing?), 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, can shoot 720p video, 8 gigabytes of onboard storage, near field communication capability, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. They will also be running with new BlackBerry OS7. This platform is said to have a faster browser with improved user experiences.
In other development news, BlackBerry has now opted for Bing as its default Search and Map Service. The partnership promises to provide voice search and Street View maps and will also be integrated at an OS level. I don’t know much about Bing’s search/map abilities but I do know that in most instances, regardless of what the service is, you side with Google.
Overall, what they are offering just doesn’t seem to be enough. How about more apps? Higher resolution? Better camera? Something! You’re losing your appeal, dear BlackBerry. Look around youâ€"it’s a fast and fancy smartphone world out there and you’re not a part of it.
