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REVIEW: BlackBerry Bold 9780 (Same Package, New Insides)
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Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 at 3:43 PM PST
Simon

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BlackBerry 9780 title2 REVIEW: BlackBerry Bold 9780 (Same Package, New Insides)

Last year, RIM gave the BlackBerry Bold a much-needed update by slimming its profile, upgrading its camera, and replacing the trackball with a slick optical trackpad. Since then, a bunch of new BlackBerrys have come out with the brand new OS 6, most notably the BlackBerry Style 9670 and the BlackBerry Torch 9800. It’s been promised that the faithful old 9700 would be eligible for a software update eventually, and we’ve indeed seen it in action, but RIM apparently thought it prudent to give the hardware a bit of a refresh while they were at it upgrading the OS.

The BlackBerry Bold 9780 will look awfully familiar to anyone who has put thumbs to a 9700. What’s new? Well, the camera has been cranked up to 5 megapixels from 3, the RAM has been increased to 512 MB from 256, and it comes running BlackBerry 6 right out of the box. Those modest changes might not be enough to win over someone who picked up a 9700 in the last year, but for those closing in on their second year with something older, like the Bold 9000, it might be worth looking at. And hey, what about those who have never touched a BlackBerry in their lives? Will this buttoned-down business-looking phone hold any appeal for them, especially with such shiney gadgets like the iPhone 4 and a multitude of Android options out there?

BlackBerry 9780 Title 300x225 REVIEW: BlackBerry Bold 9780 (Same Package, New Insides)RIM BlackBerry Bold 9780

Available for $129.99 w/ 2-year contract from T-Mobile

Specifications (Specs – sheet)

* 2.4-inch HVGA (480 x 360) display
* 624 MHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM
* 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash
* 3G via HSPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n
* GPS, Bluetooth 2.1
* microSD (support for up to 32 GB)
* 3.5mm headphone jack
* BlackBerry OS 6
* 6 hours talk time, 22 days standby
* 109 x 60 x 14 mm, and 122 g

The Good

* Excellent battery life
* Tried-and-true form factor
* Solid (if mostly superficial) enhancements in OS 6

The Bad

* Currently limited app support
* A bit boring for the average consumer