BlackBerry Bold – Review
The long awaited BlackBerry Bold is finally here.
And the initial verdict is that whilst the current BlackBerry range is perfectly functional, the Bold is a big step forward.
The first difference BlackBerry users will notice is the size of the handset itself. It initially feels rather bulky, but at the same time has a real quality feel to it thanks to the leather bound back cover.
The display is superb, with half a VGA resolution screen that matches the apple I-Phone with 480×320 pixels. The high contrast and extra bright screen produce a crisp, bold display and it is this that has given the device its “Bold” name.
Manufacturer RIM are pushing to move the BlackBerry away from it’s image as an email phone for business users the Bold looks set to capture a much wider audience. Once a large capacity memory has been installed on the Bold you realise it is a powerful media player – pictures, video and music are all of high quality.
In terms of web browsing a Facebook client is available, allowing easy upload of pictures. Web browsing is a dream thanks to the fantastic screen and you can switch easily from a desktop view to single column view.
Email is, as you would expect, fantastic on this device. One notable point is that email received on this handset is not in rich text/HTML, rather than plain text. The large display means more can be fit onto the screen than previous BlackBerry handsets and the font size and type can be changed to suit your preferences.
Entering text into the Bold is a dream. The qwerty keyboard keys are nicely sized. Sentences are finished by double tapping the spacebar (which then insets a full stop) and punctuation is inserted automatically. Although this is not new to the Blackberry range it is still unbeaten by the competition.
With a mix of 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS the battery has been boosted in size to cope with the demands expected to be placed on it. For normal business use the battery will last a few days. However, movies may drain the battery in a day.
The Bold is currently the ultimate BlackBerry and is proving popular with current BalckBerry users who are looking to upgrade.
Currently available on contracts from:
3, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile.
Take your Business Mobiles on Safari.
The press is routinely reporting, Ofcom and the networks themselves see our international call roaming charges prices quickly falling. Have we heard this too often or are there real changes on the horizon?
The way the economy is now, the financial directors of companies big and small are scrambling to find ways to cut costs on a business mobile and international calling.
As businesses and consumers, we’re often in the dark when we’re left to use our business mobile phones overseas. What will be the cost to us? Is it possible to use our minutes abroad? Could there be any other options or means of saving money?
Let’s take a quick look at what is available to you in the marketplace.
Orange ‘business customers’ can make UK calls to 28 countries from their minute bundle, similar offers are available on o2 and T-mobile. Orange also offer ‘Business World Traveller’ which will give up to 50% off standard voice roaming rates and up to 25% off roaming data.
Vodafone’s Passport is very similar. It also offers reduced call charges whilst abroad. Pay 75p connection charge per call when abroad, then talk at your usual UK rate. Get your Vodafone sevice today call 5555 and recieve a free Vodafone handset.
o2 have what’s called ‘International Traveller Service’ which allows customers to call from Europe to the UK for £0.30p per minute. However, if you are calling from other parts of the world then the charges can vary from between £0.81p to £1.20 per minute.
T-mobile also have competitive roaming offers. T-mobile charge between £0.38p and £0.55p per minute to call the UK from Europe. Receiving calls with T-mobile have recently fallen meaning the cost is between £0.13p to £0.20p for Europe.
On certain schemes and networks it is possible to include international minutes that can be used in a certain country.
If you are regularly visiting a country and using your business mobile phone to call the UK, one option is to buy a local SIM card. In that case you have a local number for the country you are in. Some countries require that you be a registered resident to access this.
It is also possible to buy international pay as you go or prepaid sim cards at home. These may reduce your roaming charges by more than half.
Competition is beginning to heat up in the International roaming market, consequently networks are fighting for our business. I am hopeful that the charges for worldwide roaming will continue to go down as competition increases. Since the networks are all competing with each other for your loyalty, prices will decrease.
Finally, whilst the networks are bombarded with bad press for over charging on roaming I believe they are reacting in a positive way that will benefit business mobile users in the UK.