BlackBerry Bold 9700 review: Hardware

I woke up yesterday afternoon with great anticipation of receiving my BlackBerry Bold 9700 in the mail that day.  In my mind, UPS could not arrive fast enough.  To waste time I walked to the barber so I could get my haircut, making sure my seat was in an area where I could see if a UPS van drove in the direction towards my house.  While waiting I saw two FedEx trucks and one DHL van and thought that I would most likely make it home before UPS got there.  Of course as soon as I sat in the barber's chair, there goes the UPS van, headed straight towards my apartment complex.  It took everything within me not to jump out of the seat and run home, hair only half cut.

Thankfully I sat through the entire haircut and contained myself enough to pay the nice lady and walk home.  When I got there, my faithful little dog was happy to see me and almost seemed to point out the pretty little package from T-Mobile that was waiting for me.  I told her hi, let her inside, and grabbed the package with gusto and glee.

Review Part One: Hardware

If you weren't able to grasp it just yet, this is my review of the BlackBerry Bold 9700, or Onyx, as it was widely referred to before its release. There's a lot to cover so I thought I would split it up into a hardware and software review.  Let's get right into it shall we?

Size and Form Factor - The new Bold is slick.  And I mean slick.  At a size that's barely bigger than the Pearl, the 9700 feels like it was meant to fit in your hand.  It's super thin and not at all too wide, something that always kept me from getting a Curve. 

Screen - This is one beautiful screen!  The colors are bright and beautiful, pictures detailed and crisp, videos are of great quality.  After spending five minutes staring at the 9700's screen and then switching over to my Pearl to swap a few things out, I really realized how great the new screen is.  I'll say it several times; Going from the 8100 to the  9700 is like upgrading from a Model T to a Nissan 350Z with no inbetween.

Trackpad - The trackpad was first introduced a few months ago on the feature starved 8520 and was welcomed with open arms.  It's now the standard for all futue BlackBerrys and is a marvelous thing to behold.  Super responsive and easy to learn, the trackpad is a welcome upgrade from the fickle trackball and makes the trackwheel of old seem ancient and archaic.

Keypad - I'm still getting used to entering text on a SureType keypad, so it will take me a day or two more to get used to fully Qwerty again.  Be that as it may, the keypad on the 9700 is comfortable and feels natural.  The keys angle slightly up and in so as to help you differentiate which key is which.  In actuality, it's very much like the Bold 9000 keypad, albeit much smaller. 

Camera - My Pearl has a 1.3 Megapixel camera and 5X zoom.  The 9700 has a 3.2 Megapixel camera and only 2X zoom.  It's a very welcome trade off.  The pictures look absoultely fabulous on the gorgeous screen, and the videos are crisp, clear, and vibrant.  The right convenience key is set up to start the camera by default, and pushing it brings up the camera very quickly.

Final Word: - Physically, the Bold 9700 is practically perfect in every way.  There are some reports on the Web that the trackpad can be slightly wobbly or uneven.  If you happen to get one like that I encourage you to quickly exchange it for a new one, as that kind of defect is covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

One reader asked me if it was worth it to get this phone or if he should wait for the next one to come out.  To him, and to all else who are thinking the same, I say, go get this phone.  RIM has created their best device to date in the 9700, and while they have no where to go but up, the new Bold is the BlackBerry to have right now.