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Pros: Offers world calling, nice keyboard, optical pad

Cons: Features lag behind Droid and iPhone, small screen, camera

Summary: If you don’t need the international calling plan, we suggest going elsewhere. Android offers better options for the same price.

The RIM Blackberry Bold 9650 for Verizon brings Wi-Fi to Verizon Blackberry as well double the onboard memory and optical touchpad. The Blackberry 9650 is available from Verizon for $149.99 with a two year contract.

Design and Hardware:

The Blackberry Bold 9650 is an upgrade of the Blackberry Tour. It has a very similar design to the Tour, but weighs more, adds and optical pad, and retains the same size. Other than that the phones remains largely the same with Blackberry OS 5.0, keyboard, and a camera. The phone can operate on both CDMA and GSM, allowing users to bring their phone with them on international business trips.

The phone is almost entirely black with a silver trimming and red accents. It has a smooth finish which is comfortable to hold, but we prefer the leather backing to the original Bold. The back of the camera has a 3.2 MP camera with LED flash.

Software and Features:

Although the 9650 was announced alongside Blackberry OS 6.0 it was released with OS 5.0 and will be upgraded to 6.0 later in the year.

The most attractive feature of the RIM Blackberry Bold 9650 is its dual-mode functionality as a world phone, meaning it can work on both CDMA and GSM networks (outside of the US). The phone supports the 2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA band, so you can get 3G overseas. In addition, the Bold is also the first phone to offer GlobalAccess Connect service which allows you to use the Bold as a wireless modem even while overseas. However, this costs $65 per month with a 5GB cap in the US and Canada and a 100MB cap in other countries.

The SIM card packaged with the phone cannot be unlocked for 60 days after purchase. Although the Bold ships with a SIM card you can only use it in global markets. Users will not be able to unlock and use it on networks such as AT&T and T-Mobile. The phone gives users a faster option to browse the web with the addition of Wi-Fi. However the web browser is simply not on the same level as an Android or iPhone browser. You also get Bluetooth and GPS, and the Bold and can be used a mobile hotspot. The addition of memory (512mb) makes the phone much snappier and allows more room for programs. Some apps that are included on the phone include DataViz, Bing Mobile, Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter.

Performance:

The Bold 9650 can be purchased with a camera or without one. The 3.2-MP camera doesn’t take the greatest pictures especially when compared with other phones. The video camera is also mediocre. The camera gives the best quality when used in natural lighting conditions—all other pictures are pretty disappointing.

Like most Verizon phones, the Bold 9650 provides great call quality. Signal is generally strong with voices appearing crisp and clear. 3G coverage is solid and works just as fast as other 3G phones, but the Blackberry browser is nothing to be envious of especially with its relatively small screen real estate. Overall the Bold 9650 is a snappy phone and won’t generally lag when performing any tasks and the battery should last you a full day of normal usage. A nightly charge would be a wise idea.

As much as we like Blackberry’s, we are disappointed to say that RIM is clearly lagging behind in the smartphone war. Nothing about them—design, interface, usability, or even quality—stand out among the rest. It is time for RIM to go back to the drawing board and come up with something a little more innovative the next time around.

Design and Hardware Rating: 8.0/10

Software and Features Rating: 7.0/10

Performance Rating: 8.5/10

Overall Rating: 7.8/10 – Good

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