BlackBerry Bold 9780 Unlocked Cell Phone

As if to underscore the importance of the standard QWERTY-style keyboard, RIM has produced a line of Blackberry smartphones that not only feature a touch-screen that is quite capable in its own right, but also a real keyboard, instead of trying to share a touchscreen with a keyboard.

The Blackberry Bold 9780, a mid-range smartphone that offers users a line of Research In Motion (RIM) - produced or backed applications that are tested quite thoroughly, is also a particularly useful piece of smartphone equipment because of the QWERTY-style keyboard.

No, it isn't the type of keyboard that you can use to touch-type a long email, story or memo, but it is the style of keyboard that, like the clamshell Sanyo and Samsung's with which we are very familiar, make it far easier to thumb messages. With touch-screen-based keyboards, you either end up squishing the daylights out of your screen as it begins to lose its sensitivity or you use a stylus which can also slow things down.

A real-keyboard, on the other hand, is there. It is meant to take the abuse handed out to a keyboard and it is surprisingly quick.

That the 9780 has this type of keyboard illustrates that at least one major manufacturer believes in the future of the keyboard and its utility. Further, since it is actually a smartphone, the Blackberry Bold 9780, has quite a bunch of applications that have been approved for use with the newer RIM Operating Systems such as 6.0. RIM standard for Research in Motion and they manufacturer the Bold.

The Bold has a number of features, including talk time that approaches six hours or better, if you aren't tied into a charger with the right interface/charger cable. If you are, then the state of your battery is the limit.

The 9790 is meant to work with both quad-band services in the 800 to 2100 MHz bands. Those services include the GSM, EDGE, GPRS, HSPDA and the like. No, it won't work with CDMA devices, but then again, like its more expensive cousins, it also offers not only standard wireless service, but also WiFi service.

Acting in standard phone or text mode, the 9780 is quite a smart device and when you add the 5 MP rearward facing camera and its automatic capability, you find you have a very good device on your hands. However, when you add in WiFi capability you have just doubled the utility of the device as it not only can deliver your messages and calls via standard cell means, but you can also use WiFi to get your messages through. Indeed, if your home network understands Bluetooth, you will be able to not only use the Bluetooth capability of the high-contrast, color, you will be able to interface Bluetooth service capability across your home network. It is a nice feature that not only gives you reasonable range with the Bluetooth, but you can also use it to help stream sound and other featured apps.

At 4.3 by 0.6 by 2.3 inches and 4.3 ounces, it is a lightweight smartphone with a lot going for it. It is true the keyboard may seem superfluous at first, but give it a chance and you'll see that it really does grow on you.