BB Bold 9700 - worth it? And a few noob questions.

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letmein

letmein

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So guys, I need a new phone. Currently I am on a Nokia N70 that has served me faithfully for 4 years. But now it’s time to change.

My budget is around Rs. 30,000. I need the following things in the phone:
-Full QWERTY Keypad
-Great Web Browsing experience
-Ability to view/edit World and Excel Documents and view PDF files.

I don’t care much about a touch screen.

That said, I’ve shortlisted the following phones:
1) Blackberry Bold 9700 (~29-30k)
2) Nokia N900 (~32k on eBay)
3) Motorola Droid (~27k in Mumbai, but I’m in Delhi, hopefully price is similar)
4) Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 (~32k on eBay)

Out of the four, I’m leaning towards the Bold 9700. Specwise, it doesn’t match the others. Yet there is something about if that is drawing me towards it. It is compact compared to the others, and gives off the ‘professional look.’

So here are a few questions:
1) To the BB users – is it worth it? How are you finding the experience? And most importantly, how’s web browsing?

2) The thing I’m most confused about – the BIS.

Now as I understand, you need to get the BIS activated for e-mails and internet browsing. Most service providers offer a light plan and heavy/unlimited data plan (for about Rs. 1,000).

I already have a prepaid Airtel GSM connection and would like to keep it. Would it be possible to simply insert the SIM card in the 9700 and get the BIS activated from the CC? And does that mean that I would have to pay Rs. 899 monthly for the unlimited plan? (Over and above my normal phone recharges)
So is Airtel a good BB provider? Also, (a really stupid question here) – Airtel does not offer 3G services right now, right? So would it be possible to get an MTNL 3G connection alongside the Airtel connection? And is 3G worth it? The cost on MTNL’s site for unlimited is 3,100 and Rs. 1,500 for 1GB.:O 3-4k extra per month is pretty heavy cost for me. :(

Thanks for reading.
 
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desiibond said:
And judging HD2 by just looking at the name of OS it is running is not a fair thought.
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It is, windows mobile IS archaic compared even to BBOS, WM7 looks promising, but unless its a confirmed update on the HD2, no point buying it.Also the glaring 65k olor limitation.
 
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desiibond said:
HTC HD2 is supported in India and currently is the most powerful mobile available in India. if you are okay with Nexus One, this would be a very good phone to consider. But for your requirement, you can go for a 20k-24k phones with full qwerty keypad. No need to spend any higher :)
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NeXT said:
Useless going with a WinMo device especially when it will be outdated in the coming months thanks to WP7 and why invest in HD2 when chances of it being supported by WP7 is still hanging in Balance.
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I'll have to really stretch my budget for HD2. WM7...well the advantages of 6.5 is that it already has a large and solid app library for it. And who knows, maybe 6.5 will have a better UI than 7.

@harish_21_10

Thanks bro, that's very helpful of you. :D Could you please share your personal experiences of web browsing on the 9000?
 
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Also, for browsing please use Bolt Browser, its MUCH better than both Opera and the default browser. Ive seen that many sites load properly on the bolt browser which do not load as well as it should on the other two browsers.
 
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letmein said:
Thanks bro, that's very helpful of you. :D Could you please share your personal experiences of web browsing on the 9000?
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I dint do much browsing when compared to what u might be expecting...but how much ever it was, I was satisfied...used it mainly for Google maps and it was awesome, was very help during my visits to Goa, Delhi, Mumbai,etc..
One important point, if u not gonna use the push email feature much then u might complain about the features of it later..
 
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Dont even consider any other phone besides the Bold 2. I've been on Blackberry since 2007, and can definitely say that the email functionality of Blackberry is by far better than anything I have seen. Web browsing is not the best, but definitely usable. and with the increasing number of free apps on the BB app store, the number and quality of available software is increasing as well. Also, if u open pdf and MS office on the phone, i would definitely recommend any QWERTY blackberry.

I had bought the Curve in 2007, and was definitely happy with it. Then for a short while last year i switched over to the E71 for its looks, and HATED it. The email functionality was nowhere close to the Blackberry and MS Office and PDF viewing were a pain in the butt. After 3 months of using the E71, i switched over to the Bold 9000 and couldn't be happier. I would rate iPhone web browsing better than the Bold but not better in the viewing of documents and email capabilities. I cannot comment on Treo and Android phones.

Also, most importantly, the Blackberry Messenger. Nothing better than having all your fellow BB users on an exclusive BB messenger which lets u chat on the go with instant delivery instead of SMS/email. With an increasing number of people getting BBs, BBM is the thing to watch out for.

All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend Blackberry. If email/viewing/editing documents and limited web browsing is your thing, it is THE phone to get. Android has all the google apps and capabilities which are available on the blackberry as well (including GOOGLE maps), but your blackberry functions will not be available on any Android phone. Think about it.
 
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@hyperknight, BB email service can be used on other platforms too and a non-BB phone with BB service easily outguns BB phones. For doc editing, pdf reading and emails/browsing, phones like HTC Hero, Samsung B7610, HD2, Nexus One etc are among the best.
 
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guys i have a bb 9700 and im really happy with this phone except i cant get the damn wifi to work, i have an airtel broadband connection at home and the airtel wifi router, the phone was purchased from a local shop with bill and warranty and its a vodafone blackberry handset with vodafone live pre loaded, can any of you tell me how i can get the wifi to work in this phone.

thanks.
 
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I always wanted to buy 9700 but its good i have not as it sad device with worse keypad, and even at that price no good browser. So i dont say its worth the price better take lower. models still old bold 9000 rocks
 
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buy the hd2 . u can flash the software and the cell radio and it becomes even better .

office files look better on the hd2 . forget winmo 7 as it will have its bugs when it releases.
ive used the hd2 for 3 months . its the best phone . buy a grey market hd2 as u can flash the software to make it better .

flashing voids ur warranty anyway . hd2 now selling on ebay for 26000.

or u can also consider the hd mini for 22000 .

blackberry is a very very closed operating system . buy a e71 instead of a blackberry as at least u can check ur mail using wifi. with berry u have to buy the expensive blackberry service which is 1000+INR per month on vodafone india !!!

e72 has a lot of bugs . e71 has recd a lot of software updates and is a very stable phone now . speed diff is hardly noticable .

e71 or hd2 . chose one of the two . but stay away from blackberry . its a very expensive service and a very closed operating system . after sales of a blackberry is a nightmare as the phones need to be sent to their chennai service centre that means if something happens to ur phone ull have be without a phone for at least 15-20 days .

hd 2 has no problems and evan if u encounter any bugs un the hd2 u can just flash the software .

nokia after sales is the best .. e71 is value for money .

i am not a big fan of nokia touch phones but their eseries is the best amongst all their phones . e71/e72 are excellent award winning phones . :)
save some money and pick the e71 over the e72
 
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letmein said:
So confused...:S IPhone is def out. Thing with Nexus One (And droid and N900) is warranty hassles. My heart really wants a BB, but my brain can't justify the BB tax. :'(
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Even im going through the very same dilemma .. and probably ill be sticking to buy a BB 9700 .. because .. one of my friends has it .. and i found it very easy and fun to deal with .. with a very good look .. a leather back and a metal finishing by the side impressed me a lot .. and its UI is very good .. and to your good news .. if you're a prepaid airtel user.. theres a prepaid BB plan too .. for some 300-400 bucks only per month .. which is probably the half of the unlimited plan .. i wont be activating my BB plan now .. will do it when ill be having a large no. of BB friends so that BBM comes into use ..!!! :clap: but yes .. BOLD 9700 is a very good phone .. another advice .. try ebay .. there are many who are selling it for much more lower price than those on-street local shops .. heres a link ..!! :

eBay India: BRAND NEW BLACKBERRY BOLD 9700 UNLOCKED (item 170478047791 end time 06-May-2010 16:50:42 IST)

cheers ..!!:hap2:
 
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egobrain.exe said:
Even im going through the very same dilemma .. and probably ill be sticking to buy a BB 9700 .. because .. one of my friends has it .. and i found it very easy and fun to deal with .. with a very good look .. a leather back and a metal finishing by the side impressed me a lot .. and its UI is very good .. and to your good news .. if you're a prepaid airtel user.. theres a prepaid BB plan too .. for some 300-400 bucks only per month .. which is probably the half of the unlimited plan .. i wont be activating my BB plan now .. will do it when ill be having a large no. of BB friends so that BBM comes into use ..!!! :clap: but yes .. BOLD 9700 is a very good phone .. another advice .. try ebay .. there are many who are selling it for much more lower price than those on-street local shops .. heres a link ..!! :

eBay India: BRAND NEW BLACKBERRY BOLD 9700 UNLOCKED (item 170478047791 end time 06-May-2010 16:50:42 IST)

cheers ..!!:hap2:
Click to expand...
Already bought it about a month ago. :bleh:
 
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