Review BlackBerry Bold 9700: Responsive trackpad

Key features:

* 2.44" 65K-color TFT landscape display with a resolution of 480 x 360 pixels
* Comfortable four-row full QWERTY keyboard
* Quad-band GSM support and tri-band 3G with HSDPA
* Wi-Fi and built-in GPS and BlackBerry maps preloaded
* 3.15 autofocus megapixel camera, LED flash
* 624 MHz CPU, 256 MB RAM
* BlackBerry OS v5
* Responsive trackpad navigation
* Hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
* DivX and XviD video support
* Good web browser
* Office document editor
* 3.5 mm audio jack
* Decent audio quality
* Smart dialing
* Great battery life
* More compact body and lighter weight compared to the Bold 9000
* Good build quality

Main disadvantages:

* Many features are locked without a BlackBerry Internet Service account (plan)
* Mediocre camera performance and features
* No FM radio
* No video-call camera
* No TV-out functionality
* No built-in accelerometer
* No built-in compass

BlackBerry Bold 9000 we said it had everything a BlackBerry fan could want, except for maybe the more compact body of the Curve. And it's pretty obvious that someone over at RIM has been paying attention. They've done exactly that. And no, we're not taking credit, just giving it.

It's been more than a year between the official launch of the two devices and the Bold 9700 understandably faces much tougher competition. Yet the more compact and more powerful handset seems fit and ready to take on its rivals just as successfully.

The tight connection between handset and service is a double-edged sword however. You either have to take the whole package or nothing at all. A Bold 9700 without a Blackberry service plan is about as good as a 100-buck LG GW300 so it's barely worth spending so much on it.

Now, regarding price we have to point out that a BlackBerry Bold 9700 is about 200 dollars more expensive than a Nokia E72 unlocked so some users might find themselves priced out of alternatives. Plus the Nokia ships with a lifetime Nokia Messaging plan - so push email is something you don't need to spend a dime on once you get the handset itself.

Yet all those are mere alternatives and cannot fully replace the Bold 9700. This is not about the phone, it's all about the service you get WITH the phone. If you are a keen BlackBerry fan and user then head straight to the shop - the Bold 9700 is RIM at their best. If you are not, it would be good to know that the Bold 9700 (without BlackBerry service) ranks kinda low in terms of pure bang-for-your-buck.