BlackBerry Bold 9780 reviewed with OS 6

Willyboy6 on the Driphter forums has posted a video pre-review of the upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9780 running on OS 6.0. The presence of the platform on a QWERTY BlackBerry is a first, and while the software appears to run smoothly, willyboy6 is quick to point out this is a pre-release version and may differ from the final, production version. The hardware is identical to the 9700, including 480x360 screen resolution, but its camera does not have a megapixel stamp next to it, so it may use the same 3.2-megapixel unit as the 9700 or the 5-megapixel shooter of the future 9670.

The 9780 will run on GSM networks, so it's ready to launch at both AT&T and possibly T-Mobile in the US. It otherwise gets a black bezel around the outside, and its battery is shared with the Bold 9700 and 9000.

The OS runs smoother than its predecessors, with smooth transitions. Notifications are accessible with one button. The setup wizard has been reworked and is much simpler. Facebook's app is preloaded, as are RSS and podcast feeds. The camera has a more advanced on-screen interface with zoom control. The WebKit-based browser lets users scroll to the top of a page by pressing the "t" key on the keyboard, or to the bottom by hitting "b." The App Switcher adds a new interface that stacks apps and a see-through window that shows the apps running in the background.

The device is expected to launch sometime in August, though this isn't official.

By Electronista Staff