Blackberry bold-ly goes farther than skeptic expected.

• Author: Jenkins, Chris
• Position: Technology

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When it comes to changing my opinion, those who know me can attest that it's no small feat. This is why it might come as a surprise to some when I say that this little device packs quite a punch. After years of badmouthing the BlackBerry and singing the praises of Windows Mobile, the BlackBerry Bold has me seriously reconsidering my opinion.

SIZE COUNTS

The Bold seemed deceptively large when I initially compared it to my Motorola Q9c. After doing some size comparisons, I realized that the Bold was actually marginally smaller. While the overall size is close, the BlackBerry sports both a larger screen and keyboard. The screen on the Bold is bright, vibrant and easy to read. The keyboard is well defined and comfortable to use. Combine these factors with excellent battery life, and the Bold is a better device hands down.

BELLS AND WHISTLES IN TUNE

The software on the Bold is what you would expect from RIM (Research In Motion--maker of Blackberry) or any other high-end mobile device maker. All the basics are included: GPS, Web browser, text and picture messages, and photo software. A long-awaited and under-promoted feature is the Bold's ability to render HTML e-mails properly. This is great news for anyone who has ever tried reading an electronic newsletter on his or her device, only to scroll through long lines of meaningless code.

The ability to play both audio and video through the well-designed media player is another excellent feature. However, I found myself less impressed with the inability to flag e-mails as tasks, or open Microsoft Office 2007 files. However, because it is a BlackBerry, there are add-on software packages for almost any need. It just takes time to find them.

WORKING WITH THE BRAINS OF THE OPERATION

At The Ohio...