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Photos: RIM BlackBerry Bold

CNET Reviews staff
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1 of 9 Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks
Below the display, you get the standard navigation controls, which include Talk and End/power keys, a menu shortcut, a back button, and a trackball navigator. The one benefit of the phone's wider size is that these buttons are plenty large and easy to press.
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2 of 9 Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks
We wouldn't call the BlackBerry Bold sleek or sexy. It's definitely a larger and wider than some of the BlackBerry models, including the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8310 pictured on the left.
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3 of 9 Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks
The BlackBerry Bold has a QWERTY keyboard that is similar to the BlackBerry 8800 series. The keyboard buttons are of a good size and have a nice tactile feel to them, and we had no problems composing messages with it.
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4 of 9 Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks
The Bold has 1GB of onboard memory and 128MB of flash memory onboard, while the expansion slot can accept up to 16GB cards. The expansion slot is located on the left side of the phone.
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5 of 9 Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks
The BlackBerry is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera with flash, 5x zoom, and video recording. Picture quality was decent. Images looked sharp and clear, but colors were a bit pale and washed out. Unfortunately, video quality wasn't the greatest.
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6 of 9 Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks
It's been six long months since the RIM BlackBerry Bold (aka RIM BlackBerry 9000) was first announced, but after reviewing the smartphone, we have to say it was worth the wait.
7 of 9 Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks
One of the main highlights of the BlackBerry Bold (and the reason behind the name) is the half-VGA display. With a 65,000 color output and a 480x320-pixel resolution, images, video, and text look amazingly crisp and vibrant. It's one of the sharpest screens we've seen on a smartphone yet.
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8 of 9 Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks
The back of the Bold has a leatherette texture (no more slick plastic), providing a sophisticated look and making the phone easy to grip. If you want to customize your device a bit, RIM will sell replaceable backplates in different colors, including blue, gray, and red, for $29.99 each, which is a little pricey in our opinion.
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9 of 9 Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks
At 4.5 inches high by 2.6 inches wide by 0.6 inch deep and 4.8 ounces, the Bold is bulky and wide. It'll make for a tight fit in a pants pocket, but you should have no problem slipping it into a purse or bag.

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