BlackBerry Bold 9790 Review and Best Bold 9790 Deals

The BlackBerry Bold range has been the gold standard for business smartphones for many years and the new 9790 hopes to sustain that reputation. It does this by keeping all of the features that fans of previous Bold handsets will appreciate while adding in up to date technology where it is required in order to remain relevant in the modern market.

On the outside the BlackBerry Bold 9790 looks like a blend of both the larger 9700 and the mid-range Curve 9360. This basically means that it is slimmer and neater than the bulkier Bold handsets of the past without trimming away many of the functions associated with this range.

You still get the full QWERTY keypad for fast, accurate typing, along with an optical trackpad for scrolling and menu interactions. It looks a little sleeker than the similar Bold 9900, but manages to find a niche for itself despite the wealth of similarities between the handsets.

The battery cover is finished with a rubberized surface which makes the Bold 9790 very easy to grip comfortably and securely for long periods. A USB port on the bottom lets you charge the device and there is a full 3.5mm headphone socket found on the left of the phone in what could be described as an awkward position unless you have a headset with a right-angled input.

In terms of hardware you get a 2.45 inch touchscreen display on the front and a five megapixel camera on the rear, complete with its own LED flash. A single core 1GHz processor hums away inside and this is the main indicator that it is able to differentiate itself from the Bold 9900 which has a faster 1.2GHz CPU.

Connectivity is suitably handled thanks to the presence of Wi-Fi and HSPA 3G for web access whilst you are on the move. You also get GPS, Bluetooth and NFC (near field communication) onboard, the latter of which will become increasingly important as contactless payment kiosks are rolled out across the country.

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 runs the BB7 operating system, which is designed to take advantage of the hybrid interface options of the touchscreen and keypad combined. The homescreen can be filled with icons that will take you to your favourite applications and the overall design is colourful and highly legible, despite the relatively small 2.45 inch diagonal display area which is particularly compact by modern standards.

The integration of social networking notifications alongside messaging alerts is a nice touch available through BB7. You can see new emails and texts as they come in as well as getting a notification when you get a Facebook update or a mention on Twitter, so the experience of using the Bold 9790 is far more cohesive than on older models in the range.

It is worth noting that although the 1GHz chip powering the Bold 9790 is a little less powerful on paper than that of the 9900, you will be hard pressed to tell the difference. The interface always feels slick and responsive whether you are navigating with the trackpad or the touchscreen and apps load smoothly each time.

Most people who choose a BlackBerry handset do so for the messaging prowess and all of the features you will have come to know and love are present on the Bold 9790. BBM for instant messaging is simple to use and great for discrete conversations. Meanwhile managing multiple email accounts for both business and personal purposes is intuitive and does not suffer from an over complicated setup process, which means you can be up and running in a few minutes.

The Bold 9790`s five megapixel camera is solid and comes with plenty of adaptable options and shooting modes so that you can capture life in any situation. The flash works well to help light up darker spaces, although you can turn it off if you wish.

Video capture is also possible using the Bold 9790`s camera, although the recording resolution is capped at 640x480. In an age where 1GHz processors provide enough power for you to record in 720p HD on most other mobile phones it is slightly sad to see this BlackBerry handset missing out on the fun. However, average users will be more than happy with the results of shooting video so it is hardly a deal-breaking feature.

If the preinstalled apps are not enough to keep you entertained and productive while you are out and about then you can head to the BlackBerry App World download service to get a few more for the Bold 9790. There are thousands of options and many ways to fill your time while you are on the daily commute.

With the right smartphone deals a BlackBerry Bold 9790 could be a great partner for anyone who wants an affordable yet powerful smartphone. It proves that BlackBerry handsets do not need to be all about the business side of things.