BlackBerry Crumble – Are We Seeing the End of an Icon?

Follow @ryderskull88

It’s been yet another busy week in the world of BlackBerry and one that by all accounts would be preferable if wiped from memory altogether. It’s becoming all-too apparently that we’ve all been given a front-row seat to watch the slow and agonising death of what was once one of the world’s favourite and more important brands – BlackBerry’s clock is ticking and it’s only a matter of time before it’s all over.

BlackBerry Z30 Launch 21 (Photo credit: vernieman)

Ultimate Business Phone - BlackBerry Bold 9900

This article is a guest post from  mobiledeals of  http://www.best-mobile-contracts.co.uk/

There is one thing you notice when you first pick up a BlackBerry Bold 9900 contract and that is the notable difference in shape of the new device compared to earlier versions. It is far slicker than some of the recent BlackBerry attempts and has little excess on its newly streamlined body. This is very impressive, though not as much as the feel of the QWERTY keyboard, which really leaves a very positive feel in the hand.

The screen on the Bold also feels fantastic and after using the original BlackBerry Bold you will be relieved that BlackBerry had done a better job with this. This display is a 2.8inch one that offers nice contrasts and good colours. Though it is only a 640x480 display it looks well because of the displays diminutive size.

The phone itself responded well to use and you can see the difference made by the 1.2GHz processor almost immediately. The device is quick and has no lag issues like some of the previous devices we have used from BlackBerry.

This is in no way hindered by the new operating system, OS7, which goes a long way in speeding up the phone. This system is a lot more intuitive than the previous ones and goes a step in the right direction at pushing RIM up with iOS and Android – though there is some work to do just yet.

The preloaded applications, such as Docs2Go and Drop-box, are extremely handy and give you a sense at where BlackBerry is aiming this phone. The phone also had a good camera and we found the auto focus to be very good. It was also well capable of recording 720p videos, which was a relief and we enjoyed the fact it was an improvement on the last Bold's camera.

The Bold 9900’s browsing experience is very good as well, although a lack of support for Flash means that some sites don't work which feels a little limiting. Saying that, the mixture of a QWERTY keyboard and a touch screen had its advantages when browsing and the pace at which the device delivers the pages onto your screen is quite exceptional.

The device also has NFC which is great, it’s just a shame its early days yet and not so many places use right now. With more and more manufacturers throwing this into their phones though, it won't be long before mobile payments become as commonplace as chip and pin or even cash.

Overall we enjoyed the Bold 9900, it’s a big improvement for BlackBerry and one RIM and fans will be happy with.

This article is a guest post from  mobiledeals of  http://www.best-mobile-contracts.co.uk/

 

The Top Five Mobile Phones for Entertainment

This article is a guest post from  mobiledeals of  http://www.best-mobile-contracts.co.uk/.

Phones have come a long way since the ubiquitous Nokia 3310 (which in all fairness is still a jolly good phone and my mother rues the day I changed hers to a Nokia N79 and keeps on trying to steal my father’s 6210 despite previously dismissing it as too new-fangled) and now must be a symbiosis of worldwide communication, font of all knowledge and information, high power multimedia system and a stylish fashion accessory.

Our phone priorities are all different, my father is consistently smug about his superior signal despite not being able to watch dancing dogs and talking cats on YouTube, but if you want your mobilephone deals for entertainment purposes, the below list provides details of the best phones on the market.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

For those whose idea of entertainment is gaming, then look no further than the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.  Launched in spring 2011 and running on the Android Platform, this highly functional smartphone, the Xperia Play is the first mobile smartphone developed under the PlayStation brand making a true hybrid between smartphone and handheld gaming device.

The superior processing power of the Gingerbread Android Platform enables the phone to play games of PSP quality and Sony Ericsson have developed the PS Suite to deliver high quality gaming from the likes of notable developers Namco and Electronic Arts. The phone comes complete with a joy pad which looks almost identical to that of the PSP, which whilst making the phone a little bulkier does make it look and feel like the real thing.


Apple iPhone 4S

The media giant which is Apple was always going to create massive media hype about this phone, but with an eye on the entertainment market it could well be that the hype is justified. What makes the Apple iPhone 4S deals stand out from its predecessor and of other smartphones and the market is not that missing Flash but the improved camera that now includes 1080p video capture and playback. The screen resolution of the iPhone 4 makes this a superior smartphone for your entertainment purposes, even if the screen is a little bit smaller than some of its rivals.

Whilst Android may be catching up; there are still more entertainment apps available running on the iOS. With Game Center you can partake in social games with your friends or strangers, and the new Siri voice control system could potentially open up a whole new world of smartphone gaming.



BlackBerry Torch 9860

BlackBerry has long been the preserve of the business man and up until recently has maintained its unique PDA-meets-phone stance in the market. However in August 2011, with the launch of BlackBerry OS7, RIM has finally produced a handset that successfully does away with the QWERTY. The BlackBerry Torch 9860 is the best touchscreen handset ever produced by RIM and makes the company ready to take on its entertainment smartphone rivals.

Despite not coming in a traditional BlackBerry form the Torch 9860 still has all of the best features that you would expect from a BlackBerry phone such as BlackBerry Messenger and BlackBerry App World.


HTC Sensation 4G

HTC has long been a silent winner in the current battle of the smartphones and the HTC Desire was a valiant rival to the much hyped iPhone 4. Now we have the HTC Sensation 4G and the battle has started to get hotter. The first thing you notice about the HTC Sensation 4G is the speed at which it works; applications loaded in milliseconds, geo location located in seconds and one of the fastest cameras found on a smartphone. All this displayed on a pretty impressive 4.3 inch qHD display which doesn’t compromise its compact frame.

The larger screen and superior processing power make the Sensation one of the best Android phones for entertainment, and particularly great for watching videos with access to the HTC Watch streaming video service.


Nokia N9

The trusty Nokia, stuck up a mountain will have reception where other smartphones fail, but how do Nokia shape up in the entertainment smartphone arena? Well, pretty well as it happens with the Nokia N9. The phone runs on the new venture MeeGo operating system which promises superior processing power but may not have good future support with Nokia's decision to move to Windows Phone 7.

What does set the Nokia N9 against its rivals in the entertainment is the very impressive camera, featuring a dual-LED, eight mega pixels, and the trustworthy Carl Zeiss lens. Whether this makes Nokia market leaders once again remains to be seen.

This article is a guest post from  mobiledeals of  http://www.best-mobile-contracts.co.uk/.