First off, I have owned RIM products since it was a massive blue brick with a clicky wheel that broke ALL-THE-FUCKIN-TIME.... I have owned Curves and Tours and Storms(fml), Torches and Bolds... They were all (minus the Storms and the blue bricks) half decent devices. My current full time device is a Bold 9780, and the HTC Sensation 4G (another bad-ass motherfucker that I'll write up next).
I recently got my hands on a 9900 for an hour or so. I had to do a few things before I was allowed some supervised alone time with the device though... I had to give up my 9780, my Playbook, my camera, and agree to a TSA style pat down. RIM doesn't fuck around anymore when it comes to not wanting anything else leaked for a pre-release device (I think they have their hands full with the people that have the thing and are showing it off like a new set of tits). Once the reluctant RIM employee handed me the device, I was faced with a crossroads..... A decision... Do I throw my coffee at the guy and run? Or do I behave and simply do a run thru... Option A had it's advantages and disadvantages (Fired, Jail etc)... While option B seemed pretty pussy-ish but more likely to result in a certain level of trust with RIM and any other pre-release hardware they might wave infront of me. B it was. I put my man card down and was ready to rock.
First of all... this thing has a feel to it that I have been dying for. It doesn't have the light, plastic-rubber faux leather Chrysler Cordoba feel... It's more like a solid, smooth, refined Porche feel. The aluminum bezel combined with the smooth carbon fiber back back and glass screen make it feel like a 'flagship' phone should. My 9780 is great, don't get me wrong.. but it's far from a flagship device. If anything, out of the current RIM lineup, I'd say the Torch (gasp!) has more of a flagship look and feel. The Bold needed this update.
Getting into the OS was like visiting familiar territory. Having come from using os 4.X back in the day up to os 6.X now... They made it an easy transition. Similar Icons, Menus, and feel to the system. The difference is the thing was fast as all hell. I'd swipe, it'd respond. I'd open something, it's actually open. I never saw that fucking clock that burned into my Torch screen ONCE. There was a slight lag when I was swiping thru the pictures, but I was swiping as fast as I could. I wasn't here to pussyfoot around this thing, I wanted to see what it did. I opened the browser, messaging, pictures, camera, setup, and anything else I could in an attempt to bog down the OS. It took it like a champ for the most part, with only a few slightly sluggish responses when I was hopping back and forth from app to app (I use the term sluggish loosely... It was still pretty fast, but when the thing opens up apps before my finger is off the screen in a normal situation, and now it took... oh a second or so.. it counts as 'sluggish'). Anyhoo... a solid OS from what I experienced.
Browsing was a treat. Fuck OS 6. Fuck it and the horse it rode in on.... Especially it's browser. This one actually worked. Pinch zoom worked like it should, fast and accurate. Flick scroll actually scrolled when flicked and didn't sit there like a red-headed step child waiting for the bus (I'm looking at YOU Torch). Tabbed browsing didn't bog down the OS or the browser, and the combo touch screen/trackpad combo made clicking links a breeze. It worked, and it's still in god damn beta.
Picture quality seemed pretty standard, solid performance and shutter speeds, low light shots or back lit shots still sucked ass like they do with any phone (or camera if you really suck at taking pics), and the video camera did what it should. I should note - auto focus while taking a video seems less retarded than it does on my 9780. My 9780 video autofocus loves to focus on carpets and grass while I'm trying to film something other than... well carpet or grass. The 9900 seemed to realize that taking vids of carpets was indeed not the intention, and focused well on whatever you were putting in the center of the shot. I can't comment on the HD video on a TV as the RIM guy wouldn't let me try it. Same goes with pics on a computer... I can't comment on their blowupability (new word!), but from zooming in on the phone, they seemed pretty decent.
The only thing I could connect it to via Bluetooth was my 700 series Blackberry headset. It paired like any other phone does - Quickly and without any fuss. Bridge was installed, but the RIM gatekeeper held onto my Playbook with iron fists, and as such I couldn't bridge it.
In my haste to go through as much as I could, I failed you readers... I didn't even look at the OS release numbers. I am sworn by an NDA to not disclose the Carrier, but fuck it... it was on Telus HSPA+(Canada). I did a lot more, but those are the highlights, and I'm just too damn lazy to write anymore. Sound off if you want to know anymore. I MIGHT be able to get my hands on it again, and if I bribe and beg.. MIGHT be able to actually take some pics, but I'd have to do some pretty low things to get a video, so I doubt that\s happening.
ASG
Showing posts with label Bold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bold. Show all posts
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Thursday, 16 June 2011
The Result of the Playbook Heat Stress Test
I guess I should have started the last post with a disclaimer... I forgot... So here it is...
***DISCLAIMER***
DO NOT TRY THIS, DON'T DO IT, DON'T THINK ABOUT DOING IT, DON'T TRY A MODIFIED VERSION OF THIS TEST, DON'T THINK FOR ONE SECOND THAT THIS IS EVER A GOOD IDEA TO EVEN FATHOM.
***END DISCLAIMER***
Ok. Now that that's over with, on with the show.
I wandered out to my truck to collect my Playbook and 9780 not really knowing what to expect. I REALLY wanted to just swipe down on the Playbook screen and have it come to life, and press the sleep key on the 9780 and have it greet me with the familiar home screen. NOPE! "Fuck" I muttered. I pressed the power key on the playbook... Nothing. "FUCK FUCK" I more vocally muttered. In a frantic, desperate attempt to breathe some life back into the Playbook, I plugged it into my Micro USB car charger... Nothing. At this point I didn't give a shit about the cooked 9780... I have two... And a Torch... One less means nothing....
For a minute I was ready to call it DOA... But wait.. In my initial attempts, I didn't notice that the thing was warm... Really warm still. I brought it inside and started a SLOW cooling process. I waited about 30 min before I tried to power on again, and this time I also did the "hold power button for 10 seconds, release, press again" routine, and the hard reset routine... Nothing.... "GOD DAMNIT". I went upstairs and decided to plug in the standard charger that it came with.... Nothing.
Before I continue.. I know lots of people probably think "Must-be-fuckin-nice to just cook $1100 in electronics and not give a shit". Well yeah, it is nice actually. However I don't have unlimited funds, and am by NO means rich. I just happen to have access to pretty much any device at almost any time, and can do pretty much whatever I want with them. Case in point - I'm on my 3rd Torch and 2nd Bold in less than 6 months.
Anyhoo, back to the results.
It seems all attempts at reviving the playbook had failed. The 9780 came back to life after it cooled down, but its battery was sitting on the red, and that's unheard of for the mighty 9780 after just one day. After charging it for about a half hour, I popped in my SIM and ran it through its paces. I made calls, browsed the net, connected WIFI and Bluetooth, and it all worked. Nothing can kill the Bold. Not even an Idiot that intentionally tries to.
"What was that?" I said to myself.....
There it was, out of the corner of my eye.... It was like looking into the eyes of a god damned angel.. The familiar off-Green pulse of POWER ENTERING THE PLAYBOOK!!!!!!
I flew across the room and hammered down on the power button. "Come on you little bastard START" I yelled like a Doctor trying to resuscitate a patient. The little red light blinked for a couple of seconds then went off like the eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield, and then I saw it. "Blackberry Playbook" snapped to the screen. "AAAAHAHAHA ITS ALIIIVE" I yelled. It powered on without a hitch, Bluetooth found my Torch, and I turned on WIFI which as usual found my network in no time. It worked. The son of a bitch worked.
Battery showed 54% and that's after charging it for who knows how long (one hour at max), so I figure it was pretty run down as well. Later that night it reached 100%, and now today after using it like a normal person should, the battery is sitting at 76% which tells me that the cells are doing exactly what they should.
There must be a "This guy's an idiot" protection sequence for when you push it too far. Just like the Torch won't charge when the battery gets too hot, I'm thinking the PB shut down after reaching a critical temperature. Who knows. I'll ask when I get the chance to talk to RIM again.
There you have it. They both lived, but not without a few scary hours of "I killed it" running through my head.
Hope you enjoyed my first of many adventures. No I won't be trying this with the iPad or iPhone... or ever again to be honest. However if I do leave any of the above on the front seat of my car this summer, I'll be sure to post the outcome.
Next post I'll be ranting about the RIM conference call on Earnings and forecasts. Stay Tuned.
ASG
***DISCLAIMER***
DO NOT TRY THIS, DON'T DO IT, DON'T THINK ABOUT DOING IT, DON'T TRY A MODIFIED VERSION OF THIS TEST, DON'T THINK FOR ONE SECOND THAT THIS IS EVER A GOOD IDEA TO EVEN FATHOM.
***END DISCLAIMER***
Ok. Now that that's over with, on with the show.
I wandered out to my truck to collect my Playbook and 9780 not really knowing what to expect. I REALLY wanted to just swipe down on the Playbook screen and have it come to life, and press the sleep key on the 9780 and have it greet me with the familiar home screen. NOPE! "Fuck" I muttered. I pressed the power key on the playbook... Nothing. "FUCK FUCK" I more vocally muttered. In a frantic, desperate attempt to breathe some life back into the Playbook, I plugged it into my Micro USB car charger... Nothing. At this point I didn't give a shit about the cooked 9780... I have two... And a Torch... One less means nothing....
For a minute I was ready to call it DOA... But wait.. In my initial attempts, I didn't notice that the thing was warm... Really warm still. I brought it inside and started a SLOW cooling process. I waited about 30 min before I tried to power on again, and this time I also did the "hold power button for 10 seconds, release, press again" routine, and the hard reset routine... Nothing.... "GOD DAMNIT". I went upstairs and decided to plug in the standard charger that it came with.... Nothing.
Before I continue.. I know lots of people probably think "Must-be-fuckin-nice to just cook $1100 in electronics and not give a shit". Well yeah, it is nice actually. However I don't have unlimited funds, and am by NO means rich. I just happen to have access to pretty much any device at almost any time, and can do pretty much whatever I want with them. Case in point - I'm on my 3rd Torch and 2nd Bold in less than 6 months.
Anyhoo, back to the results.
It seems all attempts at reviving the playbook had failed. The 9780 came back to life after it cooled down, but its battery was sitting on the red, and that's unheard of for the mighty 9780 after just one day. After charging it for about a half hour, I popped in my SIM and ran it through its paces. I made calls, browsed the net, connected WIFI and Bluetooth, and it all worked. Nothing can kill the Bold. Not even an Idiot that intentionally tries to.
"What was that?" I said to myself.....
There it was, out of the corner of my eye.... It was like looking into the eyes of a god damned angel.. The familiar off-Green pulse of POWER ENTERING THE PLAYBOOK!!!!!!
I flew across the room and hammered down on the power button. "Come on you little bastard START" I yelled like a Doctor trying to resuscitate a patient. The little red light blinked for a couple of seconds then went off like the eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield, and then I saw it. "Blackberry Playbook" snapped to the screen. "AAAAHAHAHA ITS ALIIIVE" I yelled. It powered on without a hitch, Bluetooth found my Torch, and I turned on WIFI which as usual found my network in no time. It worked. The son of a bitch worked.
Battery showed 54% and that's after charging it for who knows how long (one hour at max), so I figure it was pretty run down as well. Later that night it reached 100%, and now today after using it like a normal person should, the battery is sitting at 76% which tells me that the cells are doing exactly what they should.
There must be a "This guy's an idiot" protection sequence for when you push it too far. Just like the Torch won't charge when the battery gets too hot, I'm thinking the PB shut down after reaching a critical temperature. Who knows. I'll ask when I get the chance to talk to RIM again.
There you have it. They both lived, but not without a few scary hours of "I killed it" running through my head.
Hope you enjoyed my first of many adventures. No I won't be trying this with the iPad or iPhone... or ever again to be honest. However if I do leave any of the above on the front seat of my car this summer, I'll be sure to post the outcome.
Next post I'll be ranting about the RIM conference call on Earnings and forecasts. Stay Tuned.
ASG
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)