AT A GLANCE

• OS BlackBerry 6
• 2GB microSD card included
• 5.0 MP camera
• Helpful setup wizard
• Multiple homescreen views

My BlackBerry (Curve 8520, the entry level one) is a permanent bodily attachment, it goes everywhere with me. I use it to update and reply to e-mails, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, BBM and WhatsApp. When I got the BlackBerry Bold 9780, the first thing I tried to figure out is what it could do that my Curve could not.

The only thing I managed to find? You can check-in to Facebook Places… so not much of a difference really. However after three weeks of using it as my own I came to the conclusion, yes my Curve can do all the same things, but the Bold just does it all so much better.

Let’s start with the operating system...

The 9780 comes with BlackBerry 6, a major upgrade - it features multiple homescreen views; All, Favourites, Media, Downloads and Frequent. I love that you can customise it so all your favourites are saved under… well… Favourites - so handy!

This phone lightening fast, I could barely keep up with it.

Sometimes, however, it got annoying when I would scroll and suddenly land up on something I didn't even want, or sending someone something by mistake because it was all so quick! I’m so used to clicking on an item and then waiting... and waiting… but the Bold 9780 is just so responsive, it never freezes.

(You do get that irritating clock/ loading time icon when you’re downloading an app on occasion, but other than that it didn’t really make an appearance which I really like because it’s been the bane of my Smartphone existence.)

My two favourite features of BlackBerry 6 as experienced on the 9780 are:

• Universal search
• The new web browser

The universal search allows you to literally start typing on the homescreen and it’ll find whatever you are looking for from contacts to pictures, appointments and music. The browser has also had a much-needed upgrade which now makes it a pleasure to use.

In the past when you wanted to read an article you had to scroll from left-to-right to read each sentence, or squint and try read it all really small. That is no longer a problem, as it "re-flows the text for easy reading" (I had to Google to see what that was called). You can also now make use of tabbed browsing and have multiple pages open at the same time. The URL/search field has been combined, making it much cleaner and easier to use.

More than 5MP?

Then there is the camera, oh wow, the camera! This is the upgrade from 2MP grainy hell to 5MP heaven. Not only that, but it also has flash, auto focus, face detection, image stabilisation, 2X zoom, video recording and you can also set it for different scene modes, including Portrait, Sports, Night, Text, Landscape and Party Mode! Whilst my dream is still for my phone to ultimately replace my point-and-click camera, it’s not there yet but this is a massive improvement.

Below are some examples of photographs I took using the 9780:

Overall? The Bold 9780 is an ideal Smartphone for any BlackBerry addict looking to upgrade. The battery life is fantastic, it has Wi-Fi and 3G and then there is that glorious BlackBerry 6 OS.

Turn ons

• It’s a very good looking phone
• BlackBerry 6 is amazing (Universal Search and the new web browser)
• The 5 megapixel camera does not disappoint
• Super responsive
• Impressive battery-life
• Everything is setup within 5 minutes of turning on the phone - it’s that easy

Turn offs

• Being too responsive was sometimes a problem – I ended up pressing send a few times before I was actually ready to.
• Didn’t enjoy clicking “Open Tray” every time to open the homepage
• Still haven’t found a safe way to go from one BlackBerry to another without having to re-add BBM contacts

Price: R3999.95 (more or less)