Having been a loyal customer of Nokia’s N-Series the past 7 years despite the infuriating dated and slow symbian operating system they used on high-end devices unintended for such an OS. It came to the point where I couldn’t go on using such a slow and inefficient device, so when choosing a new device to serve me the coming 24 months I could opt to trust Nokia’s new Memo devices, buy into the touch screen hype or a comfortable option such as a BlackBerry.

With all the inescapable buzz and hype around touch screens, (a technology that has been around since the late 1960s) it would be easy to simply follow the flock and buy something that sparkles. Thankfully events took their usual course and I waited to see what was on the horizon, this frustrating but fruitful wait led me to picking up the BlackBerry Bold 9700, which has been described as the “Best BlackBerry ever”.

As a business customer I needed a device that was efficient, compact and comfortable when composing lengthy emails, as opposed to the glitz and glamour of a device that would only hold my attention at best a month. By reputation and specification the BlackBerry 9700 was the perfect choice, this is my first impression of the device.

Positive Impressions
There are many positive attributes to the 9700, more so than negative on first impression, one such positive is sheer amount of tech packed in to the stylish compact chassis. This BlackBerry thankfully has both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity in the same device, which for most consumers is a must have, this welcome addition improves on an already unrivalled push email service.

With all this power hungry technology you would expect a pitiful battery life? Well no actually, RIM quotes a minimum of 6 hours talk time and 16 days on standby; obviously this depends on how you use the device. Personally I use the device predominately for the push email service rather than for extensive conversations on a daily basis, this usage pattern combined with Wi-Fi being disabled my 9700 lasts around 3 days.

Negative Impressions
Sadly the first negative impression of the 9700 would have to be QWERTY keyboard, although over time the experience improves, it’s a shame that when RIM opted for a more compact device, they decided not change the arrangement of the keys. Had they slightly modified the arrangement, the keyboard would not feel as awkward as it does.

The second negative attribute to the 9700 was highly predictable and in no way surprising, I’m talking about the much-maligned and dated web browser that is in no conceivable way worthy of a high-end device. Lacking the most essential of elements as flash video support and tabbed windows, the browsing experience is pitiful and no better than that of a WAP enabled budget device. Fortunately RIM are said to be working on a new web browser, which will hopefully be built for QWERTY devices as apposed to a touch screen browser clone.

Verdict
It’s still early days and this is only an initial impression of the BlackBerry 9700 but overall the device has met and surpassed all expectations, smashed many considering this is a replacement for a Nokia N95.

I have to say the touchpad was a surprising delight to use considering its small size, in many ways its preferable over a touch screen due to the speed of navigation through the simplistic interface.

Although the QWERTY keyboard was a disappointment (more so if you have used a 8900) it does not diminish the experience and usability of the device. The main bum note has to be the default web browser, however having already been aware of the browsers faults, this didn’t and wouldn’t prevent my purchase of this exceptional smart phone.

As this is simply a first impression post on the BlackBerry 9700, I recommend you visit your local retailer for a first hand experience and/or visit testfreaks.co.uk, which is a website that compares reviews from multiple sources.