Blackberry's cheapest touchscreen phone, but price isn't everything
A ray of hope for BlackBerry OS7 users. Yes, a new Blackberry phone based on the old Blackberry platform 9720!
Many may question why the manufacturer doesn't merge the platforms to a single one instead of concentrating on two versions of the same operating system simultaneously at the same point of time! As big a puzzle as that well may be for the manufacturer, lets welcome the all-new sub 15000 Blackberry, which merges touchscreen and QWERTY on to the same device.
Built like the older Curve models, the 9720 looks good. Available in black and white, the device sports a decent-looking touch screen coupled with a backlit physical keyboard. The back has a rubberised panel with a shiny Blackberry logo in the middle. Sturdy, yes, but it does look a bit childish and doesn't carry the premium corporate looks of the Blackberry legacy.
The 2.8in IPS touchscreen display has a resolution of 480x360 with 214 PPI, not bad for a sub 15K device. Apart from the call, menu, trackpad, return and call disconnect buttons which sit between the touchscreen and the physical QWERTY keyboard, there are other buttons for easy access.
The 3.5mm audio out and power on/off switch sits on the top while the micro USB charger input and direct to BBM button sit on the left. The volume, mute and camera convenience keys occupy the right.
The device features a 5 megapixel rear camera with an LED flash on the top. Surprisingly, the 9720 doesn't have a front camera.
Inside, the 9720 has a 806MHz Tavor MG1 processor along with 512 MB of RAM. The combination works fine for day to day usage, but is slow for heavy tasks. The screen offers a wide viewing angle, coupled with decent touch response. We didn't find any issues using the trackpad. The keys are a bit rais ed but comfortable.
The 5 megapixel camera doesn't have autofocus. In normal light, the images are decent and usable. The latest app also lets you upload to social networking sites. The 1450 mAh battery remains alive till you reach home from office. With heavy usage, it dries up a couple of hours earlier. The phone has WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS but lacks NFC.
wedThe 9720 is not a bad phone and is in fact good for old BB users. But Blackberry does need to sort out a couple of things. Like providing a slightly bigger battery so that the phone lasts at least for a day!
VERDICT: An inexpensive blackberry device with few useful features
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