BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981

Handsets that cost more than two grand -- the Nokia Oro, Tag Hauer Link Phone, Motorola Aura and anything Vertu come to mind -- aren't meant to be blockbusters. In fact, most are purely intended to be sold as limited editions, with only a small number rolling off the production line. Porsche Design decided to follow the same strategy, and the company paired up with RIM to craft a new masterpiece using some of the finest materials lying around.

The brand's choice of manufacturer may come as a surprise to many, given the company's recent rocky history, but it shouldn't. After all, Porsche Design CEO Juergen Gessler and several of the executive underlings use a BlackBerry as their daily driver. It's only natural, then, that if they were going to begin selling premium smartphones through their very own stores, they'd buddy up with their favorite phone maker to make it happen, right? Gessler met with RIM to inquire about a collaboration, and boom -- the rest is history.



Let's begin digging into what will interest the business elite -- the phone's design and hardware. First off, we'll need to answer the first burning question: does the P'9981's cost have anything to do with functionality? After all, a device that costs that much should certainly do our laundry for us, right? Nope. Wash the dishes? Nuh uh. Walk our dogs? Strike three. The use of "fine materials," as well as the limited production and eye candy factor, all contribute to the sky-high costs, and it has absolutely nothing with what you can do with it. But then again, if functionality is all you're looking for, you can find that just as easily in top-notch mainstream devices for less than $700 unlocked. In the case of the P'9981, stamping the Porsche Brand logo across the top is what draws curious eyes (and wallets).

We'll offer a disclaimer here: when mentioning that the P'9981 is eye candy, allow us to point out that we're not smitten with its looks, per se. However, there's no question it's an artfully made piece. Porsche and RIM appeared to put a solid amount of TLC into the thing, and it shows in its craftsmanship. Save for the plastic bottom, which lets the antenna do its thing without unnecessary interference, the entire body is forged out of stainless steel. The battery cover is wrapped in real leather, each individual key on the QWERTY keyboard is made of metal and the navigation buttons sitting below the screen are fashioned out of individual pieces of glass.

And yet, its resemblance to the 9900 is unmistakable. There's a reason for this: they're essentially the same phone. Much like its sibling, the P'9981 sports a 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 CPU and 768MB of RAM, 2.8-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 640 x 480 (giving it a pixel density of 286ppi), BlackBerry OS 7.0 with Liquid Graphics, a 1,230mAh battery, GPS, NFC and a 5MP rear camera with an LED flash and 720p HD video capture. For all intents and purposes, Porsche Design pretty much took a Bold 9900 and stuck it in a more arresting chassis.



Measuring in at 115 x 67 x 11.3mm (4.53 x 2.64 x 0.44 inches), it's one millimeter wider, an eight of a millimeter thicker and 25 grams (0.88 ounces) heavier, but it justifies its extra heft with a reassuringly solid feel. This hasn't been much of an issue in the past, as most BlackBerry devices we've tested have felt as though they'd survive two years worth of sporadic drops. Sure, the P'9981's sticker price is motivation enough to keep a death grip at all times, but truly, it feels as durable and well-constructed as its brethren.

The button selection should look mighty familiar too: they're all in nearly the same place as they are on the 9900, with a few minor adjustments. The top is reserved solely for the lock button, while the bottom has two connector ports -- one on each end -- that allow the phone to fit perfectly on the desktop docking station that comes included in the box. Over on the left sits the micro-USB charging port and 3.5mm headphone jack, while on the opposite side you'll find BlackBerry's signature convenience key just below the volume rocker and mute button (which is sandwiched in between). Turning to the back will reveal the leather-wrapped battery cover, which features a metal bar on the top with "P'9981" engraved in the middle, and the camera and LED flash to its sides.



Unsurprisingly, the battery cover also bears the BlackBerry logo underneath the metal bar, embossed into the leather. The Bold 9900 lump is still present, though the one found on the P'9981 is slightly more subtle. Speaking of which, the two covers are also different in the way they attach to the body -- the Bold's is smaller, comprising only the bump, whereas the Porsche Design model fits over the entire back of the phone.

Lastly, we move to the front where we find the LED notification light, touchscreen display, the standard set of BlackBerry navigation buttons -- call, menu, trackpad, back and end / power -- and uniquely designed keyboard. More on that soon.

Performance is exactly what we'd expect from a BlackBerry: great reception, wonderful call quality and robust battery life despite only offering a 1,230mAh juicepack. Our SunSpider 9.1 tests resulted in better scores than with the 9900, interestingly enough -- we averaged 2,495ms, a convincing 150ms lead over the phone's fraternal twin. Our intensive battery rundown test, however, kept the juice flowing for eight hours and fifteen minutes, which we found to be about the same as the Bold.

Keyboard



Truth be told, the keyboard may very well be the most interesting thing about the P'9981. As mentioned earlier, each key is individually crafted from metal, which should do an even better job withstanding your repeated phalangic abuse over the years. On the version we reviewed, each key has a letter and symbol / number inscribed that glows white when you're in a low light area, and an Arabic character which glows red at the same time.

Of course, it wouldn't be a BlackBerry keyboard -- at least, not a high-end one -- without the frets, and they're present here. Granted, they're located in a radically different position than the 9900, found on the lower half of each key instead of on the side. This, along with its shorter and wider keys, contribute to a more difficult typing experience. The buttons are rather clicky, yet it's not as easy to spring from one to another. The keyboard in general was still pleasant to use, but it just wasn't as good.

Camera
BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 sample shots






We were hoping that some extra expense would go into making the P'9981's camera more magical than the Bold's, but it wasn't meant to be. Indeed, the five megapixel rear shooter -- complete with an LED flash and 720p video capture -- produced very similar results. Much like its brother, the P'9981 uses an EDoF sensor that's unable to take macro shots and thus up-close images are unfortunately blurry. The pictures taken from a greater distance turned out better, though we had to mess around with the white balance settings a bit to get some decent shots. As BlackBerry cameras are typically stripped bare of any other special settings, the ability to manipulate such features as exposure, saturation, ISO or anything else manually was unfortunately not an option.



With 720p video, too, we achieved roughly the same results as the Bold. Because the camcorder is fixed-focus, footage remained crisp throughout the entire clip, with the exception of excessive jiggle distortion. At first we just chalked it up to having somewhat shaky hands -- a direct result of not eating our veggies, we figured -- but then we recalled having the same experience with the 9900. That's not to say it's impossible to film a home video free of the shakes, but it will definitely involve an incredibly steady hand or an armrest to make it possible.

Software



The P'9981 runs BlackBerry 7.0, and we won't spend too much time delving into the OS; we cover the topic at length in our review of the Bold 9900 / 9930. However, one thing that really sticks out in the device's firmware is -- drumroll, please -- its custom theme. That's right, proud owners of the phone can feel comfortable knowing they're using a hoity-toity Porsche Design BlackBerry 7 theme. Honestly, very little is new outside of the home panels, which now offer a special set of icons and background options. Aside from this, the differences between firmware are very few, if any. For instance, the menus are the same, the UI elements aren't dissimilar and you have the same applications pre-loaded on each phone.

BlackBerry Curve 9360

The BlackBerry Curve 9360 replaces the Curve 3G on AT&T, and thankfully, it ushers in a host of sorely needed improvements. In a surprising twist, the phone's most welcome upgrade is the display itself, which still measures 2.4 inches, but now features a 480 x 360 (HVGA+) screen that renders anti-aliased text noticeably more crisply than its forebear -- thanks in large part to a pixel density that's now approximately 246ppi. Being an LCD screen, it's quite usable in direct sunlight and we were equally pleased with the viewing angles.


Compared to the Torch 9810, which offers HSPA+ speeds, the Curve 9360 feels hobbled next to its stablemates.
Of course, as we've mentioned previously, the screen isn't touch-sensitive, which necessitates use of the trackpad for interacting with the phone. For the most part, the display provides a spacious canvas for navigating apps and menus, but web browsing is a different story entirely. In this case, text often appears too small to read comfortably, which forces you to access system menus to properly zoom in on the content. It's an archaic solution as we enter 2012, and we predict a lot of folks will be frustrated by the exclusion of a touchscreen whenever they load up the web browser.



As you might've guessed, the improvements don't stop with the display. Inside, the phone wields an 800MHz CPU and 512MB of RAM -- a marked improvement over the 3G's 624MHz option with only 256MB. There's also 512MB of internal storage, although only 160MB is available to the end-user for additional applications. A 1GB microSD card comes standard with the Curve 9360, although that capacity seems rather meager by modern standards, even for a budget offering. Unlike prior variants, this little guy packs NFC support, which is accompanied by 802.11b/g/n (WiFi), A-GPS and Bluetooth 2.1. Connectivity-wise, the 9360 can access quadband GSM, GPRS and EDGE networks, and provides 7.2Mbps HSDPA access over the 2100, 1900 and 850MHz bands. When compared to its most closely-priced competitor, the Torch 9810, which offers HSPA+ speeds at 14.4Mbps down, the Curve 9360 again feels hobbled next to its stablemates.

The form factor of the Curve hasn't changed much, which remains 4.3 inches (109mm) tall and 2.4 inches (61mm) wide, yet the latest iteration comes in a bit slimmer at only 0.43 inches (11mm) thick. Unsurprisingly, this latest incarnation is also a bit lighter at just 3.5 ounces (99g), but part of this slimming comes at a sacrifice of battery capacity, which is now rated at 1,000mAh -- a full 150mAh less than before.




Even those with small hands will likely suffer fatigue when typing messages.
Save for the black bezel, you might, at first glance, be hard-pressed to spot the differences between the Curve 9360 and its predecessor, the 3G. However, that's not to say it hasn't gotten a little facelift. While the previous model featured two convenience keys, one on each side, the 9360 foregoes its left button and leaves only the exposed micro-USB 2.0 port on that side. The top of the phone, which previously offered a full array of media keys, now sports only an integrated lock button and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Thankfully, the 9360 retains much of the same functionality as before: the play / pause button now takes the form of a small nub that's situated in the middle of the volume rocker, while navigation through tracks is accomplished with a long-press on the volume up or down keys. The right convenience key is set by default to open the camera application, and can also be used to snap a picture, although we found the trackpad was generally easier to use.

Throughout, the handset is fashioned out of glossy black plastics, and while it's undeniably handsome, the design lacks originality and the gimcrack materials mean you'll constantly be staring at a collection of fingerprints. Quite frankly, and we don't say this very often, the Curve feels too tiny to hold comfortably. In this sense, its reduced thickness is a detriment that will leave many begging for a more substantial option. Even those with small hands will likely suffer fatigue when typing messages, which is further exacerbated by the keyboard itself. Each island key now runs nearly flush with the handset, and while our keystrokes were generally accurate, each key press felt mushy, despite the click sound to the contrary. Put simply, the keyboard on the Curve 9360 feels like a poor impersonator when compared to the quality options on the Torch 9810 and Bold 9900.



In our standard battery rundown test, the Curve eked out just under five hours before calling it quits -- about an hour less than what we typically like to see in smartphones. Similarly, the handset managed to get us through two days of light usage, which is fine, but nowhere near the longevity that BlackBerry users have come to expect. Voice quality also fell below our expectations. While callers had no trouble understanding us, they frequently said our voice sounded muddy and lacked depth. We had similar complaints on our end -- we could comfortably talk with others, but we often perceived their voices as distant and tinny. This held true even for calls to landlines. As for web browsing performance, the Curve chewed through code at a snail's pace, landing a score of 6,840ms in SunSpider 9.1 -- a significant step down from what we've seen in other current BlackBerry devices.

Camera



The handset's back side houses a five megapixel camera that's paired with an LED flash. While we were never particularly impressed with its photographic prowess, we found it to be a simple implementation that delivers usable images in a wide range of scenarios. With an extended depth of field (EDoF) lens, the camera is a focus-free affair that offers "don't think, just shoot" ease of use. While this allows users to quickly grab decent snapshots without fuss, images appear murky at full size, lacking in both detail and crispness. Low-light performance is adequate, although noise creeps into the shots rather quickly. Likewise, macro shots are out of the question with EDoF lenses. The Curve's indoor shooting capabilities are hit-and-miss, often leaving us to rely on the flash to reduce blur.
BlackBerry Curve 9360 sample shots






Even the software itself is geared toward simplicity, and offers a wide variety of scene modes that are designed to enhance images based on the subject and lighting condition. Face detection, portrait, sports, landscape, party, close-up, snow, beach, night and text are all in the mix, while the default setting automatically adjusts images to any given situation. Our experience suggests the tendency of the software is to make colors appear more vibrant, even to the point of "pulling" additional blue from the sky on a relatively cloudy day. Hence, coloration is rarely accurate, and while the end result is usually pleasant, we found over-saturation to be an occasional issue. There's no option to disable these enhancements, either. While some may prefer to eschew the additional processing, the oversight seems forgivable. After all, the camera on the 9360 is hardly meant for photo purists, but rather for those who wish to take handsome snapshots for online albums with minimal effort.



Video recording on the Curve 9360 is limited to a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 (VGA), with 176 x 144 (MMS) being the only other option. It captures movies at 29 frames per second and does a rather good job at conveying fluid motion. Of course, this isn't saying much when most smartphones capture VGA video as the bare minimum -- but again, it's perfectly sufficient for use on the web. In the settings, you'll find another smattering of scene modes, although these are limited to portrait, landscape, closeup, beach and automatic.

Software


In the days of modern operating systems such as Android, iOS and Windows Phone, using the BlackBerry OS feels more akin to a graphing calculator with an address book and a heavy coat of lipstick.
There's no kind way to say it, but BlackBerry 7 OS is stuck in the doldrums of time. It's a former champion fighting well past its prime, desperately longing for retirement -- if only an adequate replacement were ready to take its place. That's not to suggest the interface isn't relatively attractive or intuitive, but RIM's software improvements over the years have been incremental and largely superficial. The OS still struggles with multitasking -- for example, music cuts out when we take pictures -- and despite better renders from the WebKit browser, navigating the web with a cursor on a smartphone feels antiquated and slow. In the days of modern operating systems such as Android, iOS and Windows Phone, using the BlackBerry OS feels more akin to a graphing calculator with an address book and a heavy coat of lipstick.



Modernity aside, for those who've come to know the BlackBerry's inner workings through the years, it continues to fit like a glove and behave as expected. We appreciate the setup application, which allows AOL, Gmail, Windows Live and Yahoo! users to easily integrate their email, contacts, calendars and instant messaging into the phone. This is likewise true for social networks, with support for Facebook and Twitter out of the gate. The Social Feeds application serves as a fine aggregator of activity from both accounts, and notifications are integrated into the centralized hub that also reports new email messages, appointments and missed calls. The software is very well geared to those who use their phones primarily as a communication device, and in this sense, the BlackBerry approach is hard to discount.

Free Apps iPhone App Freebies

iPhone App Freebies: Stop Those Fish, Pentaballs HD, OneShot

The iTunes App Store offers downloads of several applications for Apple iPhone and iPod touch for free, as listed below. At up to $6 off, each is at the lowest price we've seen. The deals:
iFavorite Pro for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad: Preference sharing tool
My Father's Clothes for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad: Interactive children's storybook
iDownloader Plus for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad: Download manager tool
Stop Those Fish for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (pictured): Puzzle game
Pentaballs HD for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad: Logic-based multiplayer game
OneShot for iPhone and iPod touch: Drawing game
TheMonsterParty for iPhone and iPod touch: Puzzle game
Dragon Spring for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad: Shooting game
iKungFu Master for iPhone and iPod touch: Action adventure game

Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

$60 + free shipping
Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Best Buy offers the Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Speaker, model no. 980-000589, for $59.99 with free shipping. That's tied with our mention from two weeks ago and the lowest total price we could find by $28. Sales tax is added where applicable. This speaker features dual 2" drivers, Bluetooth connectivity with iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.), auxiliary input, and more.

New Apps Let Facebook Record Your Personal History

Facebook won the loyalty of more than 800 million users largely by getting them into the habit of visiting again and again to see the latest updates, comments, and photos posted by friends. Now the site will also let outside apps provide even more content, and it will encourage people to spend time looking back over activity from months or even years ago. New features introduced at an event in San Francisco last night will enable users to automatically record their eating, reading, exercise, and other habits over time, share them with friends, and review their previous actions.

The key to the new features is an update to the Timeline page that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg introduced at his company's F8 event last September. Now, with a user's permission, third-party websites and mobile apps can record details of what the person is doing and automatically feed that information to the person's Timeline page through a "Timeline app" that sends the data to Facebook and provides the necessary permission and privacy settings.

"Your timeline is not just a way to tell your story based on what you're doing on Facebook, but using your activity out in the rest of the world as well," said Carl Sjogreen, director of platform products at Facebook, at the launch event.

Enthusiasts and researchers have experimented with comprehensively logging their lives for years. In 1998, for example, Microsoft researcher Gordon Bell began trying to digitally capture as much as he could about everything he did. But Bell and others have often found that browsing and reviewing their records presented a greater challenge than capturing them. Facebook's new design could help people do both.

Twitter Bots Create New Social Connections

You might have encountered a "Twitter bot" before: an automated program that perhaps retweeted something you wrote because it had particular keywords. Or maybe you received a message from an unfamiliar, seemingly human-controlled account, only to click on an accompanying link and realize you'd been fooled by a spambot.

Now a group of freelance Web researchers has created more sophisticated Twitter bots, dubbed "socialbots," that can not only fool people into thinking they are real people, but also serve as virtual social connectors, speeding up the natural rate of human-to-human communication.

The work has its origins in meetings of the Web Ecology Project, an independent research group focused on studying the structure and dynamics of social media phenomena. The group began by questioning the claims of so-called social media consultants who say they can grow their clients' Twitter networks, and even increase online interaction between a brand and Twitter users.

"A lot of people you can hire now say they are really good at community engagement," says Tim Hwang, one of the authors of a research paper describing the socialbot experiments. Hwang and his colleagues wondered, "Can we measure those claims?"

Skype confirms that Windows Phone product is coming soon

Who doesn't love a little bit of old fashioned synergy? Speaking to a Microsoft representative in the Microsoft CES booth holding a Microsoft microphone, VP of products for Microsoft-owned Skype, Rick Osterloh, made mention of the VoIP service's plans to make its way onto Microsoft's mobile operating system. Says Osterloh, "We're [...] working on a Windows Phone product that will be coming out soon." We've definitely heard that noise before.