RIM has struggled for a few years now to successfully reinvent its BlackBerry handheld. Efforts to overhaul its handsets created devices like the Curve, which were feature-packed, but suffered from fiddly Qwerty keyboards that had become too small to use and lacked the robust build quality of earlier handsets.

We can only assume that RIM has hired a bevy of new design talent as the BlackBerry Bold is a huge departure from its previous phones.

Keyboard overhaul

If you've struggled to type on a BlackBerry Curve or the 8800 series handsets (the ones with full Qwerty keyboards), you'll immediately enjoy and appreciate the improved keyboard ergonomics and keypad design. Buttons are bigger and better defined, making it easier to hit the right key, in turn reducing typos.

Across the top of the keyboard are four main buttons for answering and ending calls, accessing menus, the heavily-used back/exit button and a mini backlit trackball for navigating around menus. A selection of buttons along both sides of the device control earpiece volume and one-button camera access.

Also present is RIM's magnet-based keylock. Pop the phone into a genuine BlackBerry case (one is supplied) and as soon as the magnet in the phone meets its mate in the case, all the keys lock and the screen shuts off, saving energy and reducing the risk of accidental dialling.

The Bold is the first BlackBerry to introduce both 3G and HSDPA data support. Not essential for email, but definitely a good move for heavy web use. The bold can be hooked up to a computer via USB and used as a data modem, but this still is not supported via Bluetooth, which is only present for use with handsfree kits and headsets, though the stereo headset profile is supported.

Round the back you'll find a camera. It is 'only' a two megapixel sensor, but image quality is good, while the LED flash worked admirably in almost pitch-black environments.

The Bold immediately feels more sturdy, solid and expensive than previous models. It also looks the part, made up of solid black plastics, chrome edging and a thick transparent glaze on the surface. The battery cover on the rear is even covered in a leather-like finish, making it delightfully tactile to hold.

However, there are some build quality issues to consider. The battery cover release button soon loses its spring, and thus fails to hold the battery cover securely. There also appear to be issues with the microSD card slot cover. This was a very poor fit on our review model.

Other nice touches include a proper 3.5mm headphone jack and a loudspeaker that did not distort even at maximum volume.

Revamping the browser

The main application for a BlackBerry is email access, and not much has changed between the Curve and the Bold in this respect.

Users have the option to mate their BlackBerry to an Exchange or Lotus Notes server running the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) plug-in, or to buy it from a mobile network that offers a Prosumer service, whereby the mobile network provides the BES account, and you configure, via a web interface, access to up to 10 of your POP3/IMAP and Exchange email mailboxes.

Web browsing on a BlackBerry has always been terrible. The default browser was always primitive. Most hardened web users would opt for a third-party browser like Opera Mini. This is no longer necessary.

It's now had a complete rewrite to support iPhone-like full-page browsing, meaning you can view proper web sites exactly as you would on a desktop PC. Like an iPhone, you zoom in on the area you want to read, and the combination of cursor and trackball makes this very easy, and far quicker than the equivalent feature on Nokia handsets like the N95 and E71.

Beyond the browser you get the usual bouquet of PDA applications. There is also a Facebook client, Google Maps client and a few games. Third party applications for the BlackBerry are growing in number, but still lag behind both the Windows Mobile and iPhone platforms for choice.

In addition to 3G and HSDPA support, the Bold offers 802.11 a, b and g Wi-Fi. GPS support is very good, and even coped well inside buildings.

3G without the battery crisis

It is on battery life where the Bold breaks clear of the 3G smartphone pack. The iPhone 3G's battery life in moderate use is poor. The Nokia is better, but still lags behind a conventional phone-only handset.

The Bold on the other hand has maintained RIM's legendary record for battery life, despite the move to 3G. Battery tests are on-going at the time of writing, but in early moderate use tests with the GPS receiver switched on the whole time, we managed four days from a full charge, with around 20 per cent still left in the tank before we plugged it back in to the mains.

For this reason alone, we see little reason not to choose a Bold as your smartphone of choice. If you are looking at this as a consumer, you won't be disappointed either.