I was planning to skip the BlackBerry Bold and wait for the Javelin (the updated Curve), but decided to go ahead and get the Bold for a variety of reasons:

1. I wanted 3G
2. I wanted a faster processor for JavaScript, etc. in the browser
3. I played with it a bit and found the keyboard wasn’t as bad as it looked
4. The screen rocks
5. The device I really want (touchscreen WebKit browser with a BlackBerry keyboard and OS) is a ways out still

After using it for a day, I’m pretty pleased with it.

Applications

I run pretty lean on the BlackBerry. I mainly rely on e-mail and the browser, but there are some apps I install. All are free.

• TwitterBerry - the latest version is really nice.
• Google Maps - just keeps getting better. Love the GPS integration.
• Gmail - for quick pruning of my junk mail and web service notifications.
• Google BlackBerry Sync - OTA sync for my calendar, don’t sync contacts (yet).
• Google Mobile - mainly to track upgrades for Google Maps, Sync and Gmail.
• Yahoo Go - this is primarily a Flickr uploader and browser for me, but I should also mention that the graphics look stunning on the Bold.
• WeatherBug Direct - the icon looks like crap on the Bold, but it’s handy.

Notes

Some quick thoughts from the day and set-up.

• Set-up was easy.
• The battery life seems good (70% after a day and in bad coverage for much of the time).
• The included belt-clip case is a big improvement over the classic plastic holsters.
• The GPS really is pretty handy (over cell tower triangulation).
• The keyboard isn’t bad - the ridges on the keys make it work.
• It’s big - wide. It makes the iPhone feel tiny.
• The screen is gorgeous (though I was seeing some weird image banding in places, need to test more).
• The Zen theme seems to have a fatal flaw - the icons on the abbreviated home screen don’t update with status properly so you don’t see the little alert indicators.
• Network speed seems pretty good so far.
• Wifi was easy to set up. I used it until I switched the SIM card into the device, then turned it off. Not sure I’ll be using it much.
• If you’re doing anything that is more than a 1 step process, go to a real AT&T store instead of an authorized reseller. Trust me on this one.

Questions? Let me know in the comments and I’ll try to answer them.