[dts51]

I meant mini opera ver 4.2, that may have not been clear in my prior post.

[BigHulkDiese]

I am not trying to view with opera but with the WAP browser

[BigHulkDiese]

Anyone know a solution?

[archer6]

Originally Posted by BigHulkDiese

Anyone know a solution?

Yes, buy a Curve 83xx....

All kidding (actually I wasn't) aside, I've tried every possible option available including using Opera Mini, and the web experience for forums like PinStack is simply a dreadful waste of time.

The Bold Browser is simply unacceptable in my humble opinion. Certainly RIM could have done better than this, and in failing to do so, they have disappointed many of their loyal supporters.

Will there be a fix in the future? Only RIM knows, normally I would be a bit more confident, however with the massive problems of the Storm it's not looking good. Certainly at some point, I would expect them to address it. Yet that said, they've proven that what was once the "flagship" BB Bold, has been trumped by their sudden commitment to release far more new devices all at once, than they can keep up with.

RIM... once steadfast, reliable, and a company one could rely on, seems a bit lost...

[mjwood0]

I'd have to agree with your sentiment Archer.

I'm actually seriously considering the Bold since the 3g network around me just went live and I really want to play with it. Plus, there may be some international travel in my future and a global smart phone seems like a smart move. But with the release of the Storm, I really am starting to worry that the OS updates for the Bold may fall to the wayside as they try to fix the problems on the Storm.

It's a shame really. The Bold is supposed to be their premiere business class device which is where RIM connects with its roots. I really hope they don't neglect it in favor of the trendy Storm...

Time will tell...

[archer6]

Originally Posted by mjwood0

I'd have to agree with your sentiment Archer.

I'm actually seriously considering the Bold since the 3g network around me just went live and I really want to play with it. Plus, there may be some international travel in my future and a global smart phone seems like a smart move.

mjwood0, for you I'm going to highly endorse the Bold for the very reasons you mention. while I've been very outspoken (hoping that RIM is watching & reading) about the shortcomings, I find the "rest" of the phone stellar. I geniuinely believe the first three defective Bolds that I got where simply a product of early production problems. Patience and perseverance paid off, as this 10 day old Bold is stellar. That's precisely why I've continued to use it as my primary BlackBerry. This phone is indeed a quantum leap and you will certainly appreciate that.

The error codes thrown, upon pulling the battery, have only occurred that one time and even then there was no compromise in performance of the phone. I simply pulled the battery a second time, it booted fine and I have not seen the codes since. I've also purposely pulled the battery ten times to test it, and the trouble codes no longer appear.

I live in an exceptionally strong 3G area, as are many of the major metro cities throughout the US that I travel to. The extra speed is very welcome. Call quality is beyond reproach, as is all other functionality. I have an office in London, which I travel to frequently, as well as other destinations around the world, and the Bold is perfect for that.

The bottom line is that I would not hesitate to endorse this phone for you if there was any question in my mind. That said, I think the perfect scenario would be for you to keep your 8310 (my personal favorite of every BB I've owned) as a backup.

Hope this helps your decision making.

Cheers

[dts51]

IMO, you guys are jumping to conclusions too quick...The Bold was just recently released, RIM cannot fix issues overnight... The BOLD is their flagship!...Archer, I understand that mini opera takes some getting used to, but to say the web is a dreadful experience on it is hard for me to swallow. I use opera on my desktop as well, and can synchronize my bookmarks between it and my berry so that really simplifies things for me. I love mini opera and actually prefer it over the BB browser, so to me the current browser problem is a non issue.

[mjwood0]

Thanks Archer! I do appreciate your knowledge and value your opinion.

Being a software guy by trade, these small software bugs really annoy me probably more than most people! I know how easy many of them are to fix if only given the proper information and therefore, I find myself continually frustrated when things don't work as intended. (This is the same reason I run Linux at home. When things don't work, I can modify the source code and re-build the application)

Regardless, I'm going back by my local ATT store today. $400 is a lot to drop (before rebate) on a phone that may or may not be up to snuff. I guess I'll have to inspect whatever they want to sell me carefully.

Perhaps I will post later that I have a Bold. Then again, maybe not! We'll see!

[mjwood0]

Originally Posted by dts51

IMO, you guys are jumping to conclusions too quick...The Bold was just recently released, RIM cannot fix issues overnight... The BOLD is their flagship!...Archer, I understand that mini opera takes some getting used to, but to say the web is a dreadful experience on it is hard for me to swallow. I use opera on my desktop as well, and can synchronize my bookmarks between it and my berry so that really simplifies things for me. I love mini opera and actually prefer it over the BB browser, so to me the current browser problem is a non issue.

I may be jumping to conclusions quickly, but I expect the premiere device in their lineup to live up to its hype. Issues such as the browser not rendering pages correctly is not a small matter when you think about the definition of a smart phone. To me, it should handle schedules, calls, email and browsing flawlessly. If there were an issue with the media player for instance, I wouldn't care. But this, to me, is a major issue with a core function.

Regarding opera. It's really a love it or hate it type browser. While some love it, I can't really get used to it. It seems like a lot of zooming much like the OS 4.5 browser. Then again, I couldn't ever get it to stop throwing errors about permissions every time it started up so that may have tainted the experience for me.

[dts51]

Originally Posted by mjwood0

I may be jumping to conclusions quickly, but I expect the premiere device in their lineup to live up to its hype. Issues such as the browser not rendering pages correctly is not a small matter when you think about the definition of a smart phone. To me, it should handle schedules, calls, email and browsing flawlessly. If there were an issue with the media player for instance, I wouldn't care. But this, to me, is a major issue with a core function.

I'm just saying this device hasn't been out long so RIM cannot be expected to fix issues overnite...as far as hype, I never buy into it because seldom does it fulfill.

[archer6]

Originally Posted by dts51

IMO, you guys are jumping to conclusions too quick...The Bold was just recently released, RIM cannot fix issues overnight... The BOLD is their flagship!...Archer, I understand that mini opera takes some getting used to, but to say the web is a dreadful experience on it is hard for me to swallow. I use opera on my desktop as well, and can synchronize my bookmarks between it and my berry so that really simplifies things for me. I love mini opera and actually prefer it over the BB browser, so to me the current browser problem is a non issue.

Respectfully, jumping to conclusions is not something that I do. Ever. I am perfectly aware that the the Bold was "just released". Im also aware of how late it is to market and the total amount of development time is in this new model. As far as RIM fixing the issues "overnight", that is a thought or expectation that I have never entertained. Yes the bold is their "flagship" which is why it should have been sorted out prior to being released.

I'm an seasoned expert with Opera, having used it for years on my laptop & various smartphones from the very day it was released. In no way do I dislike Opera.

Yet that said, I submit to you if you read my posts carefully, which clearly define the problem, I'm _not_ condemning Opera. I am _specifically talking about the super small fonts when in the forum thread area where we now posting on PinStack. This occurs in both Opera and the BB Browser. Both Opera and the BB Browser perform acceptably on all other sites, and even on the home page of PinStack for that matter. It's only once one drills down to the actual forum threads, that this ugly problem crops up. If you are not using your BB to post on PinStack you would be totally unaware of this. If you go to this area for viewing only, you still do not have the excruciating experience of attempting to respond to a post.

So when I say it's a dreadful, that is my experience, which is my right to express. Furthermore if you scan the thousands of posts I have made here you will immediately identify that I am overwhelmingly positive about RIM & PinStack and a huge Advocate of both. I am also extremely neutral in my posts. As a high tech professional formally educated in this field I know of what I speak.

At no time am I bashing the product, or even shortchanging it in my evaluations. They are fair, honest, and written with the intention of making a positive contribution that will benefit everyone.

Make no mistake, I have no hidden agenda, I only expect RIM to deliver on what they have promised and are perfectly equipped to do so. If they fail due to lack of focus, priority shifts, or any one of hundreds of reasons, I find it unacceptable.

[GaryF]

It seems to me that RIM was actually trying to offer a more "opera like" experience with the 4.6 browser that renders web pages much closer to their original format.

This is from the Canadian Horses mouth (so to speak):

Two generations of the BlackBerry Browser exist.
• The first generation of the BlackBerry Browser, included with BlackBerry Device Software version 4.5 or earlier, supports
simple web page presentations and wireless-specific content very well. In BlackBerry Device Software version 3.8 or later,
the BlackBerry Browser provides basic JavaScript® and CSS support. In an effort to make more of the web accessible to the
BlackBerry Browser, support for more complex presentation formats has been added over a number of releases. However,
the first generation of the BlackBerry Browser focuses on managing and mitigating the effects of the wireless network.
• The second-generation BlackBerry Browser was introduced in BlackBerry Device Software version 4.6. The BlackBerry
Browser rendering agent and JavaScript engine were completely redesigned to provide much greater support of existing
web standards. With full support for standards such as HTML 4.01, CSS 2.1, and DOM Level 2, the second generation of the
BlackBerry Browser has the ability to render most existing web content.

You should consider the BlackBerry Browser that is included with BlackBerry Device Software version 4.6 or later as functionally
distinct from the first generation of the BlackBerry Browser that is included with earlier BlackBerry Device Software versions.

Those who would like to dig deeper into this subject may want to review the documents available at this link...

Blackberry Browser

[dts51]

Originally Posted by archer6

Respectfully, jumping to conclusions is not something that I do. Ever. I am perfectly aware that the the Bold was "just released". Im also aware of how late it is to market and the total amount of development time is in this new model. As far as RIM fixing the issues "overnight", that is a thought or expectation that I have never entertained. Yes the bold is their "flagship" which is why it should have been sorted out prior to being released.

I'm an seasoned expert with Opera, having used it for years on my laptop & various smartphones from the very day it was released. In no way do I dislike Opera.

Yet that said, I submit to you if you read my posts carefully, which clearly define the problem, I'm _not_ condemning Opera. I am _specifically talking about the super small fonts when in the forum thread area where we now posting on PinStack. This occurs in both Opera and the BB Browser. Both Opera and the BB Browser perform acceptably on all other sites, and even on the home page of PinStack for that matter. It's only once one drills down to the actual forum threads, that this ugly problem crops up. If you are not using your BB to post on PinStack you would be totally unaware of this. If you go to this area for viewing only, you still do not have the excruciating experience of attempting to respond to a post.

So when I say it's a dreadful, that is my experience, which is my right to express. Furthermore if you scan the thousands of posts I have made here you will immediately identify that I am overwhelmingly positive about RIM & PinStack and a huge Advocate of both. I am also extremely neutral in my posts. As a high tech professional formally educated in this field I know of what I speak.

At no time am I bashing the product, or even shortchanging it in my evaluations. They are fair, honest, and written with the intention of making a positive contribution that will benefit everyone.

Make no mistake, I have no hidden agenda, I only expect RIM to deliver on what they have promised and are perfectly equipped to do so. If they fail due to lack of focus, priority shifts, or any one of hundreds of reasons, I find it unacceptable.

Well as you can see by my screen shots on the prior page of this thread, opera mini renders the page very nicely from this forum, I posted the screenshots as taken...there is no small font issue. ..And when I say that some of you are jumping to conclusions, It's my opinion, and I am calling them as I read them. It's seldom that a device from any manufacturer, being flagship are not, is released without issues...RIM is no exception.

[archer6]

Thanks GaryF... excellent post with invaluable info.

I will be researching this further.

Your contribution here is stellar, as always.

Cheers

[archer6]

Originally Posted by dts51

Well as you can see by my screen shots on the prior page of this thread, opera mini renders the page very nicely from this forum, I posted the screenshots as taken...there is no small font issue. ..And when I say that some of you are jumping to conclusions, It's my opinion, and I am calling them as I read them. It's seldom that a device from any manufacturer, being flagship are not, is released without issues...RIM is no exception.

Don't get me wrong, I respect and value your feedback. And I'm not doubting you. I'm simply reporting my experiences. Why I am not experiencing the same rendering that you show in your screenshots is something that I will be looking into today.

As far as a device being released without any issues, again I concur. My position is simply one of clear discontent with the significance of the issues present, which break tradition with how RIM's BlackBerrys are normally released to market. I've bought absolutely every new BlackBerry model since 2005 as they were released by the three providers I use, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Thus my point is not to brag about how many BlackBerry's I've owned, but rather to share my experience background. I am an enthusiast, engineer, and hi-tech professional, that enjoys trying out all the various smartphones from the different manufacturers. I am very realistic in my expectations and have never expected perfection, only excellence out of top of the line models, that are hyped to perform in a certain manner. Minor glitches and unfinished software is the norm, and to be expected. After all the Bold in particular, represents a quantum leap for RIM and that has not gone unnoticed by me.

Cheers...