Amóvil reviewed the BlackBerry Bold 9790 thanks to a loan by the Vodafone Spain Foundation and confirmed that while it complies with some accessibility requirements, Amóvil cannot recommend this Smartphone to persons with disabilities.

Running on BlackBerry OS 7, the device is lightweight (107 grams) and measures 110x60x11,4 mm. It also includes a 2.45-inch TFT display. Contrary to other BlackBerry models, the Bold 9790 combines a touchscreen with a QWERTY keyboard and an optical trackpad. In addition, it is WiFi, NFC and Bluetooth enabled, and supports GPS.

Accessibility Review

Vision

Blind users may not be able to use this device as it does not include a screen reader and it is not compatible with any third party application that offers with service.

Users with low vision may also have a limited experience with this device. The display does not meet the minimum size required to allow these users a comfortable use. While the OS provides an option to increase the size of icons and fonts, it may still be insufficient to some.  In addition, the keys on the keyboard are also small and too crammed up to allow a comfortable use. Some of these users may have difficulties perceiving the symbols printed on the keys.

Hearing

Amóvil cannot recommend the Bold 9790 to hearing aid and cochlear implant users. The user guide provides explanations on how to set the phone to the hearing aid mode, but this option was not actually available in the device tested. Also, this model in particular is not in the list of BlackBerry devices compatible with hearing aids provided by RIM, and no information on compatible wireless loopsets is currently available.

However, an interesting feature that may benefit hearing impaired users that do not wear hearing aids is the option to improve sound duality during a phone call. Users can boost low and high pitch sounds as needed. This smartphone also supports instant messaging.

Dexterity

The Bold 9790 is equipped with a voice dialing and a hands free system that can be very useful to users with dexterity disabilities. However, the size of the keyboard and the icons may hinder access to these users. In fact, for this reason alone Amóvil cannot recommend this device to persons with dexterity disabilities.

Additionally, the operating system does not provide a software equivalent to the function supported by external buttons, so users lacking dexterity skills will not be able to use this Smartphone with assistive devices.

Comprehension

The Bold’s icons and symbols do not comply with accessibility international standards. The option’s icon, for example, can easily be confused with the configuration’s icon. Additionally, the menu key located below the display has a design that is very similar to BlackBerry’s logo, and some users with limited comprehension skills will be forced to consult the user manual more times than necessary.

For more details about accessibility features available in this device, consult the full accessibility report available in Amóvil.