If you’ve used the original Bold 9900, then you pretty much know what you’re getting with this new white model. The physical keyboard is solid and easy to type on, while the touchscreen is bright and responsive if, arguably, a little unnecessary given the optical trackpad too. We had a few issues with jerky pinch-zooming on photos, too.

Unfortunately, where the black 9900 looks businesslike and premium, with its matte finish and metal highlights, the glossy plastics RIM has used on the white 9900 look and feel quite cheap. White also makes the Bold 9900 seem bigger than it is, not great when you’re dealing with a phone that’s already fairly broad. Some white gadgets look great, but we’ve a feeling RIM may have missed the mark with this particular phone.

For more on the Bold 9900 – in its original black finish, though functionally identical – check out the full SlashGear review. No word on pricing at this stage for the white variant.

The leaked memo informs the carrier’s employees to “educate” customers that the Hot Spot feature advertised on the packaging is not yet available, but will arrive with the first major software update in Q4. This means that at least the BlackBerry Torch 9850 will soon be getting the much requested feature.

It’s unclear at this point, whether the other BlackBerry 7 OS devices released recently, such as the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 and the BlackBerry Torch 9810, will also be getting the mobile Hot Spot capability in the next update. The feature could be carrier-specific.

[via CrackBerry]

According to BGR, the BlackBerry Bold 9790 is believed to feature a 1.2Ghz processor, a 5-megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage, WiFi, GPS, and NFC. It maintains the same touchscreen and full QWERTY form factor but has an overall smaller footprint when compared to the BlackBerry Bold 9900. The device, however, will still be running BlackBerry 7 OS.

RIM plans to release about seven BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones by year-end before they make the full transition to its new QNX platform. RIM’s first QNX-based smartphone called the BlackBerry Colt is rumored for a release in early 2012. The current BlackBerry PlayBook tablet already runs on QNX.

In fact, when the Bold 9900 hits T-Mobile on August 31, it will be priced at $299.99 after rebates, again assuming a two-year agreement for voice and data. It’s not entirely clear why either carrier is positioning the handset quite so high up the smartphone food chain; in the UK, for instance, the Bold 9900 is available from free on a monthly plan priced at the equivalent of $54 or higher (combined voice and data).

At that level, unless you’re determined to use BlackBerry 7 and are in love with RIM’s admittedly excellent physical keyboards, we can’t see many opting for the Bold instead of an iPhone 4 or Android device. We put the Bold 9930 through its paces in the full SlashGear review yesterday, so head over to see if this should be your (expensive) next device.

Hardware

Physically, the Bold 9930 takes a welcome step back toward the broad beginnings of the 9000. The new handset is not quite so wide as the original 69mm Bold – it measures in at 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm and weighs 130g – but it’s certainly broader than the versions released in-between, and gives extra space for the physical keyboard. Make no mistake, this is arguably the best physical QWERTY on a BlackBerry so far – and, by extension, perhaps the best on a smartphone around today – with tactile, easily distinguished keys that are great for two thumb typing.

New with the 9930 is the 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen above the keyboard, with an optical trackpad and the usual send, end, menu and back buttons sandwiched in the middle. The VGA 640 x 480 panel runs at the same resolution as the display on the Torch 9810, but thanks to the smaller dimensions has a higher pixel density of 287ppi. It’s responsive, bright and colorful, and we didn’t observe any missed taps.

That’s in part down to the new processor, a single-core 1.2GHz chip paired with 768MB of RAM and 8GB of storage (with a microSD card slot to expand it). Connectivity includes triband UMTS/HSPA+ on the Bold 9900 or hybrid CDMA/EVDO Rev.A and HSPA+ on the Bold 9930 (the latter will be sold as a so-called World Phone on North American carriers like Verizon Wireless); there’s also WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, along with – for the first time on a BlackBerry device – NFC support.

Unfortunately there’s no actual use for the NFC at launch, with RIM waiting on carriers to roll out their choice of short-range wireless services. You’ll get more mileage out of the charging connections on the base of the handset, which work with the optional charging cradle; a microUSB port on the side also charges, as well as syncing the 9930.

RIM is particularly proud of the Bold 9930′s slender casing, and it is indeed a narrow phone; unfortunately, to achieve that some things have been left by the wayside, most notably autofocus for the 5-megapixel camera. Instead, you get an EDoF sensor which struggles with close-ups and can lead to somewhat flat looking shots. Ironically, RIM does itself few favors with the camera app itself: stills and 720p HD video viewed on-screen look drab and uninspiring, whereas when we transferred them to our computer the colors were far more involving. At least, being EDoF, it’s responsive, and there’s little in the way of lag between hitting the button and a shot being taken.

Software

As on the Torch 9810 and 9850, the 1.2GHz processor keeps BlackBerry 7 moving swiftly. The UI has been polished to resemble a middle-ground of sorts between previous iterations and QNX on the PlayBook, though we’ll have to wait until next year for the first proper QNX BlackBerry smartphone. Overall, it’s cleaner and more sensibly organized than on previous Bold phones.

BlackBerry Bold 9930 demo:

The touchscreen adds a new option for control, though we can imagine long-time BlackBerry owners finding themselves defaulting to the optical trackpad rather than reaching up and tapping at the display. Sometimes there’s something of a disconnect between what can be done with the screen and what uses the trackpad, or at least different levels of responsiveness. The browser, particularly, proved frustrating at times, with taps being misrecognized and heavier pages being jerky when zoomed. There’s no automatic text-reflow, either, unlike on rival platforms, and we seemed to spend more time pinching in and out than we do on other recent devices.

Email, messaging – including BBM – and SMS are all as solid as ever, and remain the real reason most people will choose a BlackBerry. The BlackBerry App World continues to (slowly) grow in choice, but lags severely behind the range on offer in the iOS App Store or Android Market. If you’re satisfied with the integrated functionality – which includes basic Facebook and Twitter support – then perhaps that’s less of a drawback, but everyone else will soon get frustrated at seeing high-profile apps generally launch later on BlackBerry, if at all.

Phone and Battery

As we’d expected, the BlackBerry Bold 9930 proved tenacious with a signal, showing bars where rival devices struggled. Audio performance was solid if not especially inspiring, and the speakerphone lacked the exceptionally loud top-end that has made previous BlackBerry devices a workable stand-in for a conference call system.

Battery life from the 1,230 mAh pack is quoted at up to 6.3hrs of GSM talktime or up to 12.8 days of standby with the GSM Bold 9900; the CDMA model, the Bold 9930, promises slightly more talktime. In practice, with the various email and social networking apps set to check for updates at their most frequent rate, we pushed through a solid day of use before requiring a recharge. Heavy callers should probably invest in either a spare battery and/or the desk cradle for occasional top-ups.

Wrap-Up

As with the Torch 9810, there’s a sense that the Bold 9930 is RIM’s answer to criticism of previous Bold devices. Users wanted a spacious keyboard in the style of the original 9000, as well as a more premium-feeling chassis, and that’s just what they’ve delivered. They’ve thrown in a touchscreen, too, and the faster processor means BlackBerry 7 spends less time showing you a ticking clock and more time flicking between apps.

At the same time, though, it’s hard to escape the sense that, for all its work with the 9900, RIM is still left playing catch-up. The new Bold is a worthy upgrade for those with an earlier model, and BB7 has its strengths, but it’s hard to pick out any point which could convincingly persuade an iPhone or Android device user to jump across. That situation is only going to get more difficult when the fifth-gen iPhone arrives. The BlackBerry Bold 9930 won’t do RIM’s reputation any harm among its established enterprise user-base, but neither will it be the handset that breaks the company into new markets.

You also get a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p HD videos, and an optical trackpad, in one of the slimmest candybar form-factors RIM has produced to-date. There’s 768MB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage, along with WiFi a/b/g/n and triband HSPA+ (if your network can support it).

RIM has also squeezed NFC inside the 9900, though so far Vodafone UK isn’t making use of that. There’s more on the Bold 9900 in our hands-on report from the smartphone’s launch back in May.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 hands-on:

Many folks are criticizing RIM’s new offerings, saying that the new devices will not be upgradeable when RIM transitions to its new QNX OS. The current hardware will not be compatible, meaning that if customers want to upgrade to get the new OS features, they’ll have to buy a new phone. A “super phone” is already in the works for the QNX OS slated to hit sometime next year.

Furthermore, the current BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones do not support Flash, which is an oddity since Apple rivals typically use that as a marketing weapon. According to Business Insider, RIM explains that Flash requires dual-core processors to render properly, which these new BlackBerry OS 7 handsets are not equipped with.

[via Business Insider]

The BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 is the thinnest BlackBerry yet, with many improvements over its predecessors while keeping the same form factor that BlackBerry fans have come to love. It now has a high-resolution 2.8-inch multi-touch display, a faster 1.2GHz processor, a larger QWERTY keyboard, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash capable of 720p HD video capture, and 8GB of onboard memory expandable with up to 32GB microSD.

We’ve known that the 9900 model is set for a GSM network, while the 9930 was to be a CDMA capable world phone, but what we didn’t know for sure was that it would be running on Verizon’s 4G LTE network—the nation’s fastest. With the video, the carrier has just confirmed this bit of good news, although they did not give any specifics on pricing and date of availability.

[via CrackBerry]

RIM is keen to point out that the Bold 9900/9930 is the thinnest smartphone its produced to-date, at 10.5mm thick, and it’s certainly slim in the hand. The familiar Bold profile of a brushed metal bezel and tapered, textured back panel is evident, and the whole thing balances neatly between feeling solid and simultaneously lightweight. These aren’t production units, obviously, but the build quality is decent.

The combination of touch and QWERTY is something we’ve seen before in the Torch, but their close proximity on the Bold 9900/9930 makes it more straightforward to reach up and tap the display with a thumb. The 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen may be on the small side – the Torch 9800 has a 3.2-inch, 480 x 360 panel – but at 640 x 480 it packs far more pixels and looks considerably smoother and slicker. Still, it can be a little difficult to navigate because of its size, especially if you have big fingers.

BlackBerry 7 OS’ main selling point is browser performance, with a new JavaScript compiler, HTML5 Video support and other changes. As you can see in our demo video, it’s a big step up from what you find on BlackBerry 6 devices, though we’ll need to spend more time with the OS to figure out whether it’ll allow RIM to catch up with iOS and Android. It certainly feels smoother and more responsive than previous versions, though the Bold 9900/9930′s 1.2GHz processor and 768MB of memory don’t hurt there either.

The flip side of those advances is that RIM has effectively axed legacy support for its previous smartphones. There’ll be no BlackBerry 7 OS update to the Torch 9800 or other recent devices, a sign – RIM claims – of how closely integrated the new software is with the hardware in its 2011 range of handsets. That may infuriate current owners, but it should also please analysts and others who have been calling out for RIM to step up to the Android and iOS plate and compete more aggressively.

There’s still time for RIM to polish the Bold 9900/9930 before its summer release, but while the smartphone itself may be a reasonably compelling piece of hardware, it’s the gaps in the company’s line-up that start to look concerning now. With no upgrades to OS 7 it means RIM needs to launch a whole new range of devices; it can’t rely on reworking older phones. How quickly it can do that may make the difference between remaining relevant and losing market share.

BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 Hands-on:

(very sorry about the in-and-out focus everyone!)

BlackBerry 7 Hands-on:

BlackBerry 7 Facebook and Mail app demo:

[vms 55c253d0e60dbfa71672]

There’s also 8GB of storage, as well as a microSD card slot and a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording capabilities. WiFi b/g/n on the 2.4GHz band and a/n on the 5GHz band, along with Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and GPS/A-GPS round out the main specs. The Bold 9900 is triband HSPA+ and quadband GSM/EDGE, for GSM carriers, while the Bold 9930 is dualband CDMA/EVDO Rev.A along with dualband HSPA+ and quadband GSM/EDGE, for CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint who want World Phones their subscribers can use abroad.

A 1230 mAh battery, accelerometer, digital compass and proximity sensor finish off the main specifications. NFC is onboard, which will eventually allow the Bold to be paired with compatible accessories simply by tapping them together. The two handsets measure 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm and weigh approximately 130g, and will go on sale on multiple carriers globally beginning this summer.

As for BlackBerry OS 7, that has a much-boosted browser with a just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compiler, support for HTML5 video and Liquid Graphics. There’s also BlackBerry Balance, which promises to separate out personal content – such as email – from business; that will allow blocks on forwarding work email outside of the company, prevent personal apps from accessing business data, remote wipes, and other changes.

We’re still waiting for RIM’s official photography, and will update when it’s available.

Press Release:

RIM Introduces New BlackBerry Bold Smartphones

New BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones are the Thinnest and Most Powerful BlackBerry Smartphones yet, Featuring the Renowned BlackBerry Keyboard Together with a Brilliant Touch Screen and the New BlackBerry 7 OS

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today unveiled two new BlackBerry® BoldTM smartphones. The high-performance BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a stunning and iconic design that integrates an incredibly easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard with a brilliant, high resolution, capacitive touch screen. These exceptional smartphones are built on a new, performance-driven platform powered by the BlackBerry® 7 operating system and designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity for users around the world.
“The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones and BlackBerry 7 OS are inspired by millions of customers around the world who want the ultimate combination of performance, functionality and style,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “These fully-loaded and beautifully crafted smartphones offer a highly refined user experience with blazingly fast performance, a brilliant touch screen and an outstanding typing experience.”
Thin, Sleek, Iconic Design
Distinguished by an iconic design and the industry’s best keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature the premium materials and finishes that characterize the BlackBerry Bold line. Both models have a lustrous exterior with a brushed stainless steel frame and a high-gloss glass-weave backplate. They are also the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones yet, at only 10.5mm. The quality materials and optimized design of the new BlackBerry Bold smartphones are instantly evident when held in the hand.
Performance-Driven
These BlackBerry Bold smartphones are built on a new performance-driven platform featuring a 1.2 GHz processor, Liquid GraphicsTM touch screen, and support for high speed 4G/HSPA+ wide area wireless networks.
The Liquid Graphics touch screen, a key new feature powered by BlackBerry 7, delivers fast, smooth performance for highly responsive touch-based navigation, web browsing, pictures, video and graphics intensive games*. Offering up to 60 frames-per-second performance with instant UI action/response, Liquid Graphics gives customers a visually rich and immersive experience that’s responsive to the touch. In addition, the smartphones feature brilliant displays with an eye- popping 287 dpi to deliver crisp, stunning visuals.
May 2, 2011
The new platform also provides support for 4G networks; the 9900 supports HSPA+ connectivity, and the 9930 supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and HSPA+ global roaming on GSM/UMTS networks.
NFC
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that will enable many rich and exciting experiences. Through NFC, users will be able to, for example, pair the BlackBerry Bold to an accessory or read information such as a web link from smart tags by simply tapping their BlackBerry Bold to an NFC tag (eg. Smart Poster).
Augmented Reality
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a built-in compass (magnetometer) to support location-based services and augmented reality. APIs will allow third party developers to take advantage of the new functionality within their applications. The new smartphones will also include Wikitude, the leader in mobile augmented reality, which overlays contextual information on what the user sees through the smartphone’s camera viewfinder.
HD Video
The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones support up to 720p HD video recording and playback. Users can easily share their videos directly from the smartphone or sync videos, as well as music and photos, to their computer using Media Sync in the BlackBerry® Desktop Software.
BlackBerry 7
The BlackBerry 7 OS is designed to power the new performance-driven BlackBerry Bold platform. It provides an easier and faster user experience with improved browsing, voice- activated searches, the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, as well as additional personal and productivity apps out of the box.
The BlackBerry Browser has been significantly enhanced in BlackBerry 7. In addition to the general performance gains of Liquid Graphics, which helps deliver faster rendering and seamless panning and zooming, the BlackBerry 7 browser includes a new JIT (just in time) JavaScript compiler to improve the load time speed of web pages. The new browser also includes support for additional HTML5 elements, such as HTML5 Video.
Building upon the Universal Search feature introduced in BlackBerry 6, BlackBerry 7 expands the capability to include voice-activated search. This new capability makes it even easier and more convenient to search for content on the smartphone or web.
BlackBerry 7 also integrates BlackBerry® BalanceTM, which separates personal content from corporate content on the smartphone, giving users the freedom and flexibility to use the handset for personal email, Facebook®, Twitter®, multimedia, games and other apps while satisfying the very real need for corporate data to be highly secure and manageable. BlackBerry Balance works in conjunction with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which provides a number of unique IT policy controls such as wiping only corporate data from the handset or blocking work related content and apps from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts.
With BlackBerry 7 on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, users will also get the full version of Docs To Go® with all “premium” features enabled out-of-the-box so that users can easily work with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone. Docs To Go also includes a native PDF viewer.
Availability
The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are expected to be available from carriers around the world beginning this summer.
For additional information please visit www.blackberry.com/touchbold
APPENDIX
BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Specifications
• 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm, approximately 130 g
• 2.8″ capacitive touch screen display – VGA (640×480), 287 dpi resolution
• Ultra-easy QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad
• 1.2 GHz Processor, 768 MB RAM
• 8 GB on-board memory, plus microSD slot supporting up to 32 GB cards
• NFC technology
• 5.0 MP camera, supports 720p HD video recording
• Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), Digital Compass (Magnetometer), Proximity Sensor
• Built-in GPS / aGPS
• Dual-Band Wi-Fi® – 802.11 b/g/n at 2.4 GHz and 802.11 a/n at 5 GHz
• Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support
• Wireless Network support:
o 9900:Tri-BandHSPA+,Quad-BandGSM/EDGE o 9930:Dual-BandCDMA/EV-DORev.A,Dual-BandHSPA+,Quad-Band
GSM/EDGE
• 1230 mAh removable, rechargeable battery
• BlackBerry 7 OS

The program has already begun inviting select customers for the trial. Only customers with BlackBerry smartphones will be able to test out the new service. A new battery cover and a microSD card is being sent out to testers to make their existing smartphones NFC-enabled. The following phones are supported: BlackBerry Curve 8520, 8530; BlackBerry Bold 9000, 9650, 9700; and BlackBerry Tour 9630.

Payments using the NFC-enabled BlackBerry phones can be made at any location that accepts Mastercard’s PayPass. The trial program is scheduled to start this Spring.

[via BGR]

Video demo after the cut

Otherwise the hardware is believed to be pretty much in line with what’s currently available on the 9700.  Availability is expected to be on AT&T and T-Mobile in the US.

While we were somewhat unconvinced by the BlackBerry 6 experience on the Torch 9800 earlier this month, the OS does look a little more suited to keyboard-only devices.  Considering the majority of RIM’s range lacks a touchscreen, that’s probably no bad thing; the company has previously confirmed that the 9700, 9650 and Pearl 3G will all get OS 6 updates.

[via Unwired View]

The Best of R3 Media

Froyo Landing on Motorola Droids in July and August: At the announcement for the Droid X today, it was made perfectly clear that the update to Android 2.2, for the Droid X and the original Droid, was coming by the end of the Summer. And now, thanks to some leaked direct images from an internal Verizon Wireless source, we are starting to get a bit more of a clearer image. The original Droid is apparently getting the update to Froyo a month ahead of the Droid X — it’s expected to launch at the end of July. As for the Droid X? That’s coming at the end of August, apparently. [via Android Community]

Parrot AR.Drone Hands-On: The Parrot AR.Drone is definitely one of the most talked about, and heavily wanted items on the planet right now. And, thanks to our charms here at SlashGear, we were able to get some hands-on time with the new-fangled device. You’ll be able to control the Drone from your iPhone or iPod Touch (that includes the iPad, too), and there’s even an Android application coming some time in the future. There will be interactive games that you’ll be able to “play” on the mobile controller, with more games coming from an open source approach later, after the device launches later this year. Check out the other details, pictures, as well as the video through the link. [via SlashGear]

BlackBerry 9650 Heading to US Cellular: As CDMA-based devices go, the BlackBerry lineage is a breed that gets passed around a lot. No surprise here, but the device that’s already made an appearance on Verizon Wireless and the Sprint Network is making its way to the sixth largest wireless carrier in the United States, better known as the regional carrier U.S. Cellular. It’s launching some time in early August, but other than that, we’ve got no more information, as US Cellular is being remarkably quiet on the launch. Guess they have to have their surprises, too, right? [via PhoneMag]

The Dredge ‘Net

Zune Music Comes to Xbox 360, No You Can’t Listen to It While You Play Games: Long title, because it deserves one. Not because it’s good news, though. If you’ve got your hands on an Xbox 360, and you’re one that’s used Last.fm before, then you know that music played from Last.fm can’t be played while you’re playing games, or anything else for that matter. That’s right — you’re console can’t multitask that certain application. In any event, Zune is just about ready to make it so you can use your Zune Pass on your 360, but it’ll work just like Last.fm — no music multitasking. But, then again, if you’ve got a Zune Pass, then you probably have a computer and the Zune Software, which means you can just connect your computer to the Xbox 360, thanks to wireless syncing, and play your music that way, right from the media player. So . . . Problem solved? [via Gizmodo]

Nintendo 3DS May Do 3D Video Chat, How Cool is That? Yes, that rhymes. Excuse us, we’re in a curious mood tonight. Anyway! Apparently, Nintendo’s dropped some hints that 3D video chat can, and will be done on the Nintendo 3DS. No idea how, considering that the 3D cameras are on the outside of the device, but hey, Nintendo’s obviously got some ideas. Now, we make it happen. We want 3D video chat! [via Kotaku]

Trinity Euphoria Yacht is Real, Costs A Lot: Yachts are expensive. There’s definitely no denying that. And, the Trinity Euphoria is $39,000,000 worth of 168-feet goodness. It can comfortably hold 10 people in its five state rooms. There’s a pair of 2,250-hp engines, too, and they can send the yacht on 3,000 nautical miles on a tank of fuel. That’s beyond impressive. [via The Awesomer]

There’s also a copy of VZ Navigator – including international functionality – and push-to-talk support, while memory consists of 512MB of RAM and a microSD slot (a 2GB card is included).  Bluetooth 2.1, a 3.5mm headphone jack and 2.45-inch 480 x 360 display round out the key hardware features.

The Verizon Bold 9650 will show up online for purchase from tomorrow, and in stores from June 10th.  A camera-free version will also be on offer, and of course you’ll need to sign up to both a voice and data plan.

Press Release:

Get Bold With The BlackBerry Bold 9650 Smartphone From Verizon Wireless
Global-Ready Smartphone Offers New GlobalAccess Connect Service

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless today announced that the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 smartphone will be available to order online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning June 3 and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning June 10. Running on the largest and most reliable wireless voice and 3G data network in the United States, the BlackBerry Bold is the first global phone from Verizon Wireless to support GlobalAccess Connect, allowing customers to tether their BlackBerry Bold to a notebook or netbook and use it as a modem for wireless Internet access in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Key features:

Optical trackpad for easy and fluid navigation
Built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g)
Push to Talk feature – Allows customers to leverage Verizon Wireless’ 3G network for instant two-way communication with up to 50 people with the touch of a button
VZ Navigator® version 6 – Gives customers access to free mapping and integration with Bing to sort searches by relevance and a new option to choose day, week or monthly subscriptions
VZ Navigator Global capabilities – Provides turn-by-turn directions and maps in English while navigating through more than 20 destinations, including Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. This easy-to-use application also marks distances in miles or kilometers and finds restaurants, gas stations, banks/ATMs and other popular spots using the Local Search feature
Additional specifications:

Stylish design (4.40” x 2.44” x .55” and 4.8 oz.) with glossy black finish and chrome highlights
Mobile e-mail and messaging capabilities
Large (2.45”) high-resolution display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi) that displays pictures, videos and Web pages with contrast and detail
3.2 megapixel camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
Advanced media player for videos, pictures and music; a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack; and support for the Bluetooth® Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
BlackBerry® Media Sync to easily sync music as well as photos*.
Easy mobile access to Facebook®, MySpace and Flickr® as well as popular instant messaging services, including BlackBerry® Messenger
Support for BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB microSD™ HC cards (a 2 GB card is pre-installed)
Full HTML Web browser, streaming audio and video via RTSP
Built-in GPS with support for location-based applications and services as well as geotagging
Premium phone features, including voice-activated dialing, speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.1)
Support for high-speed EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America as well as single band UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad
Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery for up to 5 hours of CDMA talk time
Pricing and availability:

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone will be available for order online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning June 3, and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning June 10 for $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. A non-camera version of the phone will also be available for order online beginning June 3. Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
Verizon Wireless customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide Talk plan or Nationwide Talk & Text plan and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.
GlobalAccess Connect plans are available for $65 monthly access for 5 GB allowance in the United States and Canada ($0.05/MB overage) and 100 MB allowance in select countries ($5.12/MB overage). There is also a $155 monthly access option that offers 5 GB allowance in the United States and Canada and 200 MB allowance in select countries, with the same overage rates as the $65 monthly option.
Customers can add Push to Talk for $5 per month per line and download the service from the Application Center or through VZStart on their handsets. VZ Navigator is available for $2.99 for daily use, $4.99 for seven-day use or $9.99 for monthly subscription.
For information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
*Music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies. Photo syncing is currently only available for Windows-based PCs.

That’s handy, because the BlackBerry browser right now is somewhat lacking in comparison to what’s available on other platforms.  The photos – courtesy of The Cellular Guru – also confirm that it uses a touchscreen display along with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard; that ‘board is apparently the same as you’d find on the BlackBerry 9700.

Frankly, this is getting more and more interesting the more we see of it, and we’re looking forward to RIM making the Bold 9800 official.  According to the most recent rumors we can expect that to happen prior to a June release for the smartphone on AT&T.

[via CrackBerry]

The BlueBerry emulates the Bold look pretty well, though it seems that some buttons are either misplaced or omitted altogether.  There’s also no trackball – just a silver button in its place.  The phone has a QVGA display, a microSD slot and spots for two SIM cards.  Yep, it looks just like a BlackBerry Bold – don’t expect it to do any cool BlackBerry stuff, though.

This beauty will cost you $164.99 and is available from China Grabber, amongst other shady knock-off phone dealers.  We’ll let you know if we hear about any more feature-packed BlueBerry devices in the works.

[via Engadget]

Officially supported at launch are the Bold, Curve 8900, 8820, Curve 8320, Pearl Flip 8220 and the Pearl 8120. Versions for the US, Canada and the UK will be available, all as a free download during the beta period.  If you’re unsure about whether your BlackBerry is compatible, there’s an online checker tool here.

Of course, the requirements for non-WiFi use are a 3G connection, but we’ve heard on the unofficial grapevine that the app will work with EDGE-only BlackBerry handsets running OS 4.5.  The issue here is widely varying connection speeds, so don’t expect a 100-percent perfect user experience using the slower connection.

Elsewhere, movement in the netbook and ultraportable segments showed once again that niche has the edge over mainstream notebooks, at least when it comes to interest.  ASUS announced their N20a 12-inch ultraportable amid rumors of a ZX-series of 12-inch “grown up Eee PC” notebooks, while WiBrain’s I1 UMPC put a less-than-pretty face on some serious battery life.  Meanwhile, we reviewed the Sony VAIO TT, more than four grands’ worth of Blu-ray and SSD-toting beauty.

In gaming, Nintendo’s DSi made a huge splash in Japan with just about every one of the 200,000 consoles the company had prepared for launch-weekend selling.  Since everyone else will have to wait until Summer next year to get their hands on the DSi, we attempted to distract ourselves with a preview of the soon-to-released Microsoft New Xbox Experience for the 360, followed by a review of Gateway’s FX6800-01e gaming PC, one of the first machines to use the Intel Core i7 “Nehalem” processor.

Apple was no stranger in the headlines this week, for better and for worse.  In the former category comes confirmation from AT&T’s CEO that an official iPhone tethering solution will be offered soon, together with word from Apple themselves that customers hoping for a new Mac mini should “be patient”.  It won’t be this year, though, as the company is insisting their holiday line-up is complete.  In the more worrying category is news that some new MacBook owners are experiencing issues with their trackpad missing clicks; it’s hoped a software update will address the problem.

Still, Apple are sitting pretty in the financial stakes, which is more than you can say about NVIDIA and Sprint.  Both companies released their Q3 2008 financial reports this week, and both had little to crow about. 

In other reviews, we took a quick look at the AT&T QuickFire, unboxed the Microsoft Zune 120GB Gears of War 2 Special Edition, and enjoyed some serious playtime with WowWee’s Rovio WiFi-enabled webcam.  In fact, we had just enough time left over to make some holiday gift suggestions to TopTechGifts: if you’re stumped for some present ideas, make sure to check out their list.

In the box you can find a set of headphones, a charger, USB data cable, Leather pouch and a microfiber cleaning cloth. First thing you will notice is the BlackBerry Storm’s large 3” screen. The storm has a nice 3.2-megapixel camera that beats the iPhone’s 2-megapixel camera.  The UI is reported to be more similar to that of the Bold with the addition of a few Vodafone add-ons here and there. From the pictures you can see a nicely spaced full QWERTY keyboard that switches to a short keyboard in portrait mode giving users the choice.

[Via CrackBerry]

As well as requiring a two-year commitment to at least the $79.99 per month 1350 Rollover plan, to qualify for the ‘free’ Bold you also need to sign up to the $30 BlackBerry Personal plan and AT&T’s $20 unlimited messaging plan.  That works out to at least $129 per month, which over the course of the contract means you’re paying at least $3,096.

AT&T, meanwhile, will charge you $299.99 for the BlackBerry Bold, but don’t insist on the high monthly tariff or the unlimited messaging option.  That means you can pick the $39.99 plan, together with the $30 BlackBerry Personal option, for a total contract price of $1,978.76.  Expensive, yes – and you’re getting fewer included minutes, messages and other goodies for your money – but if you’re not a heavy user then it works out cheaper than Walmart.

[via Gear Diary]

And as far as tech announcements go, today is a pretty slow day, I’d venture to say. And the Bold has been hotly anticipated. But wow. Election day? That’s the day you choose to release this smartphone? I don’t know, but that’s just a bit odd.

Anyway, if you’ve been wanting this phone, you can get it now. Plus, it’s actually a pretty great device and is by far the best QWERTY-equipped phone RIM has produced to date. Not to mention the screen is bright and colorful and it just plain feels good in the hand.

Roughly the same size as the BlackBerry Curve, at 4.5 x 2.6 x 0.6-inches and 4.7oz, the Bold is constructed from sturdy black plastic with slight chrome edging (which has caused critical comparisons to the Apple iPhone but, more accurately, is merely the general trend of the moment) and a somewhat unusual leather-effect back plate.  In the hand it feels solid and flex-free.  RIM regulars waited with baited breath to see how this new 2008 design language would affect the keyboard, and thankfully the BlackBerry DNA hasn’t been forgotten; backlit, with firm and quiet action, the QWERTY is a pleasure to use.  The trackball is more of an acquired taste, meanwhile, and you could argue that it still offers no great improvement over a joystick or D-pad.  Still, it’s relatively straightforward to use.

Where the Bold obviously stands out is its display, both in terms of the hardware and the new OS.  Measuring 2.6-inches and running at 480 x 320 resolution, it prompts all the superlatives you’d like to hear about a screen: bright, vivid colors with rich saturation and crisp edges.  The top-level menus have been reworked in BlackBerry OS 4.5 with new, more stylized iconography and a more contemporary font.  Die-hards may find the graphics a little harder to decipher at first, but we think new users will prefer the simpler pictures and less “Windows 98″ look.

Move further into the menu structure and the reworked design begins to peter out.  Some of the option pages look straight out of older BlackBerries, which is a disappointment.  Thankfully the new font goes a long way to beautify the experience, but we expect RIM will have to further develop the GUI in future iterations of the OS, not least to do justice to the screen.

A BlackBerry is, first and foremost, a messaging device, and most earnest users will first turn to the email client of any new RIM handset.  Here OS 4.5 again works its magic, with HTML support, the ability to view attachments and in-line images.  Much of the rendering is done off-handset on the BlackBerry email servers, and while we say HTML it’s not exactly full support.  Still, basic formatting (such as bold, italic and underline) and included images are arguably all you need on a mobile device, and the rendering speed benefits are pleasant.

Attachment handling is courtesy of Documents to Go, from DataViz, offering compatibility with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.  RTF and PDF files are also supported, though only as attachments, but all can be edited on-device.  The Professional edition of the app, a roughly $70 upgrade, offers spellchecking and advanced formatting options, among other things, but we can’t exactly see ourselves doing major editing on any smartphone.

Second, perhaps, to messaging on modern smartphones is the browser, and it’s an area where RIM always fell a little short.  The Bold’s new browser certainly has a decent stab at catching up, although it will never be as intuitive as on a touchscreen device.  With the trackball used to browse – in either Page View, with horizontal and vertical scrollbars, or Column View, reformatted into one long page – and clicking to zoom in, it’s a perfectly serviceable approach, but not one that will draw squeals of joy from iPhone users.  Still, useful tweaks such as a dedicated search box querying Google, Wikipedia and Dictionary.com, together with the more speedy access to bookmarks, mean browsing is no longer the BlackBerry’s Achilles heel.

With a screen like the Bold’s, poor media functionality would be an unforgivable transgression.  RIM escape major crucifixion by virtue of a broad list of supported video codecs – AVI, MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, WMV and 3GP – and smooth performance from the capable 624MHz Xscale processor.  The audio player is another satisfactory effort, with new abilities to build playlists on-device, together with create auto-playlists based on ID3 tags.  A pleasant surprise is the built-in speaker, which is full-bodied and eminently capable of annoying an entire train carriage of fellow commuters; they’d be happier if you used the standard 3.5mm headset jack.

The camera is another 2-megapixel offering, on paper no different from that of the BlackBerry Curve but in practice, we found the images were sharper and with more accurate colors.  The Bold’s GPS can be set to automatically geo-tag each captured image, while saving them – whether to the handset’s 1GB of internal memory or to a microSD card – takes less than a second.  You’ll not be throwing away your normal digicam, but at least you’ll recognize what it is you actually tried to take the photo of.

Connectivity is certainly a strong point for the Bold, with 3G HSDPA good for up to 7.2Mbps (network depending) plus WiFi b/g and Bluetooth.  Thankfully in their beauty makeover RIM haven’t thrown out decent call performance, with the Bold proving tenacious with signals other handsets found less viable.  Audio quality is very good, both on the phone itself and via Bluetooth headsets.

Battery, meanwhile, could have been the Bold’s undoing.  Regular leaks during its development suggested a device let down by poor power management; thankfully, RIM has obviously addressed it.  A full charge of the 1,500mAh pack is good for a couple of days use, with 3G turned on and only sporadic WiFi access.

Let’s get one thing clear: this is RIM’s best QWERTY-equipped BlackBerry ever.  Existing BlackBerry owners will find little to disappoint them, and the Bold makes a strong argument for users fresh to the platform.  The snap judgment that everyone tends to be guilty of making is “how does it compare to the iPhone 3G?”; that’s a poor comparison, as the two devices are so different.  Where once a BlackBerry was little more than a business tool, in the shape of the Bold it has the ability to let its hair down after hours; decent media performance and attractive software make all the difference.  Leave the Apple battle to the BlackBerry Storm; the Bold is taking on hardware keyboard rivals and it’s shining.

Related: BlackBerry Bold for AT&T Unboxing and Hands-on

If we’ve been having fun, then it’s perhaps almost as much of a good time as ASUS must be having this week.  Impressive financial performance for the last quarter was in no small part aided by the Eee PC series, and ASUS took the opportunity to reveal their plans for a $200 netbook in 2009.  They’ll also concentrate on their 10-inch models – such as the new 10002HA – as well as giving the touchscreen desktop Eee Top a battery and wireless peripherals.

They won’t have it all their own way, though, not if rivals have anything to say about it.  Samsung’s NC10 has finally seen its first major review and come out smelling of roses, while the upcoming Dell Inspiron Mini 12 looks like to storm the sales charts.  Meanwhile, the HP Mini 1000 – sequel to the highly-esteemed Mini-Note 2133 – has arrived and is turning out to be equally as impressive.

Elsewhere, Microsoft’s Windows 7 pre-beta has been released – check out the overview here and the preliminary netbook build here – and the company’s research arm has been showing off their SecondLight dual-display modification of the multitouch Surface.  Meanwhile Google has released Google Earth for the iPhone and, some judicious investigation has revealed, is planning Street View functionality come firmware v2.2.  In fact it’s been a good week for iPhone software: Sonos released a controller app that lets you remotely operate their multi-room audio system.

Finally, we’ve seen a great mod in the shape of an Eee PC based carputer, the launch of Mitsubishi’s incredible LASERVUE HDTV, and the first confirmed unlocking solution for the T-Mobile G1 (complete with an opportunity to win a few codes of your own).  Oh, and we tested out Iomega’s StorCenter ix2, 1TB of RAID-1 storage with super-simple setup. 

Keep reading SlashGear for the full HTC Touch HD review, the BlackBerry Bold review and one or two more developments we’re not allowed to tell you about yet…

My initial impressions: it’s definitely bold, beautiful and totally different from anything that RIM’s pumped out in the past.  The new OS is fast, while the QWERTY keyboard is surprisingly easy to use and the device is as a whole is well proportionate.  The Bold’s new 480 by 320 HVDA color display is crisp and clear.

The addition of the 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome addition, while out of the box support for my SanDisk 16GB microSD memory card is a huge bonus.  The memory card slot no longer lives under the battery so it’s easily accessible.

The BlackBerry Bold goes on sale on Tuesday November 4, which is when I plan on completing my full review.

The scheme includes hotspots at Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and other locations.  As well as individual customers, those with AT&T small business broadband plans, AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet plans and with qualified AT&T LaptopConnect plans will also enjoy the access. 

BlackBerry users will need to have either a BlackBerry Bold, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 or the BlackBerry 8820 to qualify for the free WiFi offer.  AT&T say they will roll out the scheme to further devices at a later date, but have not been more specific.  I imagine there are plenty of Windows Mobile smartphone users wondering when – or if – they’ll get a share of the access.

Press Release:

AT&T iPHONE CUSTOMERS TO RECEIVE FREE ACCESS TO NATION’S LARGEST WI-FI NETWORK

DALLAS, Oct. 30, 2008 —There are now 17,000 more reasons for smart shoppers to buy a smartphone from AT&T. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced it will begin offering free AT&T Wi-FiSM service to current and new iPhone 3G and iPhone customers. AT&T has the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network, with more than 17,000 hot spots including Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and thousands of other locations.

AT&T plans to make the offer available to more mobile devices in the future. Additional details, including instructions on how to access the hot spots, are available at www.attwifi.com.

“AT&T is committed to providing its customers with the best connectivity at the best value,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer of AT&T’s mobility business unit. “We have the industry’s leading lineup of smartphones, along with the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network. It only makes sense for us to bring these unique capabilities together for our customers.”

Free Wi-Fi access is also available with all AT&T small business broadband plans, AT&T
U-verseSM High Speed Internet plans and with qualified AT&T LaptopConnect plans. For customers without an AT&T broadband or smartphone plan, Wi-Fi subscriptions are available for $19.99 a month, providing worldwide access to both AT&T and partner locations.

+ + +

AT&T BLACKBERRY CUSTOMERS TO RECEIVE FREE ACCESS TO NATION’S LARGEST WI-FI NETWORK

DALLAS, Oct. 30, 2008 —There are now 17,000 more reasons for smart shoppers to buy a smartphone from AT&T. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced it will begin offering free AT&T Wi-FiSM service to current and new customers of select smartphones, including the new BlackBerry® BoldTM, available Nov. 4. AT&T has the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network, with more than 17,000 hot spots including Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and thousands of other locations.

AT&T is offering the free Wi-Fi service to customers with unlimited data plans. In addition to the BlackBerry Bold, the BlackBerry® PearlTM 8120 and the BlackBerry® 8820 will follow later this year, and AT&T plans to make the offer available to more mobile devices in the future. Additional details, including instructions on how to access the hot spots, are available at www.attwifi.com.

“AT&T is committed to providing its customers with the best connectivity at the best value,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer of AT&T’s mobility business unit. “We have the industry’s leading lineup of smartphones, along with the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network. It only makes sense for us to bring these unique capabilities together for our customers.”

Free Wi-Fi access is also available with all AT&T small business broadband plans, AT&T
U-verseSM High Speed Internet plans and with qualified AT&T LaptopConnect plans. For customers without an AT&T broadband or smartphone plan, Wi-Fi subscriptions are available for $19.99 a month, providing worldwide access to both AT&T and partner locations.

If you’re super desperate for a BlackBerry Bold and for some reason want to pay more money, you can do so from CompUSA for a staggering $799.99. For some, it might be worth it to have an unlocked Bold.

And if you’re feeling especially, “bold” (ha-ha), you can add on an extended service plan for $149.98. Interestingly enough, CompUSA says they have the Bold in stock right this moment and that it’s available to be shipped today. So, if you’re super impatient and can’t wait for Best Buy to start shipping or you just can’t deal with a contract, you can order up a BlackBerry Bold right this second.

Marvell’s 624MHz PXA9xx integrated baseband processor is the single most expensive component, at $34.34, although it brings to the Bold not only applications processing but the digital and analog basebands.  It’s followed by the 2.65-inch 320 x 480 display, supplied by Samsung, which comes in at $16, while the company’s semiconductor arm takes third place with Bold’s solid-state memory (at $10.45).

Of course, parts and manufacture are only one aspect of a handset’s overall cost for a company, and RIM would argue that the final sticker priced for the smartphone also has to cover development and licencing.  Still, even with those factors accounted for, RIM are making a healthy profit on each Bold they sell, whether it’s unsubsidized or sold through a carrier.

AT&T have already announced that the Bold will be available on November 4th, so that delivery timetable roughly fits in.  The carrier is asking $299.99 for the handset, though that does require buyers to sign up to a new two-year agreement.

The Bold has both a full QWERTY keyboard and 3G, together with WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP wireless stereo support.  Those who pick up the handset contract-free will need to have some sort of BlackBerry server plan with the carrier they eventually use it with, otherwise they could find the messaging features limited.

[thanks Alex!]

Capacity can be augmented via microSDHC cards up to 16GB in size, both for photos and video shot on the integrated camera and for pictures, music and video loaded to play on the Bold’s media player.  Of course, it will also include the usual BlackBerry messaging suite, including push-email and synchronized calendar, together wit AT&T’s streaming music and video, AT&T Navigator with turn-by-turn directions and use of over 17,000 WiFi hotspots across the US.

Bluetooth 2.0 supports the A2DP wireless stereo profile, while there’s speaker-independent voice control and the BlackBerry Desktop Manager app.  The BlackBerry Bold will be available on November 4th.

The handset is said to resemble the BlackBerry Bold, at least in terms of specifications, and be similar to the Curve 8900 in size.  However the display has gone finger-friendly, in the shape of a touchscreen of unspecified nature – it could well be a capacitive panel similar to that on the Storm – which ticks a whole lot of boxes for the BlackBerry-faithful.

No word of a release date for the QWERTY/touchscreen handset, but BGR seems to suggest it’s sooner rather than later.  Certainly it would fit well in the current line-up, giving RIM the opportunity to sate those would-be upgraders who like touch-sensitivity but are too firmly wedded to their keyboards to consider the Storm.

With the same design language as the upcoming BlackBerry Storm handset, only with a more traditional keypad rather than a touchscreen, the Bold has a 480×320 pixel resolution, 65,000-color display, quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and triband HSDPA/UMTS (850/1900/2100).  It also has WiFi a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (with support for the A2DP wireless stereo profile) and integrated GPS.

Although AT&T are yet to officially announce availability, The Boy Genius managed to score a screenshot of their Best Buy’s systems confirming an October 26th launch.  We’re guesstimating a $300 price tag, together with a monthly BlackBerry data package.

Grown up laptops made headlines too, courtesy of Acer and OCZ.  The former finally rolled out their Aspire Gemstone Blue media laptops, which boast true high-definition screens among other things, while the latter unveiled a DIY gaming notebook in which you select your own components.  Whether there’s a market for it remains to be seen.

In gaming news, there was happiness for Wii owners as Nintendo launched WiiWare, a download service offering mini-games.  It kicked off with just six titles available, but expect that number to bloom once developers get to grips with the system.  For PC gamers, though, there’s been disappointment, as Lucasarts explained they wouldn’t be releasing a PC version of the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game.  It seems the PC’s flexibility has been its downfall here; the studio claimed the broad spectrum of computing capabilities meant standardising the experience was impossible.  If reading that makes you angry, then how about a bash on the Guitar Hero IV drum kit, which was spotted for the first time this week.

Elsewhere, we’ve seen Microsoft’s cheaper alternative to the Surface multitouch table, TouchWall (which they’re still refusing to release), a Blue Phase LCD panel prototype from Samsung, and leaked information on the ATI Radeon HD 4800-series video cards which should launch next month.  Bizarrely, there’s also been a set of jet-propelled personal rocket wings and a solar-powered bra (and here’s me not even realising bras needed to be powered – oh, the relentless march of technology!)

RIM held up their hands this week, waving an official launch of the BlackBerry Bold, the phone previously known as the 9000-series and the company’s first 3G device.  Despite review handsets being far from anybody’s hands, the debate as to whether it’s an iPhone-killer has already started in earnest.  Apple, though, are too busy preparing for WWDC ’08, with a confirmed Steve Jobs keynote and an ongoing 3G iPhone rumor, that’ll kick off June 9th.  We’ll have live keynote coverage over at iPhone Buzz, so make sure to join us then!

We also reached a personal milestone this week: 10,000 posts on SlashGear.  It’s taken a little under three years to reach that point, and in the meantime our family in the blogosphere has been growing.  We’ve a dedicated iPhone & Mac Tablet site, iPhone Buzz, and two cellphone sites; PHONE Magazine caters more to the North American market, while SlashPhone concentrates on Europe and Asia.  We’re really excited about what the next 10,000 posts on SlashGear might hold; thanks for reading!

The BlackBerry Bold features a 480×320 pixel resolution, 65,000-color display, a new design that looks much more elegant than previous BlackBerry models. The Bold sports curvier edges and a silver trim complementing the black casing. Flip it over, and you’ll find that RIM has added a leatherette texture to the back. The days of cheap and slippery plastic are gone. RIM intends to sell replaceable backplates in different colors, including blue, gray and red. The Bold weighs 4.7 ounces and measures 4.5-inches tall by 2.6-inches wide and only 0.5 inches deep. The blackberry Bold also has a new QWERTY keyboard that’s a more modernized version of the Curve. People who have used the new layout have commented that it’s pretty easy to use thanks to its “large-ish” buttons with some spacing between the keys.

As for wireless connectivity, the BlackBerry Bold is quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) in addition to HSDPA/UMTS (850/1900/2100). RIM also blessed the Bold with Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 (full support for A2DP) and integrated GPS with enhanced and assisted. A 624MHz Intel PXA270 processor powers the Bold. It’s twice the speed of previous models via a 312MHz processor. There’s also 128MB flash memory and 1GB of onboard memory, which is all supplemented by the microSD/SDHC expansion slot (supports up to 16GB cards).

For web junkies, the web browser has been improved with options to view pages in a full desktop HTML style or a mobile version. The trackball acts more like a mouse cursor and zoom in/out; allowing for moving around the screen easier. The 2.0 megapixel camera isn’t much to brag about but at least it lets you zoom up to 5x and record videos. The media player support numerous audio and video formats, including MP3, WMA, AAC, DivX4, and WMV3 files, and the phone is equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Bold has now got some pretty powerful speakers. Wahoo.

The Bold isn’t available because it’s still going through carrier certification, and yes, base on the power of deduction, the Bold will launch on AT&T network. If you’re salivating over the Bold, expect to shell out between $300 to $400. It should launch worldwide this summer.

[Product Page]