RIM's BlackBerry 8800 launched

If you weren't paying attention these last few months, RIM has been working on a new full-QWERTY BlackBerry, which is finally here: the 8800. Expect the 0.55-inch thick device on Cingular, er, AT&T, this month with quad-band EDGE (blah), a QVGA display, GPS, a microSD slot, Bluetooth 2.0, scroll ball, and a relatively uncomfortable looking keyboard. Still no word on price or an exact date, but we're sure you've got a pretty decent ballpark in your head for what this thing's going to run.

P.S. -What the hell is up with the WiFi indicator on screen? The press release and BlackBerry site certainly make no mention of it.

[Via Mobile Burn]

[resource @ Feb 12th 2007 2:40AM]

Nothing like an official phone announcement at 2:30 in the morning.

What is it? 8:30? 9:30 in Spain?

I expect some hot phones this week.

[stuckouteast @ Feb 12th 2007 2:40AM]

If you go back and look at the images the MobileBurn article link to, they no longer have the WiFi logo in them. Hmmm... The 8800 WiFi mystery (or, cover-up) continues!

[zazzy @ Feb 12th 2007 3:08AM]

umm, with all that fuss over the new "pearl" ball, why is the menu going vertical?
shouldn't we be free to move the ball in any direction?

[Ali @ Feb 12th 2007 3:14AM]

I don't believe that's the default theme...doesn't look cingy

[fitzage @ Feb 12th 2007 10:20AM]

That is one of the default themes on the pearl as well. What you are looking at is a quick access menu with the top several items on it. Once you hit the menu key, you get a full menu with everything laid out in a grid. Another available theme skips the quick list and gives you just the grid, which I prefer.

[Eric @ Feb 12th 2007 11:47PM]

You obviously haven't used a BlackBerry Pearl. The reason why the menu is "vertical" is because that's the way that particular theme is. There is another theme that puts all the icons on the screen and then you can get your fix of moving the pearl "every way".

[predator.z6 @ Mar 10th 2007 9:26PM]

ahem? "Cingular is now the New AT&T" cue theme song...definitely looks somewhat ATT to me!

[Drew @ Feb 12th 2007 3:36AM]

In regards to the WiFi indicator, after doing some research on various forums, i have discovered that this model will likely not have WiFi however they are set to release another version of the 8800 (perhaps 8850) in a few months that will have WiFi as well as a camera

[enzo @ Feb 12th 2007 4:27AM]

God I hope this and the Pearl are the beginning of the end of thick blackberries. After seeing the Dash or the Q, I wouldn't go near one of those antiquated brick-looking models.

[KR @ Feb 12th 2007 6:53AM]

"In regards to the WiFi indicator, after doing some research on various forums, i have discovered that this model will likely not have WiFi however they are set to release another version of the 8800 (perhaps 8850) in a few months that will have WiFi as well as a camera"

Just in time. Doesn't RIM notice that many people who wants a BlackBerry would never receive one from their employers, since they aren't sufficiently important on the company's hierarchy? And these people, unlike corporations, would accept happily paying a few bucks more to have a camera? They really should have more models with camera. If a company thinks it's a waste of money, they buy one without camera, but if a person thinks it's worth, he/she buys one with camera.

[Jeff @ Feb 12th 2007 7:34AM]

In the earliest of road maps, the 8800 series is supposed to have Wifi. As TBGR's states as far back as October, here

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2006/10/13/blackberry-8800-indigo-crimson-feature-preview-road-map/

The 88XX and 9XXX series are only supposed to be seperated by processor speed, storage and a camera (1.3MP). Other than this, they are both supposed to have Wifi (with UMA abilities), Media Player, GPS, Edge (Yawn...), noise/echo cancellation, etc.

I suppose this is just Cingular acting like Verizon and crippling their devices and charging the same price as a full featured device.

[Godzilla @ Feb 12th 2007 7:46AM]

The 8800 with camera (Crimson) will be out on T-Mobile in Q2 possibly.

[Eddie @ Feb 12th 2007 9:45AM]

The T-Mobile version will add a camera and Wi-Fi (for UMA).

[Grant @ Feb 12th 2007 12:17PM]

The Tmobile version will have WiFi to work with it's in home service through the router

[K. Sumitomo @ Feb 12th 2007 3:11PM]

edge (blah) ????? that´s a gsm-hater editor right there.

[Eric @ Feb 12th 2007 11:48PM]

You obviously haven't used a BlackBerry Pearl. The reason why the menu is "vertical" is because that's the way that particular theme is. There is another theme that puts all the icons on the screen and then you can get your fix of moving the pearl "every way"

[Cheema @ Feb 13th 2007 3:48AM]

Ah, it is time to return my Windows Mobile 5 based Cingular 8525 to Cingular. What a piece of crap. The specs
looked good, but man, is the software awful.

RIM knows how to make decent smartphones. I used to have the Blackberry 7290. That was a nice phone.

[New to the maddness @ Feb 13th 2007 12:23PM]

I will wait and I hope that t-mobile comes out with one.

[buttbutt @ Feb 13th 2007 3:04PM]

Um, why not umts (think that's the right FLA). It isn't like cing hasn't been rolling out that service for the past few months and even the 8700 is supposed to have the chipset in there.

[Diana @ Feb 13th 2007 3:05PM]

official release date w/ Cingular that I heard was Feb. 21st.

[Ron @ Feb 14th 2007 12:17AM]

just got word from my cingular Rep that the 8800 will be released Feb 22nd

[Bob @ Feb 14th 2007 11:15AM]

Where's the damn wi-fi!

[plantnv @ Feb 15th 2007 1:20PM]

I don't know if I can ever give up my side scroll wheel for this faddish scroll ball or whatever its called. I mean whats wrong with the side scroll wheel? Its so funchway in my hand. I guess I will be stuck with the 8700c forever now.

[plantnv @ Feb 15th 2007 1:23PM]

If a cell phone like this has WiFi doesn't that mean it can double as a Skype phone? And wouldn't that then mean you can effectively have 2 different phone numbers for a single GSM phone so long as your in a WiFi network???

[matt @ Feb 15th 2007 11:47PM]

its a cool phone until you have to dial a number that is given to you in word form, like 1800 Call....

[Johnny Powers @ Feb 20th 2007 8:56PM]

It really sucks how some providers make RIM disable the wifi so that you can't get any free data while you're at your house.

Data plans are already expensive, they should cut us a break while we are at own homes. Greedy bastards.