Blackberry 9000 to come in EV-DO and EDGE versions codenamed Javelin and Niagara

We already got a somewhat vague peek at the 3G-less Blackberry 9000, but it looks like there are actually two upcoming models of RIM's new hotness on the board -- the EDGE version we know about, codenamed Niagara, and an EV-DO edition codenamed Javelin, slated for Verizon. Boy Genius managed to unearth quite a bit more information on these two, and unsurprisingly, they're basically the same as the 9000 we've already seen. Both have a 480 x 320 half-VGA screen, GPS functionality and 3.2 megapixel camera, but only the EDGE-based Niagara gets Wi-Fi. Of course, there aren't any ship dates or prices in the offing yet, but hopefully we'll know more soon.

[amdou @ May 6th 2008 1:36PM]

awesome

[phanbouy @ May 6th 2008 1:45PM]

yeah that EDGE version's got me all wet

[scymrmn @ May 6th 2008 2:38PM]

seriously, thank god they are eluding the touchscreen pressure of the industry

[Anonymoose @ May 6th 2008 3:43PM]

uhh, isn't RIM trying to release two touchscreen phones? and why is having a touchscreen a bad thing? i find it annoying to have to scroll through a bunch of items on a page when i can just reach it with a single touch.

[Eric M. @ May 6th 2008 1:39PM]

Javelin? Niagara? I so want a job giving codenames!

[El Taco @ May 6th 2008 6:52PM]

they probably look at their 'word of the day' calendars to figure it out.

[Mile @ May 6th 2008 1:40PM]

Yuck. Blackberry. Yuck!

[seanyoung @ May 6th 2008 1:42PM]

Great when they finally are about to release the Curve for Sprint there are leaks of the next Blackberry. Sigh I can't win on Sprint.

[Adrian @ May 9th 2008 3:48PM]

Actually, you do win. Why? Because you get the better service option, while AT&T is stuck on EDGE, you get EVDO

[Lazaro17 @ May 6th 2008 2:52PM]

actually, the at&t version will have 3g. these are just two other flavors

[seanyoung @ May 6th 2008 3:03PM]

But I wouldn't be surprised if by the time this device comes out for Sprint there would already be a newer device almost ready to be released.

All I'm saying is RIM needs to give Sprint some love and help them release a device within a reseonable amount of time. The Curve came out mid 2007 so its been just about a year since it was first released.

[Ray @ May 6th 2008 3:12PM]

Yeah but AT&T's 3G coverage is truly pathetic compared to Verizon or Sprint. The only carrier further behind AT&T is T-Mobile. Why is it so hard for GSM carriers to get their act together and actually do 3G in a timely manner? They probably love bureaucracy, which is why they went GSM in the first place.. ahh corporate cultures..

[Gorillamonk @ May 7th 2008 10:46AM]

Ray, it's not just the carriers. We, the people, need to demand better service and quality phones from them. They provide a service to us, which in my opinion means that we should have power over them.

Why is a third world country chuck full of 3G enabled phones and has better network coverage, and we can't have that throughout one god damn state?

[Lein @ May 6th 2008 1:43PM]

Ooo, that resolution in a candy-bar QWERTY totally just took my eyes off of HTC's new stuff.

[christophervann @ May 6th 2008 1:59PM]

Xperia X1 + Blackberry Connect = me jumping the ship

[john @ May 6th 2008 2:04PM]

EDGE!? WTF? Even T-Mobile has 3G out now (in some markets) and BB is only doing CDMA 3G? not GSM/WCDMA 3G?? WTF RIM? How hard can it be to deliver an UMTS phone?

If you're going to only do EDGE on the GSM side, why not step back down to 1xRTT on the CDMA side? Losers.

Or, you know, maybe deliver a BB9000 that has AT&T and T-Mo-USA compatible UMTS/HSPA... wouldn't THAT be an earth shattering concept...

Oh, and, deliver a phone capable of Bluetooth DUN while you're at it.

[businessman @ May 6th 2008 2:07PM]

So happy they are eluding the touchscreen pressure of the industry

[Pochi @ May 6th 2008 2:21PM]

Touch screens are so horrible. When this fad ends, I will be the happiest man alive.

[Andy @ May 6th 2008 2:46PM]

Woohoo! A Verizon version... too bad VZW is going to cripple the functionality.

[brad @ May 6th 2008 3:15PM]

not to mention it will take probably a year or two to get it....first RIM has to release it...then verizon has to do its crap, so its going to be ahwile before we VZW bb users get a crack at it....although im hoping for a firmware relase for the 8830 to bring it up to the 9000 firmware

[Fruition @ May 6th 2008 4:32PM]

NINE

[nerdtalker @ May 6th 2008 4:52PM]

YOU

[El Taco @ May 6th 2008 6:50PM]

You're

[Fruition @ May 6th 2008 4:32PM]

THOUSAAAAAAAAA

[nerdtalker @ May 6th 2008 4:52PM]

ARE

[El Taco @ May 6th 2008 6:50PM]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Fruition @ May 6th 2008 4:33PM]

AAAAAAAAA

[nerdtalker @ May 6th 2008 4:52PM]

SO

[El Taco @ May 6th 2008 6:50PM]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Fruition @ May 6th 2008 4:33PM]

AAAAAAAAAAND!!

[nerdtalker @ May 6th 2008 4:53PM]

ORIGINAL!!!!!

[Fruition @ May 6th 2008 5:01PM]

It was obligatory. I apologize.

[El Taco @ May 6th 2008 6:51PM]

aaaaaan idiot

[spam.tab @ May 6th 2008 4:49PM]

word is: six months till release of the "Javelin" on VZW.

[mike @ May 6th 2008 6:54PM]

EDGE, seriously?!?

I love Blackberry's, but a 3G iPhone may be next move after almost 9 years with RIM.

[Andrew @ May 6th 2008 11:23PM]

I think there is a 3G version of the 9000

http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/06/blackberry-9000-gets-a-very-early-review/

[Juan @ May 7th 2008 3:55AM]

Sprint is releasing the Curve next week...

Although you might not be able to buy it for a few weeks...

[pushplay @ May 7th 2008 5:24PM]

EDGE? EV-DO? I saw one comment on this, but I can't believe more people haven't said this:

WTF??? Taking a step back like what? 5 years? EDGE/EV-DO were like, 2.5g.

OF COURSE THEY WILL HAVE EDGE OR EV-DO!!!! Most dataphones, even your fancy pants 3g ones have EDGE for networks that don't have 3g or if say you're roaming and the po-dunk town you're in doesn't have 3g yet. 3g isn't everywhere, so of course they're going to put these techs in there. But what's the point of making these phones w/o 3g???? That's what I don't get. If these are smartphones, to be used with data plans, people are going to (probably) (for the most part) spend money on a data plan that isn't limited by speed or protocol, but by actual used throughput (so many MB for so many $s) or get an unlimited data plan. Either way, the standard their phone uses to connect will (or should be) location dependent [ie network dependent (if there's 3g in the hood or not)].

Manufacturing these phones, at least for the US or Europe, is a completely moronic idea. Maybe the receiver chip is a tad cheaper, but um, how much is that going to drop the cost of the phone to the end user? We won't know cause we won't be able to tell. Maybe it makes sense for a foreign market of some kind, where they are still struggling to implement an EDGE network.

I mean hey let's just for kicks manufacture an iPhone that supports AMPS!!!!