Properly replacing one of the most popular, recognizable BlackBerrys ever made is no easy task for RIM, but it looks like they've done a respectable job in officially announcing the Bold 9700, a device we've seen rumored as the
"Onyx" through much of 2009. The new model gently massages the original Bold's time-tested formula by moving the camera up to 3.2 megapixels, giving the screen another 40 lines of vertical resolution (480 x 360, up from 480 x 320), and shipping with the brand new BlackBerry OS 5.0 out of the gate. Also notable is that the 9700 replaces the trackball with an optical trackpad --continuing a trend started by the
Curve 8520 -- and will ship in both 900 / 1700 / 2100 and 800 / 850 / 1900 / 2100MHz 3G varieties, making the phone a perfect fit for AT&T, T-Mobile, and a multitude of networks in Canada and Europe. RIM isn't announcing specific carrier availability, but they're teasing that it'll be coming on "carriers around the world" starting in November. Follow the break for a quick teaser video from the boys and girls up in Waterloo.
Update: Engadget Germany is
at the launch event with RIM's co-CEO Mike Lazaridis. We'll be back shortly with a hands-on.
Update 2:
T-Mobile just announced its flavor of the Bold 9700 for the US which it says will be the first BlackBerry that allows voice calling over WiFi.
Update 3: And here comes AT&T, which says the 9700
will be out in the "coming weeks" for $199 after $100 mail-in rebate.
posted Oct 21st 2009 7:00AM
the music sounds somewhat bold XD. !
(Stewie's Voice from Family Guy)
Ah Ah Ah I Like what you did with that pun ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm maybe we should get lunch and discuss you future as a writer
As a non-blackberry user, it looks the same as every other blackberry.
this is what I was just thinking. I think the trackball is now a track-pad though?
they all do look the same, the only thing to have changed was the track ball....!
Not trying to be a pinch or anything but as a BlackBerry user, this is a big difference. The trackball succeeded the side mounted scroll-wheel and now the track-pad is succeeding the trackball. The two grooves are immediately noticeable and the leather back is just a tad different. The Camera looks much more integrated and more sleek. This is a very big difference from the pager that RIM was in the beginning. Look at the 857 series... Big difference. (I know, that last one was a stretch!)
Basically, this is the sexiest device to come from RIM. However, in true RIM fashion, there will be a new device in about 6 months worth just as much (if not more) praise.
They all look similar, how is this the sexiest? Ok, it's a track pad...soo? A better camera....who cares...how often do you take pictures with a phone camera, any worth keeping that is?
Yeah.. same as eyephonezz
Similar in many respects to Thinkpads.
I had the same reaction, have never owned a BB, but an improved input method, higher resolution, and new OS would be welcome on any device.
Trackball or trackpad has become ANCIENT interface for
smartphone apps these days. How does one pan the map
display? It is too awkward to say the least!
What are you talking about? Panning is quite intuitive with a trackball or track pad. You just move your thumb left, right, up, and down to pan.
why do they release the same phone every 3 months?
same for the iphone =|
iphone is every year...RIM really releases blackberries all the time. I get that there's more than one line of blackberries but the Bold seems young still. Has it been a year?
@jon.athan: Yes, almost to the day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Bold The iPhone only is perceived to be of more value when released annually because they do a better job at hyping the event, hyping the device, and hyping the features.
Dear Engadget,
Please explain how you can be so harsh about decent products (and I think you should be) but still claim that "BlackBerry does a respectable job" How is BB even still relevant with their crappy dated OS and crappy devices that make business spend thousands of dollars to support with their own proprietary server. I mean seriously, compared to modern phones with modern OS's like iPhone, Android, and WebOS, BB is essentially an outdated feature phone with more expensive plans that's a pain in the backside for IT departments to support.
I truly am curious, what's the appeal of these devices??
Probably because they're the second biggest smartphone vendor in the world behind Nokia and people really like them.
They do always have very nice backgrounds on the phones in the press shots though!
"Probably because they're the second biggest smartphone vendor in the world behind Nokia and people really like them."
It's obvious that they are popular, my question is WHY, I would not use a BB if you paid me to. So, what's the attraction by millions to crappy dated phones? Fair question, no?
You tell me what's so dated about BB OS. The non-touch versions are excellent and do what they need to do: Mail (the best email app to date IMO), Txting, calling and simple browsing, it's not like you are seriously going to browse the interwebs with it, and the supposedly WebKit browser update will make it nice for quickly checking Engadget or something. There are enough apps, media playback is okay (not anything like the iPhone, but it does it's job), nice camera, great for quick mms'es (I never send a mms, but if that's your thing). So what's so dated about the OS except for the current browser? (We're talking non-touch versions here, the storm is indeed a failure IMO)
Dear Engadget,
Can you please tell Mike that no one is paying him nor telling him to use a Blackberry. Also, can you please tell him that everyone has their own opinion and choice on what phone they want to use. Finally, can you inform him that if he is so against the Blackberry and would not come close to one, then why is he posting on a Blackberry thread? WHY?
Perhaps a BB is still very attractive because they suit business users the most. Tell me which other smartphone syncs with Exchange tasks and notes so well.
price?
The FTC needs to look into phone pricing collusion at the carriers.
Modified form factor vs the old bold, now a 3g gsm with what appears to be the tour's keyboard, faster hardware under the hood, improved display, trackpad instead of trackball--these are things to notice (I'm not a blackberry user but a fan-I've just been waiting for the perfect one for me since I left my 8700) If you are referring to the candybar/qwerty form factor, well i dont think they should ever change that. This looks good but I really hope the feel of the keyboard duplicates the tour.
Cute phone but looks like the other Blackberries however, i still want one for some odd reason though...
Blackberries are supposed to all look somewhat the same. This is such a trite comment posted every time a new Blackberry is introduced on Engadget,
The iPhone was introduced in June 2007, has been through three generations. I would honestly like to know what their amazing changes have been in design?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/Iphone2g3g3gson.jpg
I shall parrot the "they all look the same", every time I see a shitPhone article posted on here.
I don't feel like "they all look the same" is an insult. It actually allows me to not have to buy new accessories when I upgrade. Maybe I'm just secure enough in my preference of phone not to see it as a problem.
When a new phone comes out on an OS I don't use I'm always slightly curious to see what else is out there, but I don't get offended if people want something different because I know I'm using the best phone for me. I don't care what other people use, and I don't need to prefix the name of their phone with "shit-" to make myself feel better.
look, it's not a negative thing (at least coming from me), BB's imo are just much harder to keep track of. apple has ~1 phone/year, RIM has multiple lines of phones that look pretty similary, and it seems to me they are revised at LEAST twice a year. they have a good design, i just can't keep track of them (not that i put in any real effort to, though).
Wasn't the onyx rumored to have a touch-screen? I could be wrong though, but it would surely be nice for navigating around and scroll around web pages. Speaking of which, is the browser any better on OS 5.0?
Last i checked no, try BOLT, it's a free browser like Opera Mini, but works better IMO, it does better on pages that are no mobile.
i bought a Hero because of the browser but since my Hero drops most my calls, I am going back to my POS broswer on my Pearl (also on sprint) so that my phone can last all day and not drop calls. I was all happy to be leaving BBs browser, but after having Androids browser, i want my Pearl back!
I am very much looking forward to this phone. Smaller than my old bold, replaces the trackball with a trackpad, even faster hardware (though the bold was already excellent) the usual excellent blackberry screen with more detail, OS 5.0 (which will be upgraded with a WebKit browser next year - they bought out a WebKit browser company). And just in time for my birthday in November!
WebKit browser? Looks like blackberry is getting a new customer
Blackberry is getting a new customer? I meant RIM ofcourse
In india RIM = Reliance India Mobile :)
AT&T Twitter:
ATTNews Bold Gets Even Better for AT&T Customers with the New BlackBerry Bold 9700: http://bit.ly/1fFAK6
Looks like they will have it as well.
If it weren't for the faux leather, I would've bought this already. Plus, I think it doesn't look as nice as the Tour and Curve 8900.
I guess I'll be using my Curve 8900 a little longer, at least until its 3G successor is announced.
The keyboard of the 8900 is a little small for my hands and i believe a larger screen would be sweet. but i will also wait a little to swap my 8900. But if I was going to change smartphones these days i would get this one. sweet. also I guess this new formfactor is a plus from old bolds. and I'm a former user of Nokias and Iphone. They're in a complete diferent league. FUN phone, Serious phone. I know apple has an incredible apple store it's fast it's cool. but man no background apps is a deal breaker. The formfactor of the blackberry is flawless and i WANT A PHISICAL KEYBOARD!!!
"T-Mobile just announced its flavor of the Bold 9700 for the US which it says will be the first BlackBerry that allows voice calling over WiFi."
Huh? What are you talking about? The Pearl, Curve, 8900, and 8520 ALL have UMA and do this already...
So this phone has UMA than??
I'm sure the Engadget editors were just confused, the press release is poorly worded and allows for some confusion. It's the first Blackberry with ..both.. 3G and voice dialing over Wifi.
Yes, I know, very noteworthy distinction.
Lets forget the fact that its the first Blackberry with a touch pad or OS 5.
i still want a definitive answer to this... UMA yes or no?
Yes, it has UMA, definitively.
Why do all the new Blackberries have this cheap, shitty trackpad? I would be all over the Bold 9700 if it had a scrollball, but it doesn't. One Bold 9000 please!
I've had a Curve 8320 for about two years now, and though I don't abuse it I'm not super careful with it either. As it sits right now the flimsy retaining ring broke, and the trackball is missing. It's simple enough to replace but I'd rather not have to repair my phone. The trackpad should be more durable in that regard. Also unless you keep your phone hermetically sealed the trackball eventually jams up a bit. Would you also prefer an old ball mouse over a modern optical mouse? Less moving parts with the same functionality is a good thing.
Haha!
The ring button is upside down in the videos! ( green one!)
Whoever made the video obviously doesn't own a blackberry!
ummmm - that is how the button is supposed to look - do you own a blackberry?... Green "call Pick Up" & Red "call Hang Up" The imagery is based off the old rotary phone days, think about it.
Umm, the pictures show the call button upside down as well. I'm pretty sure RIM knows their own phone since it's their video.
Not the first T-mobile Blackberry to support UMA, the first T-Mobile 3G Blackberry to support UMA. Which only makes sense since it's the first T-Mobile 3G Blackberry. Sounds like they just wanted to make a single "first" into two. Perhaps they should also mention it's the first T-Mobile 3G Blackberry with a screen, or the first one available in black!
Project Dark + Bold 9700.... cya Sprint!
The Bold 9000 is the best phone I've ever owned, and it's successor looks every bit the part! I'm anxious to the trackpad, as I'm fed up with the ball always sticking and scrolling properly. I have never had one problem with this phone in terms of hardware, software, applications that make this a true networking phone, (networking to other phones, machines, or servers), access to cloud storage. The 9700 also beefs up the ROM/RAM. I can wait until next year for it, because WebKit will be introduced as well and that will make for one awesome phone! The iPhone is really iCandy, and it just isn't the Bold in so many ways!
Sorry was supposed to say "fed up with the trackball always sticking and sometimes scrolling improperly."
T-Mobile BB Bold is going to be its first 3G phone with UMA.
Update Check! I've been using UMA on the curve 8900 for almost a year now through T-Mobile.
Update 2: I believe the 8900 already supports WiFi calling via T-Mobile Hotspot calling.
the iPhone is a great phone and so is the BB. The BB is a business phone and if you ever respond to more than 50+ emails daily, the iPhone just doesn't cut it in my opinion. The BB is the business phone and too many people and corp's rely on it vs the iPhone for productivity and such. Like the update though on the 9700. I carry the 8900 and iPhone and will be upgrading to the 9700 when it's released. Finally a 3G BB on TMO.
It's called brand recognition, people. It's why all Mercedez' share the same distinct look, it's why all BMWs share the same distinct look, etc. It's why all Apple (computer) products share the same white color, sleek, and smooth edges, etc... a company spends millions in making sure all their products look "the same", so as to make the consumer identify a product as their's (the said company's).
That's why this BB looks like the older BBs.
This piece of hardware is smoking hot. I just wish the software was up to the hardware's standards.
I really want to know if the trackpad and keyboard is the same size as the Tour's... would love to just change out the trackball with a trackpad. I love my tour but the trackballs seem to stick too often and it is not the easiest to change out. I think I would be happier with a trackpad instead. Would be great if you could change out the Tour's trackball and keyboard with the Bold's keyboard and trackpad!
Will RIM release a 5.0 update for the existing BlackBerry Curve 8900 and the BlackBerry Bold?
This or the E72?
I wonder if this means that the original Bold will get a price drop to get rid of stock. I'm and iPhone guy, but I sure would love to add another line with a Blackberry on it. It's gotta be 3G though, and the only option is obviously the Bold.
I have an amazing plan with Sprint, so won't be changing - but I am SOoooooo disappointed this phone is not available to me. What is my second best option? I've got an HTC Mogul (I'm on my 5th handset ... grrrr)
I've gotta say, this thing looks pretty sweet. I've had a BlackBerry Pearl 8120 for almost 18 months and when the contract is done, I'm selling it (these things don't depreciate as much as you'd think) and getting the Bold 9700. Over the period of owning a blackberry, despite the rants I've had (as with every phone), there's so much good stuff about blackberries.
Blackberries are NOT an outdated technology- AT ALL. You need to own one before you can judge that- believe me. My blackberry is my second brain, it can multitask at ridiculous lengths and barely break a sweat. Everything from msn, facebook, bbm, email, sms and mms messages to google calendar, facebook events and my college timetable to my contacts are all in sync- all the time. Call me wrong but isn't 'the cloud' also a modernised old idea? In fact, isn't a touchscreen a modernised old idea? I think so. BlackBerry don't reinvent the wheel, they give it shiny new alloys and make it run better.
Pardon for being profound but a smartphone is smart, not simple- you have to be simple to not understand how smart a blackberry is- or how modern it is for that matter.
when will 9700 be released in India?