BlackBerry 9800 slider for AT&T slips through FCC: ready for 11AM announcement
By Thomas Ricker 
posted August 3rd 2010 5:44AM
posted August 3rd 2010 5:44AM
Can't say we didn't see this one coming but it looks like RIM's BlackBerry 9800 slider was just blessed by the FCC on AT&T frequencies. While the FCC documents refer to it as a "BlackBerry smartphone model RCY71UW," there's no mistaking the backside wireframe that forms a perfect match when superimposed onto our earlier exclusive pics. Besides, there's also liberal mention of several associated "MultiSourceDeclaration_9800_" documents throughout the FCC's test results. So what have we got then? Well, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n, GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1900, UMTS II (1900), V (850) are all go with the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800 MHz bands and UMTS I (2100) bands listed for international use. And yeah, it's been tested with the slider open and closed. Come back for the live reveal when the RIM / AT&T event kicks off at 11:00AM eastern.
Come on RIM, make us proud!
@SolidSnake
Slider? I am skeptical.
@genesis So am I. It's too bad. RIM has truly lost its mojo IMHO. I don't get why they don't at least try making sexy full-touch phones like the Evo, or even sliders like the Droid... And it's equally puzzling to me why they are still using 10 year old arm11 processors. Then they wonder why people are jumping ship
@SolidSnake They won't.
@SolidSnake I had a good friend call me yesterday and ask "Droid or iPhone?". Needless to say he's finally ditching his Blackberry. Of course I did what any sane person would do and recommended the iPhone. :p
@XChrisX - Did you see the recent report that some 50% of BB users are ready to jump ship? (I don't recall if it was specifically to the iPhone, another carrier, Android, etc.) Pretty amazing...
I'm actually going BACK to BB from my iPhone, but I do switch phones ever few months, hehe.
@MRCUR hah, me too
@SolidSnake
This is it RIM, all in or GTFO...
Go big or go home...
@SolidSnake - Here, here!
Its gotta come across like the "bastard child" of an unholy union between a 3GS and a BB 9700. We shall see...
@Jdoc2 They did make touch screen. Does the Storm ring a bell?
i.e. maintaining solid enterprise reliability while adding multimedia fluff via OS6. Oh, and don't be such tight asses with the home screen and user interface appearance like the other guys. PPL want the flexibility to customize. So its "show time at the Apollo", time to NUT UP OR SHUT UP! If not, catch the Sandman hook. Sayin...
i.e. maintaining solid enterprise reliability while adding multimedia fluff via OS6. Oh, and don't be such tight asses with the home screen and user interface appearance like the other guys. PPL want the flexibility to customize. So its "show time at the Apollo", time to NUT UP OR SHUT UP! If not, catch the Sandman hook. Sayin...
@Frankenstein Black - Oh great ;^/...
@MRCUR My comment was in reference to that. Point is with all of the Android, and iPhones out there people are rather bored with their Blackberries. Having good e-mail just isn't good enough anymore. RIM needs a new gimmick.
@XChrisX Good call
@SolidSnake
Where is the link to the live blog coverage??
@Plazmic Flame - that's a good question. where is the live link coverage.
Will it be OS6?
@kallekenkel Doubt it. I don't even think this one will be able to get an upgrade when OS6 comes out.
@SskyNnet
On the contrary. All the leaked units run OS6.
Phone is trash.. os 6 is an improvement tho
Well,well,well what will we have here?
Good morning to RIM and all those with Rim jobs
Yes we know already "BB are boring" "android and iOS are 100X better" "the OS sucks" "Its so lame"bla bla bla please save it, I hope I have beaten all those that start dissing the BB and they can now leave this post and feel important.
Frankly, I love the BlackBerry! Can't wait to see how OS6 is going to be, and this slider seems pretty nice! I would change it for my current razr2 if data plans weren't so expensive where I live.
@SskyNnet Damn it! I was to late.
Good for RIM but not interested in the slider.Longtime BB fans do have a cause to celebrate however..this is a much needed form factor entry in the product portfolio.On a side note this means that those 2011 Storm 4 rumors are on track so I'd be more interested to see how that moves along.
I think this is sort of testing the waters to see if RIM can find a nice intermediate stage between full touchscreen and front qwerty models. I have to say, the one huge downside to sliders is that you have to take an extra step to sometimes interact with your phone. I have a palm pre, very similar form factor, in the end, I'd rather it just not have a keyboard and give me a larger touchscreen with an onscreen keyboard. I think as the population ages and leaves the workforce full qwerty fronted phones will start to become even more of a rarity. It makes economic sense (don't have to change hardware as much in different territories because you just change onscreen keyboard) and it makes usability sense, younger generations will just be used to touchscreens.
I'm excited, and ready to buy. Don't disappoint me RIM!
Ok ... so this is BB Bold 9700 in slider format ... WOW!
OS6 is evolutionary. Which is both a good and a bad thing in case of RIM. To me OS6 is what Javelin should have been in the first place. I'm sorry to see such a great platform stagnate.
People keep asking me for my new PIN ... I am getting tired of telling them that I don't have a BB anymore and they should just turn on Gtalk on their BBs.
I played with the 9800 last week and it is sexy. You have to see it for yourself in person to appreciate it. One thing that really impressed me is how fast OS 6 is and the browser is sweet. I lost all hope to RIM up to this device and is the reason why im still holding out from upgrading to an iphone.
no I will wait for an iphone,i need antenna problems,Os problems,no flash,and I just need to part with my money,ya apple all the way ....phooy,no apple or iphone for me...i like my money and spend it wisely ...apple loves its customers for all the wrong reasons
@hype22 , you have no clue what your talking about! Do you own an iPhone? I have the iPhone 4, never had OS issues you mention. And I've never, never had those antenna problems everyone cried about. Next time before you post, go actually investigate for yourself before just blindly posting what you have read.
@LeviJr wow ....you never had what everyone was crying about...that sentence there says alot...plus when ios4 came out my friend bricked his iphone 3gs...killed his battery life....also the true person who doesn't know what he is talking about might be you,because no one i mean no one has been able to duplicate the you tube videos apple released criticizing the droid ..if you watch the video you will notice it says the droid has the antenna in the same position as the iphone.....one thing genius they forgot to tell you it has another antenna on the top....keep sipping that kool aid....and emptying that all but depleted wallet ...rest assured ....they will take you for all your money with your blind eyes open.....you suffer from what the computer industry calls the id-10-t problem ....idiot syndrome
@hype22 My Bold 9700 needs a battery pull every week to reset it from the shitty OS. My Bold 9700 doesn't play Flash either. My Bold 9700 has a slow, shitty web browser.
Oh, but it does have the cute red light that lets me know when I have an email. Yoo-fucking-hoo!
@Spongecake well sponge cake I don't have blackberry....and if you have one you obviosly must have been sleeping with a ho ...since you did not do your proper due diligence on spending your money...yo stupid consumer ho
@hype22 My Blackberry was company issued. No Android or iPhone for me in my little corporate world, only a crappy, buggy Blackberry. I've been waiting to jump on the Android or iPhone bandwagon for my own personal phone, maybe I'll get to it one day. In the meanwhile I'd rather bitch and complain on the Internets.
I am **slightly** sympathetic to the Indian government on this, with them having to guard against their relentlessly murderous neighbors.
Yawn.... After RIM loses market share and popularity the only thing Canada will have left is Drake. More companies are becoming more lenient with iPhones and Android devices. I would know because I work for AT&T Business and see purple everyday defecting from BB's to etc.
@cd5love96 - Well, they do have Justin Bieber...
I think you broke the record for number of slashes in an article. Wow!
i think it can work!
http://ikejhamb.com
How cool would it be if after this we are able to say, "OH SNAP! DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING!"
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/blackberry-torch.jsp?wtSlotClick=1-003QY5!CIWM01-1-1&rel=nofollow
already up on at&t's website