9000 -- Engadget

9000 posts

Dell packs Intel's Lynnfield CPUs into Studio XPS 8000 and 9000 desktops

by Darren Murph posted Sep 8th 2009 at 5:34PM

With the introduction of new Intel CPUs comes the introduction of new rigs, and you can bet that Dell has been champing at the bit to unveil these two beauties. The new Studio XPS 8000 and 9000 machines are amongst the first from the Round Rock powerhouse to include Intel's minty fresh Core i5 and Core i7 processors, with the 8000 aimed squarely at mid-range users who'd prefer a smaller case. Both rigs can be equipped with some pretty decent innards, with up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, room for dual internal hard drives, eight USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA socket, 350W power supply and an optional TV tuner available. Graphics cards from ATI and NVIDIA are also available (ATI's HD 3450; NVIDIA's GT220, GTS240 and GTX260), and if you're really feeling crazy, a Blu-ray drive can also be slotted in. Both rigs can be ordered up today, with the 8000 starting at $799 and the 9000 requiring at least $1,999 to bring home.

AT&T hits BlackBerry Bold users with visual voicemail

by Laura June posted Aug 25th 2009 at 1:41PM

Hey, we knew this was coming -- but we're hearing murmurs that actual AT&T BlackBerry Bold owners are starting to get their visual voicemail updates rolling out to them. The voicemail features allow you to store up to 40 messages at a time, and add numbers to contacts from voicemail. We'll let you know all of the perks of software update v4.6.0.508 when we get it up and running on our own Bold, but hit the read link for AT&T's rundown (warning: it's a PDF).

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Ask Engadget: Best BlackBerry handset right now?

by Darren Murph posted Jan 15th 2009 at 10:25PM

Make no mistake, the hottest thing going in the mobile realm just now is the Palm Pre, but that's not to say RIM hasn't gained a lot of attention with its most recent outpouring of smartphones. Max has chimed in with this week's Ask Engadget question (which was sent in via ask at engadget dawt com), and it's all about the latest and greatest BlackBerrys.

"I'm considering purchasing the BlackBerry Bold, but the news about the Storm and even the Curve has me intrigued. Which would your readers recommend for a new BlackBerry owner, and why? Pros and cons for each would be excellent."

We don't need to reiterate just how high the pedestal is on which the Curve 8900 sits (yes, even today) in the minds of the BB faithful, so we've no doubt that it should be included in this conversation. Go on fanboys, defend your dialer below.

BlackBerry Bold up for pre-order at Best Buy: $680 smackers

by Darren Murph posted Oct 27th 2008 at 8:14PM

We already knew RIM's BlackBerry Bold would sell for a stiff $299.99 on contract with AT&T, but if you're one of the many AT&T users who'd rather not sign a new agreement (or renew your current one), you've probably been patiently waiting to hear an unsubsidized price. Here is it, but we're warning you, you might want to sit down. The contract-free Bold is listed at $679.99 at Best Buy, and fittingly enough, the product page offers a convenient link for seeking financing. At any rate, it also tells us that pre-orders will typically ship out within one to two weeks, though we'd be hesitant to bet the farm on that. After waiting for, like, ever, for this handset to finally hit shelves, are you still so anxious to drop nearly seven bills to claim one as your own?

[Thanks, Christen]

iPhone 3G, BlackBerry Storm and Bold compared on video: awkward...

by Darren Murph posted Oct 23rd 2008 at 8:19PM

One might think that the BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Storm could get along together, but similar to twin brothers who both aspire to graduate Magna Cum Laude from an Ivy league school, these two aren't exactly the most loving of siblings. Oh, and toss in that iPhone 3G -- which played a huge role in helping Apple sell more phones than RIM last quarter -- and you've got yourself a bona fide mess. Check out all three getting shoved up on one another in the name of comparison just after the break. It's a little uncomfortable at first, but you'll get used to it.

Continue reading iPhone 3G, BlackBerry Storm and Bold compared on video: awkward...

It's official: BlackBerry Bold hits AT&T on November 4 for $299.99

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 22nd 2008 at 11:00AM

The hopes and dreams for a "summer release" have long since faded, but at least AT&T's finally agreed to a hard date for the hotly-anticipated Bold: November 4. The news comes courtesy of the company's earnings call -- not the most obvious place to slip in news this big -- but at least it's coming straight from the horse's mouth.

[Thanks, Joe]

Update: And the press release just slipped out, too -- $299.99 on a two-year contract. Yikes!

RIM's BlackBerry Bold (probably) hitting AT&T on October 27th

by Darren Murph posted Oct 17th 2008 at 10:50PM

RIM's BlackBerry Bold wasn't technically supposed to have launched already -- that's the magic in being all vague about a release date, we guess -- but we can safely say we're absolutely relieved to finally have something out in the open here. Even if it's not carved in stone, per se. An internal AT&T e-mail discovered today notes that the "latest ETA" for the release of the Bold is October 27th (with a price TBD), though we'd feel a lot better about that if it said "definitive release date." At any rate, we'll find out in just ten days. Ten. Days.

Guts of BlackBerry Bold found to cost $170

by Darren Murph posted Oct 16th 2008 at 11:10PM

Not that it really matters to consumers one way or another -- after all, if you want a Bold, you'll pay the asking price -- but recent analysis by research firm iSuppli has found that parts and materials used to make the device "cost $158.16, and that assembly and testing add another $11.25, for a total cost of $169.41." Just for comparison, the Curve costs a cool $103 to build, and assuming RIM can sell the Bold to carriers at around $350, it'll net a gross margin of around 45% before R&D costs, software, marketing, shipping and freebies given to obscenely wealthy celebs are taken into account. The report (er, the part about the nice margins) should come as welcome news to shareholders, who have recently been worried that the current economic situation may keep individuals from snatching up new 'Berrys at a breakneck pace. Now, if only RIM / AT&T would let the thing get through testing, we'd be all set to contribute to those margins here in the US. Ahem.

Orange pulling Bolds to fix software issues, AT&T smiles

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 10th 2008 at 8:57AM

If you're wondering why you don't have an AT&T-branded BlackBerry Bold in your hand at this very second, the answer might lie a couple thousand miles away where Orange has allegedly pulled all units off the shelves to hammer out some "software issues" that have plagued early devices in subscribers' hands. The whole situation leaves us to wonder whether carriers jumped the gun on validating early builds of the Bold's firmware in an effort to get it out into the market in a non-ridiculous amount of time, while AT&T may have chosen to play it safe with a longer, more excruciating battery of tests -- leading to RIM's swipe that the October 2 miss was all AT&T's fault. It's just a theory, and probably a pretty meaningless one since this Orange fiasco should apparently take a couple weeks to clear up at most, and we're still hearing occasional whispers out of the AT&T camp that they're still pushing for an October release over there. Chop chop, guys.

[Via Mobile Tech Addicts]

RIM's co-CEO sez AT&T still testing BlackBerry Bold

by Darren Murph posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 5:15PM

We've long since known that RIM's BlackBerry Bold was AT&T bound, but in case you haven't noticed, the rumored October 2nd release date has come and went, and there's nary a Bold on any of AT&T's store shelves. According to RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, the handset is still undergoing testing at AT&T, suggesting that it wanted to avoid the complaints that arose when the newest iPhone hit in July. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel remained mum on the subject when asked, only affirming that the handset would eventually be available this year. Ah well, you've been looking for a reason to vacation in Chile, haven't you?

[Via phonescoop]

BlackBerry Bold now available -- in Chile

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 4th 2008 at 7:54PM

Movistar's Chilean outpost has now become -- somewhat surprisingly, may we add -- the very first carrier in the world to launch the BlackBerry Bold and put it into subscribers' hands. The carrier's making sure everyone knows what a coup they've managed to pull off, too, proudly proclaiming "FIRST ONES IN THE WORLD" with a red banner draped across the Bold's image on Movistar's site. Pricing seems a little high at 299,990 Chilean pesos (about $588) on a two-year contract, but hey, you've gotta pay to play; just how badly do you want to be one of the first people on the face of the planet (John Mayer notably excepted) to put this thing to use?

[Via Engadget Spanish]

AT&T launches BlackBerry Bold promotional site

by Darren Murph posted Jun 12th 2008 at 11:00AM

See that image above? Yeah, that's a sexy new side angle of RIM's BlackBerry Bold, and it's coming to us courtesy of AT&T. Just as Sprint did with its fashionable Instinct, AT&T is launching a promotional site for the forthcoming BlackBerry in order to drum up interest and get you (re)informed. Straight from the carrier's mouth, we've got GPRS / EDGE / UMTS / HSDPA support, integrated WiFi / GPS, 480 x 320 resolution display, a side-loaded memory slot, 1GB of built-in storage, a 624MHz CPU, 128MB of Flash memory, Bluetooth 2.0 with handsfree support and up to 5-hours of GSM talk time (13 days in standby). You'll notice that the operator makes no mention of an exact release date, but we're crossing our fingers and sticking to that leaked July timeframe until we hear otherwise.

[Thanks, Daryl]

Blackberry OS 4.6 for 9000 / 9500 gets detailed

by Darren Murph posted Jun 10th 2008 at 8:42AM

We had heard that the introduction of the BlackBerry Bold (9000) / Thunder (9500) could usher in the long-awaited BlackBerry OS 4.6, and now we're just about ready to believe it. A new listing over at Horizon Wireless Online details the forthcoming operating system, and notes that it will bring along richer browsing (which entails a whole host of improvements), click zooming with the trackball, Music Sync, an option to select Home screen grid size and support for continuous spell checking (among other things). Hey RIM, can we get that "richer browsing experience" on say, the Curve / Pearl?

[Thanks, Peter]

iPhone / BlackBerry Bold get close on video, are clearly uncomfortable together

by Darren Murph posted May 21st 2008 at 8:03PM

It was simply inevitable: someone was going to lay the iPhone and BlackBerry Bold down beside one another, and if John Mayer won't stop sending himself emails long enough to do it, CrackBerry's sister site will. There's really nothing here that you couldn't put together yourself from checking out galleries and videos of each device separately, but feel free to humor your sick mind by glancing over the comparative images in the read link below or examining the vid waiting after the jump.

Continue reading iPhone / BlackBerry Bold get close on video, are clearly uncomfortable together

RIM's BlackBerry Bold gets previewed

by Darren Murph posted May 21st 2008 at 1:08PM

RIM's hotly-anticipated BlackBerry Bold has only been received by a select few, but the fortunate folks over at Howard Chui managed to snag a pre-production unit and give it a good lookin' at. Aside from showering us with a plethora of snapshots from a variety of angles, we're also told that the plastic used "feels a little cheaper" than that on the 8800, outgoing sound quality "is terrific," incoming sound quality could use some work and reception seemed much improved from the 8800. We know, it's not a full-blown review or anything, but it's still apt to whet your appetite until the real deal shows up en masse.