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BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

by Laura June posted Nov 5th 2009 at 12:00AM

RIM's successor to the original Bold -- the BlackBerry Bold 9700 -- has finally landed on our doorsteps. The 9000 is in many ways a hard act to follow. Hardware-wise, it lived up to its name, going where most phones never went with its retro, leathery, nearly clunky looks in an age of rounded edges and shiny curves. Don't get us wrong -- we loved the 9000's aesthetics obsessively -- which is why we couldn't wait to get our hands on its newborn child. A few questions we had in mind: would the 9700 live up to its predecessor's notoriously uncompromising fashion sense? Would the new Bold feel as good to hold and use in the hand as its loving parent? How would it stack up against other, new devices from RIM? If these are the kind of questions you think you might want answers to, read on for our impressions.

Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

Telus kicks off HSPA+ network with iPhone November 5th, HTC Hero, LG New Chocolate and more to follow

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 26th 2009 at 9:10PM

Telus already announced that it'd be launching the iPhone in November, but it's just now gotten official with an actual date: November 5th -- which just so happens to also be the day that it lights up its brand new HSPA+ network. Unfortunately for anyone hoping that a little competition would spark a price war, Telus is matching Rogers' prices across the board, starting at $99.99 for the basic 8GB iPhone 3G, and moving up to $199.99 for the 16GB 3GS, and $299.99 for the 32GB 3GS (all on a three-year contract, of course). What's more, Telus has also taken the opportunity to offer the first official confirmation of some of the other devices that'll take advantage of its new network, including the HTC Hero, the previously rumored LG New Chocolate (a.k.a BL40), the Blackberry Bold 9700, and the Nokia E71 (plus a USB stick, for good measure). No prices or release dates for any of those just yet, unfortunately, but the Hero and New Chocolate are apparently Telus exclusives.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 gets handled, appreciated for its nuances

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 21st 2009 at 3:13PM

Our dear colleagues over at Engadget German have had a chance to play with RIM's just-announced BlackBerry Bold 9700 today, and every indication we've gotten is that this thing is a perfect -- if not extremely conservative -- successor to the first-generation Bold. Interface and network speed are both praised (both the 9700 and the Bold before it feature a 624MHz core, so there's some magic going on here) and the microSD card is now hot-swappable, meaning that you've got a theoretically limitless supply of storage space if you happen to be carrying around a pocketful of 16GB cards. Check out the full gallery below, and naturally, stay tuned for a review of this bad boy just as soon as is humanly possible.

Gallery: BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on

BlackBerry Bold 9700 announced, launching globally starting next month

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 21st 2009 at 7:00AM

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.

Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9700 announced, launching globally starting next month

BlackBerry Bold 9700 official on T-Mobile Germany, November launch confirmed

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 15th 2009 at 6:48AM

Perhaps the worst kept secret till now -- outside of Walt Mossberg's embargo slipups -- was that T-Mobile and the latest BlackBerry flagship device were set for a November marriage. Hell, there were even invitations to the party. So, whether you call it the Bold 2, the 9700, or the Onyx, come next month you'll be able to lovingly place its 480 x 360 display, WiFi antennae and all that other hotness in a Curve-sized space inside your pocket. We can expect this first official confirmation to be followed by similar appearances in the US and across Europe as the 9700 begins its ascension to the throne of the BlackBerry kingdom.

[Thanks, Richy]

RIM goes pale, shows white Curve 8520 for T-Mobile and Bold for AT&T

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 8th 2009 at 11:32AM

We know it's after Labor Day, but that doesn't seem to be stopping RIM from rolling out a couple BlackBerrys in bright white this season -- and who are we to accuse Waterloo of a fashion faux-pas? First up, the Curve 8520 on T-Mobile is now available, complementing the black and "frost" versions that have already landed; perhaps more interesting, though, is direct confirmation from RIM that there'll be a white version Bold hitting AT&T in mid-October. With the Bold 2 seemingly around the corner, recoloring the current model seems like an odd move -- but if they can continue to sell the Bold at a moderate discount a la iPhone 3G / 3GS, there might yet be a strategy there. The version RIM had on hand wasn't AT&T-branded, but... you know, just imagine the silkscreened logo and customized wallpaper, and you'll get the idea.

Gallery: RIM goes pale, shows white Curve 8520 for T-Mobile and Bold for AT&T

Video: BlackBerry Bold 9700 on Vietnam holiday from AT&T

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 5th 2009 at 6:59AM

Surely you're not tired of seeing the BlackBerry Bold 9700 yet are you. A handset described as "the most gorgeous BlackBerry on the planet" in early previews deserves a few more minutes in the spotlight, be it official or not. Vietnamese site tinh te returns with some of the best leaked shots and video we've seen to date giving us a crystal clear look at the 9700's orange AT&T splash-screen, real pleather battery cover, and squircle trackpad. They've also taken the time to size it up appropriately with previous gen BlackBerries for your comparison kicks. Video after the break, more images just beyond the read link.

[Thanks, Nam N]

Continue reading Video: BlackBerry Bold 9700 on Vietnam holiday from AT&T

Video: BlackBerry support coming to REDFLY Mobile Companion, adds only marginal appeal

by Ross Miller posted Sep 16th 2009 at 7:48PM

Listen, we feel your pain, we know you've been dying to find another use for your REDFLY Mobile Companion, and while we're not sure this is it, at least you've got another thing you can tell your friends when justifying the purchase. Celio Corp's announced it'll be bringing BlackBerry support to the Companion C8N and C7 as a free update in mid-Q4 of this year. It works via either physical cable or Bluetooth, and at this point supports Bold 9000, Curve 8900, and Tour 9630, with more phones promised as they're released. Crackberry's managed to obtain a video demonstration, which is after the break if you're interested. It's okay if you're not, we understand.

Read - Press release
Read - First look

Continue reading Video: BlackBerry support coming to REDFLY Mobile Companion, adds only marginal appeal

T-Mobile BlackBerry Onyx press image leaks out

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 8th 2009 at 3:46PM

The BlackBerry Onyx hasn't exactly kept itself a secret in the past few months, so it's no surprise that we're seeing what looks to be the official press image and release from T-Mobile well before the handset's launch. No big surprises here, really -- it's still a 3G mashup of the Bold and the Curve 8900 with that new optical trackball -- but apparently RIM's preloading it with the Amazon MP3 store, so that's slightly interesting. From what we can tell, it's due in early November, but pricing is still a mystery -- hopefully RIM and T-Mobile have saved the best surprise for last.

AT&T yanks BlackBerry Bold visual voicemail software update

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 5th 2009 at 5:20PM

Hope you Bold owners out there managed to snag AT&T's BlackBerry Bold visual voicemail software update while it lasted, because an internal memo leaked to BGR says it's been pulled due to compatibility problems with "network enhancements being deployed." That sounds to us like there's an issue with either those 850MHz 3G rollouts or whatever black magic Ma Bell's doing to get iPhone MMS up and running, but either way, it's one more fire for AT&T's engineers to put out while its customers sit around waiting.

Update: AT&T just sent us their official word on the matter -- and they also told us it has nothing to do with MMS or 850. Check it out after the break.

Continue reading AT&T yanks BlackBerry Bold visual voicemail software update

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]

Engadget's recession antidote: win an iSkin Vibes BlackBerry case!

by Darren Murph posted Jul 26th 2009 at 12:00PM

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got an array of iSkin Vibes BlackBerry cases on offer, perfect for keeping your Curve, Bold or Storm safe from the elements. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Big thanks to iSkin for providing the gear!

The rules:

Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
Winner will be chosen randomly. Twelve (12) winners will receive one (1) iSkin Vibes BlackBerry case -- 4 for Curve; 4 for Bold; 4 for Storm. Approximate retail value is $32.99 each.
If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
Entries can be submitted until Sunday, July 26th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Full rules can be found here.

BlackBerry Tour hands-on, wild sibling confrontation with Curve and Bold

by Paul Miller posted Jun 25th 2009 at 2:32PM

While some interesting things may or may not be happening under the hood, the freshly announced BlackBerry Tour for Verizon and Sprint (pictured in Verizon garb on the left) is hardly a departure on the surface. It mostly appears to be a minor modification to the Curve (right), though it does seem inexplicably thicker. The Bold seems positively overwrought in comparison. We didn't get much time to play with the OS, but the screen and the keyboard are pure new-generation BlackBerry charm.

Gallery: BlackBerry Tour hands-on, wild sibling confrontation with Curve and Bold

Caption contest: creepy clown as excited about Renee Zellweger's Bold as she is

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 27th 2009 at 6:48PM

Nothing irks us more than big dudes in blush standing well within our personal space while we're trying to show off our Bold to a small army of paparazzi.

Chris: "It's a Taser, too! Watch!"
Darren: "IT'S MURDERED OUT!"
Ross: "To be honest, I don't think Verizon's 'My Network' should ever have a casual dress day."
Don: "It does everything except erase this image from your memory!"
Paul: "This is so exciting, I'm going to write about it... in my diary!"
Josh: "Welcome to Hell."
Joe: "After Jack White, being seen in public with a clown was really no big deal."
Thomas: "We're just two happy party clowns, sitting down to a plate of beef. White- powdery- beef."
Jacob: "I got it FREE on contract!!!"
Nilay: "You complete me."

Refurbished BlackBerry Bold free-on-contract at AT&T (today, anyway)

by Darren Murph posted Mar 27th 2009 at 1:02PM

Not digging that $299.99 on contract pricing for RIM's BlackBerry Bold? If you're kosher with placing previously loved gadgets in your presence, you can score one today for the low, low price of absolutely free. Apparently the deal is only valid on AT&T's website and only for today, so you might want to pull the trigger now and think about it later.

[Via Boy Genius Report]