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Crapgadget: this BlackBerry Bold dock is just for effect
Let's be straight: nothing says "I'm a successful businessperson" quite like a dock for your smartphone. You know, smack in the middle of that solid oak desk of yours -- the one in the corner office. What, you say your fancy new BlackBerry Bold doesn't have connections for a proper dock? Well, hell, you've got hair plugs, spray-on tan, and a house in the Hamptons you can't afford, so why not take the charade to the next level? USB Fever's fabulously generic $20 cradle for the Bold will at least charge the thing, but if you want to get all crazy and sync up with your PC, you've got to suffer the indignance of a USB cable (coiled for your convenience) flopping off the side. Should look real professional next to the red Swingline and that stupid "Teamwork" perpetual motion rowing thing of yours, sport. You know what we're talking about.[Via Gear Diary]
Vodafone UK welcomes BlackBerry Bold to its ranks
Ironically, one of the very first carriers in the world to leak the Bold's existence way back in January of this year has ended up not being one of the first in the world to carry it -- but they're really not that far off. Vodafone UK has announced the BlackBerry Bold for immediate availability to its throngs of email-loving corporate types (and not-so-corporate types, for that matter), and even better, it's free on a £35 (about $62) plan with 600 minutes of talk time at 500MB of monthly data for two years. Considering that most larger companies are willing to shell out a small fortune to equip their crews with mobile gear, that ain't a bad deal at all.
BlackBerry Bold hitting AT&T on October 2?
With hope of a summer release fading with the passing of each and every day, Boy Genius Report cites a "pretty solid bit of info" that the BlackBerry Bold is now pegged for launch on AT&T on Thursday, October 2. So if you see a throng of three-piece suits starting to gather around your local store around September 28 or 29, yeah, that's probably why.
BlackBerry Bold unboxing and hands-on at Engadget Mobile!
We've been waiting to get our smudgy digits on RIM's BlackBerry Bold, and finally, Canada's Rogers Wireless gave us a helping hand. While we put together a proper review and gather our thoughts, Engadget Mobile's whipped up a giant gallery of Bold poses to keep you busy. Follow the link to get at the goodies!
BlackBerry Bold unboxing and hands-on
We've been waiting to get our smudgy digits on RIM's BlackBerry Bold seemingly since before the Earth's crust finished cooling, and finally, Canada's Rogers Wireless lent us a hand. In a few words, the screen is striking, size is actually pretty comfy to hang on to, the keys are fairly easy to use, and we're kinda digging it. As a quick refresher, the Bold has tri-band HSDPA, quad-band EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, 1GB of onboard memory, and a 2-megapixel cam that can take advantage of the GPS for a bit of geotagging tomfoolery. The integrated media player seems to get the job done with a pile of supported formats -- including DivX, some support for XviD, H.264, MP3, WMA, and a bunch more -- the OS 4.6 looks slick, and have we mentioned the frickin' screen? We'll be back right quick with a deeper dive into the Bold's capabilities, but for now, enjoy the pics.%Gallery-30537%
BlackBerry Bold 9000 unboxed on video
We can't help but feel the BlackBerry Bold 9000's much-anticipated launch ended up being just a tad bit anti-climactic. Maybe it's a Canada thing, or maybe we're just haters. Or maybe we hate Canada. While we mull that over, you might as well have a look at CrackBerry.com's video unboxing of the new phone, complete with some comparison shots and, um, unboxing. Oh, there's an iPhone versus near the end, so don't go anywhere! Video is after the break.
Debunk: BlackBerry Bold's browser on WiFi actually not that slow
Now that the BlackBerry Bold's made its official North American debut, there's a lot of talk about a video Mobile Computer did of the Bold getting blown away browsing head to head with an iPhone 3G over WiFi -- but there's a slight problem there: the Bold was actually using 3G and EDGE. Yeah, that's not a fair fight -- and given how flaky the iPhone 3G's data speeds can be, it actually reflects quite well on the Bold. Head to head on WiFi, the Bold does seem a tick slower, but we'll let you judge that for yourselves -- videos after the break.Read - BGR browser vidRead - Mobile Computer browser vid
The BlackBerry Bold gets official on Rogers
Sure, we've seen John Mayer's, done a hands-on, read reviews, gotten release dates and even listened to the painful Stewart Copeland-provided soundtrack, but today's the BlackBerry Bold's big coming out party on Rogers, and it can be all yours for just CA$399 plus a 3 year voice / data service plan totalling more than CA$45 a month. We should be seeing more countries come online later this week -- anyone taking the plunge?
BlackBerry Bold hits Rogers on August 21st, so get your thumbs worked-out
Well, it looks like that long, painful wait is finally over. According to all kinds of tipsters, the BlackBerry Bold touches down for the first time in North America (in its home country of Canada, obviously) come August 21st (that's this Thursday, in case you don't own a calendar, computer, or have any friends). That's right -- the Bold will land on Rogers (where else?) with a price tag set somewhere between the dark valley of $300 and $400, according to Research In Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie. Reports say the phone will be available from other carriers by the end of the week, though we don't have any definitive rumblings that confirm such heavenly ideas. You'll know more when we do, of course.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Stewart Copeland composes BlackBerry Bold soundtrack with negative effects
You know how Stewart Copeland plays that insanely slick triplet hi-hat part in "Message in a Bottle," and every time you hear it you wonder how it's possible for him to stay so perfectly in time? And you know how his drums fit so perfectly in the pocket with Sting and Andy Summers on pretty much anything The Police ever touched despite the fact they all hated each other? Well, Copeland's "soundtrack" for the BlackBerry Bold -- commissioned by RIM -- should rid you of all of those amazing memories real fast. The drummer provided six ringtones, an alarm sound, and a Bold "theme" for the company's new device, yet not one of them is remotely pleasant to listen to. In a word or two? They stink.[Via CrackBerry; Photo courtesy of spisharam]
Blackberry Bold hands-on
We had a chance to play with Research In Motion's upcoming BlackBerry Bold handset tonight, and we came away happily impressed. To start things off, the keyboard felt easy enough to use, at least easier than the 8830 we're often forced to use for work email. Gone are the sharp protrusions, replaced with a nice flat surface upon which to click. Of note was the Bold's user interface. Menus are clean and easy to read (despite some strange icon choices, see below), and response time is about as quick as one could hope, especially compared to other phones out there that seem to struggle with their operating systems. %Gallery-26160%
Vodafone expects BlackBerry Bold in August?
Remember that time Vodafone was targeting May for the launch of the BlackBerry Bold? Yeah, those were the days! Let's not dwell on the past, though -- no use crying over spilled milk, our mommies always used to say. Instead, let's focus on exactly when Vodafone thinks it can launch the Bold now, which happens to be August -- and this time, the word comes from an official Voda website that was intended for public consumption, so they have more eyeballs on it and more liability if they miss the date. Thing is, the description of the phone lists the Sony Ericsson W980i, not the Bold, so maybe there's just a little smidge of buffoonery going on behind the scenes. August sounds totally plausible, though, so we're sticking with it until we hear otherwise.[Thanks, Andrew]Update: It's been updated to July -- sweet. It's like the opposite of a delay!
Rogers loves BlackBerry: Pink Curve, OS 4.5, and BlackBerry Bold oh my!
Rogers seems on a roll with it's good friends at RIM as we're seeing a bevy of release news and noteworthy stuff from them recently. Up at bat are the potential launch of the BlackBerry Bold on June 17th, the UMA-enabled Pearl 8120 that ships with OS 4.5, and the BlackBerry Curve in a new, pinker flavor. Pricing on the UMA-enabled 8120 is set at $149 on three years and while it does tout WiFi for the Rogers Home Zone, it won't work to get you on the Internet -- can we get a rousing raspberry for Rogers? The BlackBerry Curve 8310 is unchanged except for its new, softer pink aesthetic and is shipping for $199 if you're up to a 3-year stint on Canada's only GSM network. Not much new on the Bold, though we expect if that launch date is solid, we'll hear more real soon.[Thanks, Treatz for the lovely pic]
16 devices for T-Mobile between June and August?
TmoNews has published a laundry list of devices that it says will launch between June 16 and August 1 -- 13, to be exact, with another three that aren't listed. That's a positively Japan-esque release pace, a breakneck schedule that we're having a hard time believing. To its credit, several launches that are known or well-rumored to be in the pipe are listed here, including the Motorola E8, Shadow II, Samsung t229 and t339, and Nokia 5610, but to its discredit, fanciful devices like an alleged Shadow III are also in the mix along with the BlackBerry Bold, which AT&T has an exclusive on following its launch over there that should easily prevent T-Mob from picking it up by August 1. Of course, there could be some wiggle room on those dates, and again, most of these devices seem totally plausible -- but for now we've got to file this squarely in the "we want to believe" category.[Thanks, Chris W.]
Blackberry Bold release dates, pricing leak out
Those of you dying to get your QWERTY on with RIM's hot new Blackberry Bold can start marking your calendars and stashing cash under the cushions -- release dates and pricing info have hit the tubes this morning. As expected, AT&T will get the Bold first in July for $300, while Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers will have to wait until September. Oddly, T-Mo subs will have to cough up an extra $50, which seems a little unfair. Of course, these aren't official dates and prices, so things are likely to change, but we'd say everything seems in the ballpark, wouldn't you?
Blackberry Bold release dates, pricing leak out UPDATE: just estimates
Those of you dying to get your QWERTY on with RIM's hot new Blackberry Bold can start marking your calendars and stashing cash under the cushions -- release dates and pricing info have hit the tubes this morning. As expected, AT&T will get the Bold first in July for $300, while Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers will have to wait until September. Oddly, T-Mo subs will have to cough up an extra $50, which seems a little unfair. Of course, these aren't official dates and prices, so things are likely to change, but we'd say everything seems in the ballpark, wouldn't you?Update: We got in touch with InfoSync World, where these numbers were published, and they told us that they were making estimates based on pre-release info. So nope, these aren't close to official -- but it's always fun to dream, right?
No surprises: Rogers to pick up BlackBerry Bold
Canada, HSDPA. What's the first carrier that comes to mind? No, not Fido, silly -- Rogers, of course! Makes a lot of sense, then, that Canada's GSM behemoth would be getting dibs on RIM's HSDPA-compatible hotness, the Bold -- not to say we didn't expect it, anyway -- and a new page posted over on Rogers' site encourages interested individuals to sign up to be notified when the device becomes available in their neck of the woods. Unfortunately, there's nary a clue here on exactly when Rogers customers will be able to mosey into the store of their choice and pick one up, but "summer" is a safe (and vague) bet.[Thanks, Gurkiran]
RIM's BlackBerry Bold / 9000 gets official
Damn, took 'em long enough! RIM finally announced the BlackBerry Bold / 9000 -- we've got specs, but no price or hard launch date. Here we go: Family will include HSDPA and EV-DO versions (including an AWS-capable 1700MHz version), much as we'd heard 480 x 320 display 625MHz CPU, 1GB internal flash memory 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2Dp), GPS, MicroSDHC 480 x 320 video recording, photo geotagging 4.5 x 2.6 x 0.55-inches, 4.7 ounces PC Mag's got the (latest) hands-on, hit the read link.
BlackBerry 9000 gets a name, introducing the BlackBerry Bold?
Isn't it just? Bold new design, bold new flavor? We're really not feeling the name here, but it may be that Waterloo's home team has decided to plonk the name "Bold" on the BlackBerry 9000. Perhaps they've just decided to tout the horn a bit with this wild and crazy departure from typical BlackBerry fare -- come on, check how rounded those corners are. Either way, the boldly large and curvy handset is surely going to cause a ruckus once announced and dropped on your local retailer's shelves. We're still feeling the name BlackBerry Clunk might have been better, but hey, that's just us.
