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T-Mobile's BlackBerry Curve 8900 rides off into the sunset
Confused why you can't put a Curve 8900 into your cart on T-Mobile's site right now? Well, turns out there's a mighty simple explanation for that -- it's discontinued. We've just gotten official confirmation from the carrier that the phone has "reached the end of its life-cycle," so that's that. Might we recommend the Curve 8520 or Bold 9700 in its stead? [Thanks, Eric]
Unannounced BlackBerry Curve 8910 took CES refuge at Case-Mate's booth?
RIM has an interesting reputation in the trade show world: it rarely makes any announcements of interest or consequence during events, but if you look hard enough, you still might just find something juicy. Last year's CES, for example, briefly saw a Curve 8900 mysteriously running AT&T-branded firmware, which we now know foretold a release several months later. This year's shindig in Vegas proved to be a little less bombastic -- or so we thought, anyway, until a dude cleaning out his camera's memory card noticed that Case-Mate (of all companies) allegedly had an unannounced Curve 8910 chilling in its booth. It's pretty common for manufacturers to give valued accessory partners some prototypes ahead of time to make sure there are plenty of add-ons available by the time a device is released, they just don't usually... you know, put those prototypes out at a booth for everyone to enjoy. We actually stopped by Case-Mate this year and didn't catch the 8910, but we don't know how long it was actually out -- and besides, telling the difference between this and a Bold 9700 takes a Mike Lazaridis-like understanding for the subtle differences in RIM's industrial design. Next year, though, be on notice, guys: we'll be scanning your kiosks with a fine-tooth comb.
Boost gets back into CDMA game in a big way
In the "press releases we missed while going out of our gourds on the show floor at CES" department, Sprint's Boost Mobile is getting back into CDMA in a big way this month. It wasn't long ago that Boost swore off its CDMA tendencies as iDEN started to heat up again against all odds -- thanks largely to the release of hot (well, hot by iDEN standards, anyway) devices like the Stature -- but CDMA makes a lot more sense now that the parent company has scooped up Virgin and smartly has no interest in running two separate, unrelated prepaid divisions. Anyhow, the gist of the announcement is that Boost will be reinvesting heavily in its $50 monthly unlimited plan for CDMA devices and has brought on three inaugural handsets to help kick it off: the Mirro and Incognito (pictured) from Sanyo alongside the venerable BlackBerry Curve 8330. The Mirro features a slick, mirrored finish (hence the name, we suspect) along with a 1.3 megapixel cam; it clocks in at $99.99. The Incognito steps up to $149.99 with a hidden set of external controls, a 2 megapixel cam, a full QWERTY keyboard inside -- it's got social network integration, to boot, and users can add 3G data to their plan for another $10 a month. Same goes for the 8330, which retails for $249.99; all three prices seem high until you remember that Boost doesn't do contracts. All three handsets are available now.
Alltel launches BlackBerry Curve 8530
Alltel's also gotten on the BlackBerry Curve 8530 bandwagon, but unlike Sprint, Verizon, and Telus, the contract is shorter and the price is oh so much sweeter. The regional carrier's (well, more like micro carrier ever since Verizon swallowed most of it) version of the phone rings in at $499, but after $360 online discount and $100 mail-in rebate, you're only going to have to plonk down $39.99 -- with a qualifying plan, of course. And hey, the best part about it is being able to hate on all your T-Mobile-toting friends who are stuck with 2G on the 8520, right?
BlackBerry Curve 8910 getting its FCC on
Alright, look, RIM: it's no longer alright to be selling GSM smartphones in the year 2010 without HSPA. Seriously, it's not cool -- but a new filing in the FCC today from the folks in Waterloo shows the back of a phone that looks a whole lot like a new Curve to us. Indeed, Phone Scoop astutely notes that device's ID matches a previous Bluetooth SIG filing for the phone, and if you turn your attention over to the accompanying SAR report, you see that it's rolling deep (or rolling shallow, rather) with EDGE alone. This all lines up nicely with the recent rumors of a Curve 8910 in the works that has its trackball replaced with one of those newfangled optical pads, and while it's possible this filing is for a Euro-spec unit that only runs 3G on bands the FCC doesn't concern itself with, the more likely explanation is that RIM wants to keep drawing the line in the sand between the Curve and Bold ranges by dropping 3G in one and not in the other. Now that they've got an approval under their belt, we reckon it won't be long before we see this get official somewhere -- T-Mobile, care to comment?
Leaked user guides suggest Virgin Mobile Canada about to hit the hardware mother lode
Virgin Mobile's Sprint-owned US outpost has a reputation as a fairly basic, low-end network -- but things are a little different up north where smartphones have been in Virgin Canada's vocabulary for some time. Well, things are about to get really interesting -- perhaps in an effort to fend off WIND's advances -- on news of an all-too-brief user guide leak on Virgin's official support site. As smartphones go, it looks like customers can expect the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Curve 8530, and data fiends will be pleased to see the addition of a MiFi and a branded version of the MC998D stick. Perhaps the most interesting thing here is that Virgin appears to be planning to release both CDMA and HSPA devices going forward (the 8530 versus the 9700, for example) -- a symptom of parent company Bell's recent switch. The guides are now gone, but in all likelihood, we'll be seeing some (or all) of this stuff pop back up again in the near future.
BlackBerry Curve 8910 in the wild?
If you thought RIM had completely run out of ways to mildly remix its existing portrait QWERTY formula, think again -- the transition from trackball to optical pad has opened up a whole new world of exciting opportunities, and it looks like the venerable Curve 8900 might be the next model to get the refresh. BerryReview appears to have scored a shot of the alleged 8910 in its most natural environment -- a desk calendar -- preserving the Curve series' typical broken-up keyboard style (as opposed to the connected keys you see in the Bold line). Otherwise we don't really know much, but naturally, the new model is said to be running BlackBerry OS 5.0 under the hood (in other words, it'll look pretty much like every other BlackBerry you've used in recent memory). More on this puppy as we get it. Update: Unwired View points out that there's a Bluetooth SIG certification for an 8910, so this is all lining up pretty nicely, isn't it?
Nielsen stats: a lot of iPhones out there, but also a lot of everything else
Fact: most phones last. Thing is, for us (and likely many of you), they last far longer than our clinically-diagnosed Gadget Attention Deficit Disorder would ever tolerate -- but for your dad, your sister, your college buddy with the hand-me-down ZEOS Pantera running Windows 95, or anyone weary of re-upping a two-year commitment, a handset can easily become a serious long-term investment. That helps explain why Motorola's venerable RAZR series remains staggeringly high on Nielsen's latest US phone usage report -- third place, to be exact, at 2.3 percent of all subscribers behind the iPhone 3G at 4 percent and RIM's BlackBerry Curve line at 3.7 percent. Needless to say, that doesn't mean the ancient V3 line is still in third place for sales -- it's more a testament to the staggeringly huge RAZR user base Moto managed to develop over the years, many of whom scored their phones at sub-$100 price points as an attractive, midrange value in the phone's twilight and have no intention of upgrading any time soon if they don't have to. Maybe the most interesting part of this is that two V3 variants are also topping 2009's most-recycled list, so they're definitely getting taken out of circulation -- it just might take a few years yet before you don't know anyone that uses one, that's all.
BlackBerry Curve 8530 now available on Sprint
What's this we see here? Looks like the Curve 8530 has made it to Sprint after all. When all is said and done, she'll cost you $50 with a new contract (after mail in rebate). Featuring a 2.5-inch display, OS 5.0, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and glorious, glorious WiFi, this is a solid, sensible device. Besides, if you wanted pizazz, you'd be looking at a Pureness right now. That, or you could always do a number on this guy with some Swarovski crystals and a hot glue gun -- but please, don't. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
BlackBerry Curve 8530 now putting Verizon through the rounds
Right on schedule, the latest BlackBerry to grace the Verizon's CDMA spectrum, the Curve 8530, is now on sale. A 2.5-inch display, OS 5.0, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and yes, WiFi -- take that, Tour. Price is $199.99 on two-year contract, with an added $100 discount if you buy it online. Let's be honest, what else were you gonna spend that money on tonight, hm?
T-Mobile Complete: a $300 contract-free BlackBerry Curve 8520 with one month service
Good old T-Mobile's on a roll these days with new phone plans, and this one seems perfectly catered to stocking stuffers. The quartet of phones start at $59.99, but so far we know of two: BlackBerry Curve 8520 for $299.99 and the Pearl for $149.99, according to the Best Buy stores we contacted. There's no contract commitment, and according to the press release, the first month is included in the bill from the point the phone's out of the box and activated. We don't know the details of that first month of service (data? texting?), but it's still a pretty penny for an unsubsidized handset. After that second month, of course, T-Mo's probably hoping you'll be enticed to keep with the network. If not already, you should start seeing the phones pop up at local Best Buy and select Walmart locales shortly. Press release after the break.
BlackBerry Curve 8530 now official on Sprint
As we revealed this morning, the BlackBerry Curve 8530 -- a CDMA remix of the 8520 now available on T-Mobile -- is coming to Sprint to do battle with its Verizon-branded cousin. Unlike Verizon, which promises a November 20 launch for $99.99 on contract after rebate, Sprint isn't revealing pricing or availability details for the low-end BlackBerry -- but naturally, if they're smart, the answers will be "cheap" and "soon," respectively.
Verizon's BlackBerry 8530 and LG Chocolate Touch go hands-on
Rounding out the flurry of interesting Verizon Wireless launches today are the BlackBerry Curve 8530 and LG Chocolate Touch (pictured). The 8530 is pretty much just the Verizon edition of T-Mobile's 8520, but the LG Chocolate Touch bears closer examination. Basically it's just a war on the eyeballs of anyone who's ever seen the BL40, with the front, back, materials and interface of the device all falling incredibly short of aesthetic pleasure. However, the $80 phone does have a relatively responsive and usable touchscreen interface for a "dumbphone," and we've used worse touchscreen keyboards on Windows Mobile. So it's not a complete tragedy, but we really feel sorry for someone who skips over the DROID ERIS for this just handset just to save $20.
Sprint getting BlackBerry Curve 8530, too
Great news, Sprint-ites (or whatever it is that you like to be called): the BlackBerry Curve 8530 that was just announced for Verizon today isn't a Big Red exclusive. We just reached out to a Sprint spokesperson for comment on the device's future in yellow clothes, and sure enough, it's coming; we don't know when exactly, but we imagine it'd be in the same time frame as Verizon's, which launches on the 20th of this month. This would become Sprint's first optical trackpad-equipped BlackBerry device -- and with both EV-DO and WiFi on board, it should be a solid option if the price falls in line with the $100 that its rival is charging. More on this shortly, we suspect.
Verizon launches BlackBerry 8530, LG Chocolate Touch, Samsung Convoy, and prepaid data
HTC's DROID ERIS is arguably the biggest announcement out of Verizon today, but that's not the only thing getting real this morning -- far from it, in fact. If BlackBerrys, music-centric dumbphones, rugged flips, or commitment-free data are your bag, head on over to Engadget Mobile where we've covered the rest of the action! Read - BlackBerry Curve 8530 brings optical trackpad to Verizon Read - Verizon's LG Chocolate Touch skips on the BL40 influence Read - Samsung Convoy is a rugged push-to-talker for Verizon Read - Verizon broadband data goes prepaid
BlackBerry Curve 8530 brings optical trackpad to Verizon
Twinning nicely with its 8520 counterpart currently available on T-Mobile, RIM's BlackBerry Curve 8530 marks the brand's new low-end full QWERTY device with a 2 megapixel camera, 528MHz "next generation" core and QVGA display all paired up with EV-DO and WiFi, marking Verizon's newfound commitment to launching WiFi on BlackBerrys that we first saw on the Storm2. It's got a full 256MB of storage on board (expandable with 32GB microSD cards, theoretically, when they're available) and is going to see duty in your choice of black or "smoky violet" -- just hold out for November 20, when it'll materialize for $99.99 on contract after rebate.
Verizon's BlackBerry Curve 8530 gets reviewed early
The phone you're peering at above has more names than we'd care to count, but the so-called Aries (or the Gemini's CDMA'd sibling, if you please) may end up on Verizon as one of two things: the BlackBerry Curve 8530 or the BlackBerry Curve 2. The folks over at CrackBerry managed to get their hands on a unit far before this thing has even been officially released, and of course they've given us the rundown just as the Storm2 is stealing all of the attention over at Big Red. The WiFi-equipped handset (yeah, you read that right) was said to be "identical to the Curve 8520" with the exception of the back cover design, meaning that while solid, the device definitely felt "entry-level." The interface was said to be satisfactorily snappy, the optical trackpad was dubbed "really great" and the web browser was still thoroughly worthless. If you really need to hear more, give that read link a look.
BlackBerry Curve 8520 now on Rogers
You know what's screwed up? A CAD $99.99 (about $95) BlackBerry Curve 8520 -- you know, the cheap one -- being sold on the same carrier at the same time as CAD $79.99 (about $76) Dreams and Magics. Doesn't that seem a little out of whack? Not to mention the fact that Rogers is looking for three-year contracts all around here, and with all due respect to the 8520, the thought of committing to it for anything even close to the next 36 months sends shivers down our spines. The latest BlackBerry (and the first with a touchpad in place of a trackball) is yet to go live on Rogers' site, but apparently you can go ahead and pick one up this very second if you're so inclined -- just be sure to bring cash and your best contract signin' pen.
RIM goes pale, shows white Curve 8520 for T-Mobile and Bold for AT&T
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-75098%
Leaked BlackBerry Atlas gives Curve 8900 its CDMA counterpart?
Gemini had its Aries, and now it seems Javeline (a.k.a. the Curve 8900) has found its own CDMA equivalent in the BlackBerry Atlas. (Isn't a shame that RIM's device codenames are so often catchier than their final designation? But we digress.) A new BlackBerry has hit the internet in grainy photograph form, and according to Salomondrin with additional notes from Crackberry, the pictured leak (it's the one on the left) boasts CDMA bands, WiFi, and a 8900 series keyboard. Mum's the word, officially and otherwise, on pretty much any other details, but hopefully RIM won't keep us waiting too long.[Via Crackberry]
