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Filed under: Cellphones

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]

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Source: Joshua Topolsky

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Boy Genius has landed a BlackBerry Bold — RIM’s big, splashy push into the brave new world of HSDPA — in production hardware trim, and it looks like the rougher users out there might need a quick lesson in fragile handling if they want to get in on the action when it launches around the world in the next few weeks. The screen is said to be absolutely beautiful (as it should be at 480 x 320), and there’s a much improved browser to take advantage of that extra real estate; unfortunately, the whole package apparently scratches up with ridiculous ease, so it’s anybody’s guess just how long you’ll be able to actually see the screen before it’s awash in damage. Just remember: keys in one pocket, BlackBerry in the other. Interested parties would do themselves a favor by clicking through to the full review — the cat knows his BlackBerrys, and he’s really gone to town this time around.

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Source: Chris Ziegler

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Filed under: Cellphones

If you were concerned that you didn’t look crazy enough screaming into your phone at business associates, family members, and the guy who does your landscaping, Google has added a feature to Maps for RIM devices which should confirm that yes: you’re a total maniac. Available right now for a handful of BlackBerry phones (8110, 8120, US version of the 8130) you can grab Google Maps with voice search, which enables you to find what you’re looking for by pressing the left-side button and speaking the name of a business (or location, we assume). Sure it sounds convenient, but think twice before searching for hookers or cocaine out loud — stock brokers, you have been warned.

[Via Gear Diary]

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Source: Joshua Topolsky

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Filed under: Cellphones

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?

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Source: Nilay Patel

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Filed under: Cellphones

Let’s preface this by saying that we honestly have no idea what’s going on with the hot BlackBerry 9000, but Fortune is reporting that it’s delayed due to either a) AT&T concerns over call quality; b) AT&T concerns over launching a 3G Blackberry and the 3G iPhone at the same time or; c) or something else entirely. That’s news to our homeboy Boy Genius, who thinks Fortune needs to start double-checking its model numbers and code names before it starts rumor-mongering, and points out that he’s been on top of power-management-related 9000 delays for a while now. Testy! We’re a little more inclined to trust BGR on this stuff — the man’s got a point when he says he’s gotten pre-release versions of every RIM device since the Pearl 8100, and if the 9000’s faster processor and 3G are indeed causing power problems, he’s likely to notice. Let’s just hope this all gets sorted soon — we’re ready to move on up.

Read - Fortune: “Delay seen for RIM’s new Blackberry”
Read - BGR: “Cleaning up those BlackBerry rumors”

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Source: Nilay Patel

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Filed under: Cellphones

Well, what do you know? We heard that RIM was gearing up to ship BlackBerry handsets to Russia in 2008, and lo and behold, the addiction is indeed sliding over to the world’s largest country. British American Tobacco became the first client of BlackBerry service in the nation, and it’s being provided by the beautifully-named Vimpelcom. As expected, Vimpelcom’s customers will be handed the same 8700g model that was introduced to Chinese users when RIM broke into that territory last July. As it stands, the aforesaid operator is already in talks with some 40 more potential corporate clients, and rival Mobile TeleSystems is also getting set to unleash BB service with 30 corporate clients. Kudos, Russia — prepare for splintered relationships, 24 hour work days and a feeling of anxiety you can’t even fathom when service collapses for even a moment.

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Cellphones

The last we’d heard, the Indian government had ruled out the threat of a Blackberry ban if RIM didn’t allow it to snoop on messages, but it looks like some overzealous bureaucrat is getting his way after all: the Department of Telecom has issued a 15-day deadline for RIM to either open up for the G-men or get shut down. RIM says it won’t comment on regulatory issues as a matter of policy, but it looks like the Indian government is playing hardball, with Telecom Minister A Raja saying that national security will not be sacrificed at any cost. Hmm, hear that? That’s the sound of over 400,000 Indian Blackberry users desperately grabbing at their devices to get another quick fix — something tells us this isn’t going to end well.

[Via Cellpassion]

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Source: Nilay Patel

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Filed under: Cellphones

Remember the Indian government’s threat to shutdown RIM’s in-country network if they didn’t open it up for snooping? Ain’t gonna happen. Today the Indian government ruled out banning the BlackBerry service. Instead, the government will continue working with the Telecom Commission on security matters (whatever that means) with a promise to resolve the matter soon. Look India, if the notoriously controlling Chinese allow the data to run encrypted, what’s your beef chicken?

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Source: Thomas Ricker

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