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.

Well, what do you know? This week's How Would You Change question hits home in the Mobile world, so we figured we'd give you all a fair shot at chiming in. For those who've coughed up the requisite coin to procure a BlackBerry Curve 8330 on one of our nation's CDMA carriers, how on Earth is it treating you? Found any annoyances you'd like to see changed? If so, head on over to Engadget Classic and drop your comments there.

Now that the BlackBerry 9000's been outed and reviewed, we guess there's little left for RIM to do but just get official with the darned thing. Looks like that might actually happen as soon as next week, with Boy Genius Report claiming that it'll happen on Monday, May 12, the first day of the Wireless Enterprise Symposium, going down in sunny Orlando. 'Course, there's a pretty significant difference between announcing a product and actually getting it into would-be buyers' hands, so we're going to keep our party favors and noisemakers firmly stowed until some carriers start to step up to the plate.

Late's better than never -- usually, anyway -- and a rumored release date finally stuck long enough for the BlackBerry Curve 8330 to make an appearance on Sprint's online store. In fact, as "mid-May" goes, May 9 is actually on the early side of things if you want to get technical about it, so we guess some kudos are actually due here. Sprint's asking $179.99 on contract with rebates for the pleasure of indulging in its latest mobile productivity tool, which you'll ironically be using to respond to emails during meetings that you're supposed to be listening in on. Funny how the world works, isn't it?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

After the April slip-up -- which we're hearing might be more RIM's fault than anything else, a thought validated by the fact that Sprint, Verizon, and Alltel have all slipped -- it looks like Sprint customers and would-be customers might finally be able to get their hands on some sweet, sweet Curve lovin' tomorrow. Boy Genius Report has netted what appears to be a page out of Sprint's internal Playbook, showing "direct ship" availability as of May 9 for a mere $179.99 on contract after the full menu of rebates has been applied. Not bad, all things considered (the price, that is, not the delay we've been suffering through).

A few weeks ago we got a quick tour of the new BlackBerry 9000's UI, but now that the folks at CrackBerry have a unit we all benefit by getting a far deeper look at what's going on. One highlight: (limited) YouTube support! Videos of this thing after the break, check 'em out.

[Thanks Dave, via CrackBerry]

Verizon said we'd be getting the BlackBerry Curve 8330 in May, and it looks like the company is right on schedule: RIM's latest is now available with a two-year contract for $219 and a $50 rebate. Specs are exactly the same as we've known forever, which means there's no WiFi, but that's not going to stop any of you, now is it?

P.S.- Sorry, Sprint subscribers, we still don't know when you're getting this one, apart from "mid-May."

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We already got a somewhat vague peek at the 3G-less Blackberry 9000, but it looks like there are actually two upcoming models of RIM's new hotness on the board -- the EDGE version we know about, codenamed Niagara, and an EV-DO edition codenamed Javelin, slated for Verizon. Boy Genius managed to unearth quite a bit more information on these two, and unsurprisingly, they're basically the same as the 9000 we've already seen. Both have a 480 x 320 half-VGA screen, GPS functionality and 3.2 megapixel camera, but only the EDGE-based Niagara gets Wi-Fi. Of course, there aren't any ship dates or prices in the offing yet, but hopefully we'll know more soon.

We're all about reviews of products before they're released, but reviewing something before it's even been officially confirmed by a company is its own special brand of magnificent. Granted, these are more like the hands-on impressions of a self-confessed BlackBerry addict, who was willing to fork over $828 US on the off chance that the eBay auction the other day was actually legit. A week later Kevin of CrackBerry.com has the BlackBerry 9000 in hand and seems to be loving every minute of it. Apparently the keyboard is better than the 8800 series, the OS4.6 is smooth, fast and pretty, and the 480 x 320 LCD is "awesome." And don't get Kevin started on 3G: the logo alone brought a tear to his eye -- we're clearly dealing with a bona fide fanboy here. That said, it's an encouraging sign to see all those leaked shots weren't just for show, there's a real-live performer behind the legend. Kevin's major caveat is the size and weight of the phone, compared to his Curve, but we're sure the $828 hole in his checking account will have him coming to terms with that drawback in the near future. He'll be posting more details and impressions as he goes.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Apparently, RIM is a bit worried that the rumored high price-point for the forthcoming BlackBerry 9000 might be a bit too steep for some, and plans to offer a budget version -- sans 3G. According to the Boy Genius, an almost identical model of the next-gen phone will be available without high-speed data, and will have a slightly different bezel and back casing (which he's gotten a picture of, seen up above) -- though we're not sure why they'd go to the trouble of making a different body when only the guts will change. Clearly it's one of life's mysteries we weren't meant to understand.

It's hard for us to be sure about this stuff for sure in the early stages, but since last night we've gotten a flood of reports from readers that BlackBerry services are down on T-Mobile and possibly also Bell Mobility (if not other providers). What's the story, are you having any trouble? Shout it out in comments -- if you are, do us all a solid and leave your location and provider. Even if it's just an isolated outage, you know you desperately need to get your act together when Palm, of all companies, is taking potshots.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: We've heard that there was indeed a planned outage scheduled for last night, but it was due to end 6 hours ago. And curiously we continue to get feedback that services are still down.

So it looks like it was just pockets after all -- hours later most people seem to be reporting things are solid with service.

So much for Sprint's claim that the April launch date was still on, eh? Turns out Sprint has now officially delayed the introduction of its BlackBerry Curve 8330 on the grounds that it has a "desire to conduct additional testing to ensure a high-quality user experience for all functionality of the [phone], including exclusive Sprint services like Sprint TV and Sprint Music Store." We guess we're willing to wait a few weeks to get all the bugs ironed out, sort of. Hang tight, folks.

If it weren't for RIM's "help, we're stuck in 2006 and can't get out!" approach of topping this thing out with EDGE data, we'd be all over its warm embrace of an all-new form factor -- but yeah, seriously RIM, what's up with that? Boy Genius Report has outed a few more alleged specs of Waterloo's first foray into the clamshell market, the Kickstart -- and it looks like we can expect a 2 megapixel cam, SureType (as though we couldn't have figured that out ourselves), internal QVGA and external 160 x 128 displays, WiFi, and a true 3.5mm headphone jack. We're also seeing some new shots with T-Mobile branding, which makes sense considering the carrier's longstanding efforts to be on RIM's bleeding edge. Oh, and just for the humor factor, RIM appears to be drawing parallels between the Kickstart and a few... uh, "objects," such as the "anodized color" similar to that found on an "urban nomad tool." So this is how product development goes down -- explains a lot!

[Via phoneArena]