BlackBerry Bold -- Engadget Mobile

BlackBerry Bold posts

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 @ 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 announced, launching globally starting next month

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 21st 2009 @ 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 @ 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]

BlackBerry Onyx poses for the camera

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 4th 2009 @ 9:47PM

We're not expecting the BlackBerry Onyx to hit before November, but at least a few units have hit the wild, and these are the first in-depth photos we've seen. These shots don't reveal much about the new-look Bold with the optical trackball, but it sure is pretty, ain't it? Now if it only had a useful browser and IMAP support, we'd actually care.

[Thanks, Zero]

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

by Ross Miller posted Sep 16th 2009 @ 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

AT&T yanks BlackBerry Bold visual voicemail software update

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 5th 2009 @ 4:20PM

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 @ 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]

BlackBerry Bold comes to South Korea at long last

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 30th 2009 @ 11:57PM

It's taken a little longer than they'd hoped, but RIM and SK Telecom will finally begin offering a localized version of the venerable BlackBerry Bold to South Korean customers this week. The move follows last year's scrapping of policies that all but banned foreign handsets from being offered by local carriers, which could theoretically be a boon to manufacturers in one of the world's most advanced mobile markets -- assuming anyone's able to crash through the stranglehold that local favorites Samsung, LG, and Pantech have. It's unclear how big of a deal a device with an English QWERTY keyboard could really be in Seoul, but hey, options are always a good thing, right?

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

by Darren Murph posted Mar 27th 2009 @ 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]

NTT DoCoMo's overheating BlackBerry Bold not caused by battery, says RIM

by Ross Miller posted Feb 27th 2009 @ 6:41PM

While RIM and Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo still don't know why their BlackBerry Bold is feeling a little toasty around the keyboard, the duo has ruled out a likely culprit, the battery, as its unwelcome heat source. Word on the street is an estimated 30 people have issued complaints about the mobile device heating up while recharging, with around 4,000 units being sold before DoCoMo halted sales. One analyst speculates the issue -- which so far has affected only Japan -- may be based on region-specific software of other customizations. We're sure the pair are working around the clock to get to the bottom of this malfunction, but in the meantime, we recommend dusting off the ol' 8707h to get that retro BlackBerry feel -- y'know, just for kicks.

NTT DoCoMo halts BlackBerry Bold sales after reports of overheating

by Donald Melanson posted Feb 27th 2009 @ 10:58AM

It's apparently not quite the same fire hazard that the truth in advertising standard-bearer Quickfire is, but NTT DoCoMo doesn't seem to be taking any chances with its newly-launched BlackBerry Bold, with the Japanese carrier now suspending sales of the smartphone after some reports of it getting a bit too toasty for comfort. Apparently, some 30 users reported that the keyboard "heated up" while the phone was recharging, although it's not clear if that's due to the charger or the handset itself. For its part, RIM says that the issue "appears to be specifically limited to the BlackBerry Bold devices sold in Japan," and that expects to be able to fix the problem and resume sales of the Bold "shortly." In the meantime, stay frosty, Japan.

[Via Yahoo! News / AFP]

Specification sheet reveals quad-band 3G BlackBerry Bold for Japan

by Darren Murph posted Feb 27th 2009 @ 4:31AM

Here's one that's guaranteed to rub loyal T-Mobile subscribers the wrong way. Based on a specifications sheet on the Japanese BlackBerry site, the forthcoming Bold -- which is destined for NTT DoCoMo -- has a fourth 3G band in addition to the 850/1900/2100MHz bands found on the US model. The addition of 800MHz 3G covers the operator's FOMA Plus Area network, which is used in less populated areas throughout Japan. Needless to say, T-Mob users are probably wondering why they can't get a version with AWS 3G baked in, but we get the feeling they'll be wondering for eons.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Visual Voicemail for BlackBerry appears in AT&T management system

by Darren Murph posted Feb 10th 2009 @ 5:22PM

Seriously folks, if Visual Voicemail for BlackBerry doesn't show up for real on AT&T within the next, say, three to six months, we're marching straight to AT&T Mobility in Atlanta and demanding an explanation. According to a screen grab snagged by a Boy Genius Report reader, the option to add BlackBerry Visual Voicemail has appeared (presumably by accident) in his account management system, though trying to enable it caused an unrecoverable error and an instant computer meltdown. On the real, we're glad to see the price tag at $0.00, but frankly, we'd expect no different.

Visual Voicemail for BlackBerry Bold gets realer

by Darren Murph posted Jan 22nd 2009 @ 4:24AM

So, those curious Visual Voicemail shots we saw last week? Evidently they weren't just some random effort in Photoshop. According to the Boy Genius Report, the new feature is indeed coming to AT&T's BlackBerry Bold, though an exact release date isn't disclosed. We're told it could be sooner rather than later for "at least some customers," so yeah, you're now free to get your hopes up just a wee bit.

DroidBerry theme turns your Bold into a G1, still won't replace the Gmail app

by Jacob Schulman posted Jan 15th 2009 @ 11:11PM

Seriously, what's with the fascination of getting a brand new device and trying to make it look like something completely different? First the 8900 theme for Curves and 88xx's, and then Vista for the iPhone -- will it ever stop? No longer will you have to be envious of your Sidekick brethren, Bold users, as the Android-style interface has finally made the jump to the BlackBerry in the form of DroidBerry, the newest theme from those classifiable techies over at CrackBerry. Only $7 and you could have all that cartoony icon and analog clock-related bliss you could ever wish for -- a small price to pay for a whole lot of beauty.