trackpad

Exclusive
December 23, 2009
by

BlackBerry Tour2 9650 Hands On

By on December 23, 2009 at 2:42 PM.

BlackBerry Tour2 9650 Hands On

BlackBerry-Tour2-1

What could be better than the original BlackBerry Tour? Well, the BlackBerry Tour2 obviously. We’ve just got a hold of one and will be putting it through our normal thorough review processes, but in the meantime, here are some first impressions:

  • Physical size is nearly, if not identical to the original BlackBerry Tour
  • The trackpad works great, just as you’d expect
  • We guessed the original Tour was slightly underpowered, and we were right. Fortunately the Tour2 seems to use the processor found in the Storm2, and that’s a welcome improvement. In the short time we’ve been using it, there aren’t many slowdowns that we’d normally get on the Tour, and the device feels much more snappy
  • The keyboard remains at greatness status
  • Wi-Fi works like any other BlackBerry

All in all a much-needed upgrade to keep Verizon and Sprint’s BlackBerry lineup current, and it might even be the device that sways me from my BlackBerry 9700… Photos in the gallery!

Click on over to our BlackBerry Tou2 9650 Hands On gallery!

161 Comments
Featured
November 26, 2009
by

Verizon BlackBerry Curve 8530 Review

By on November 26, 2009 at 9:28 AM.

Verizon BlackBerry Curve 8530 Review

vzw-bb-8530

With today being Thanksgiving and most blogs closing shop for the day, we thought it would be a perfect time for us to break out our review of the latest smartphone in Verizon’s line-up, the BlackBerry Curve 8530. More or less the same device as T-Mobile’s (and soon to be AT&T’s) Curve 8520, the 8530 differs a bit: it adds GPS into the fold and runs on EV-DO Rev. 0 networks. We’ve been putting it through our patent-pending stress test this week, so hit the break to check out our thoughts. More →

63 Comments
Retail
November 20, 2009
by

Verizon now selling the BlackBerry Curve 8530

By on November 20, 2009 at 8:46 PM.

Verizon now selling the BlackBerry Curve 8530

vzw-bb-curve-8530

It might not be fancy or scream “look at me”, but Verizon’s now-available BlackBerry Curve 8530 is a smartphone that gets the job done. Kitted out with a 2.5″ display, 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS and 256MB of flash memory, the Curve 8530 is also the first full-QWERTY BlackBerry from Verizon to feature RIM’s new optical trackpad and OS 5.0. Other than that, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo Bluetooth, support for microSD cards and dedicated multimedia keys round out the rest of the phone’s features. Of course at $99.99 on contract there are a lot of better smartphones that are similarly priced, but for BlackBerry lovers fond of Verizon and always looking to save a bit of coin, you can’t really go wrong. Plus it comes in two colors: Black and Smoky Violet (imagine the color of your grandmother’s ugliest pant suit). Yay?
More →

51 Comments
Retail
November 16, 2009
by

BlackBerry Bold 9700 now available from T-Mobile

By on November 16, 2009 at 7:40 AM.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 now available from T-Mobile

tmo-bb-9700-fail

Having been on sale in other countries for almost two weeks, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 has finally made it to American soil. Now available from T-Mobile, the Bold 9700 is the first BlackBerry to have AWS 3G. Other features include a HVGA+ display, 3.2 megapixel camera, optical trackpad, and support for HotSpot @Home and Visual Voicemail, but anyone keeping tabs on Waterloo’s latest surely knows those specs by now. So how much will the Bold 9700 set you back? $199.99 on a 2-year contract (Even More) or $449.99 outright via Even More Plus with the option to finance the device at $22 per month over 20 months. Now then, how many of you are going to be picking this up?

P.S. Nice job with the device pic, T-Mo.

More →

53 Comments
Retail
November 5, 2009
by

Sprint gets BlackBerry 8530 love, too

By on November 5, 2009 at 2:09 PM.

Sprint gets BlackBerry 8530 love, too

sprint-bb-curve-8530

Shortly after the official announcement for the BlackBerry Curve 8530 coming to Verizon, Sprint customers were asking, “When are we getting ours?” It looks like a Sprint version may be coming around about the same time as Verizon’s 8530. There is no date for sure, but a Sprint spokesperson said that it is definitely coming and will be packing Wi-Fi and EV-DO, too. The price point should be about the same as Verizon’s, we’d imagine, though we’re hoping they give some kind of incentive for grabbing one of these over a Tour, which can currently be had at Best Buy for $99. If nothing else, this could appease all the trackball haters. Let’s just change the hue on that puppy, alright? More →

36 Comments
General
November 5, 2009
by

Verizon announces the BlackBerry Curve 8530

By on November 5, 2009 at 1:15 PM.

Verizon announces the BlackBerry Curve 8530

vzw-bb-curve-8530

We’re sure that most of you are sick and tired of all of this Verizon news (how do you think we feel having to write about it?), but they’re on a tear. Today Verizon announced that it will be carrying the BlackBerry Curve 8530 starting November 20th. To go for $99.99 on contract after a $100 mail-in rebate, the new Curve offers the following: full-QWERTY keypad, optical trackpad, 2 megapixel camera, GPS, dedicated multimedia keys, 3.5mm headphone jack, 256MB of app memory, 528MHz processor, EV-DO connectivity and last but not least, Wi-Fi! Yes, indeedy, Verizon is definitely looking like the front runner in the smartphone arms race of the 2009 Holiday Season. More →

30 Comments
Retail
November 3, 2009
by

Rogers now selling the BlackBerry Bold 9700 online

By on November 3, 2009 at 9:41 AM.

Rogers now selling the BlackBerry Bold 9700 online

rogers-bold-9700-order

Canadians with a ravenous appetite for all things BlackBerry should take note that Rogers Wireless has begun selling the BlackBerry Bold 9700 on its website. Available for $299.99 on a 3-year with voice and data, the Bold 9700 is also being offered for $599.99 with no strings attached. As for when HSPA newcomers Bell and TELUS will be offering up the 9700, the latest word is that both carriers will offer the device the day they launch their new networks. For Bell, that’s the 4th of November with TELUS following the very next day.

Thanks, ILLIONAIRE!

More →

26 Comments
Breaking
October 21, 2009
by

RIM makes the BlackBerry Bold 9700 official, hitting in November

By on October 21, 2009 at 7:01 AM.

RIM makes the BlackBerry Bold 9700 official, hitting in November

bb-bold-9700-press

It’s always a lot of fun for us — and hopefully for you, the readers — any time we can run wild with pictures, news, and even reviews of an unannounced handset. Today, however, RIM spoiled our fun and formally announced the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Things like carriers, release dates and pricing have been withheld for the time being, but RIM has made a statement saying that we should all expect to see the BlackBerry 9700 go on sale “around the world beginning in November.” Spec wise, nothing has changed since our pre-release review, but just in case some of you forgot or weren’t paying a whole lot of attention, here’s a quick refresher on the critical specs:

  • BlackBerry OS 5.0
  • 624MHz CPU
  • 256MB flash memory and support for microSD cards up to 32GB
  • Quad-band UMTS/HSDPA (800/850/1900/2100 MHz) or tri-band UMTS/HSDPA (900/1700/2100 MHz)
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UMA support (carrier dependent)
  • A-GPS
  • 2.44″ HVGA+ display
  • 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
  • Optical trackpad
  • Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP/AVCRP
  • 1500 mAh battery
  • 6 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby (3G)
  • 109mm x 60mm x 14.1mm, 122g

In short, this is the BlackBerry device of your dreams. We’re expecting pretty much every single major GSM carrier on the planet to pick up the 9700 sooner or later, so we’ll be sure to keep the updates coming. As always, high res pics and a few other odds and ends are available after the jump.

UPDATE: AT&T, Rogers and T-Mobile have announced they will be carrying the Bold 9700 in the weeks ahead. AT&T and T-Mobile’s 9700 will go for $199.99 after a $100 MIR on 2-year deals while Rogers will be asking for $299.99 on a 3-year contract with a monthly minimum voice and data plan of $45. Bell and TELUS have yet to come forward with pricing but have confirmed they will be carrying the device.

More →

96 Comments
News
October 15, 2009
by

BlackBerry Bold 9700 pops up in T-Mobile Germany’s website as arriving in November

By on October 15, 2009 at 7:50 AM.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 pops up in T-Mobile Germany’s website as arriving in November

tmo-de-bold-9700

Oh look, yet another BlackBerry has shown up on a carriers website before its existence has been officially acknowledged. This time the honor falls upon T-Mobile Germany and the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Listed without a price but as available in November, T-Mobile is positioning the 9700 as the “Bold the size of a Curve,” something easily confirmed by on quick glance at the accompanying spec sheet. Listed as 109mm x 60mm x 14mm, the 9700 shares identical dimensions with the Curve 8900 save for the fact the former is 0.5mm thicker. Standby time is rated at nearly 21 days while talk time clocks in at 5 hours, a far cry better than the current Bold’s 13.5 days of standby and 4.5 hours of talk time despite the fact that both devices operate on the same 1500 mAh battery. Of course all of this has been covered in our hands-on review pre-release review of the 9700, but we’re sure most of you know that already, right?

Thanks, Julius!

Read

11 Comments
Exclusive
October 7, 2009
by

Rogers to announce BlackBerry 8520 pricing and availiblity tomorrow, we start a day early

By on October 7, 2009 at 7:01 PM.

Rogers to announce BlackBerry 8520 pricing and availiblity tomorrow, we start a day early

rogers-bb-8520If we told you how many emails we get asking about BlackBerry 8520 availability and pricing for Canada, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t believe us. It so happens that one of our Canadian connects (ninja is so yesterday) just blessed us with more information on the Rogers BlackBerry 8520 than we know what to do with. As far as colors go, as we’ve seen, it will be available in black and violet color options. The built-in UMA support will enable the device to take advantage of Rogers’ TalkSpot service just like the T-Mobile variant in the United States does. Here’s a brief recap of device specs before we get into the really good stuff:

  • 512MHz CPU
  • 2 megapixel camera, fixed focus, no flash
  • 320×240 display
  • 256MB of RAM
  • 3.5mm headset jack
  • QWERTY keyboard
  • Trackpad
  • Wi-Fi with UMA
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE

In terms of pricing and availability, the BlackBerry 8520 is available starting tomorrow, October 8th, for $99 on a three-year agreement with minimum combined service fees of $45/mo or more.

5 Comments
General
October 6, 2009
by

Rogers to release the BlackBerry Curve 8520 on October 9th for $100?

By on October 6, 2009 at 7:51 AM.

Rogers to release the BlackBerry Curve 8520 on October 9th for $100?

rogers-bb-8520

We’ve known for the longest time that Rogers will soon be releasing the wallet friendly BlackBerry Curve 8520, but up until now we’ve (or anyone, for that matter) been unable to figure out the exact release date and pricing of one of the worst kept phone secrets in recent memory. The release date, as tipped off by Best Buy, is apparently October 9th, while the same source also indicates that the 8520 will be unreasonably expensive. We’ve no major qualms with the $499.99 non-contract price (other than it’s a rip-off and $200 more expensive than the $299 USD T-Mobile customers pay) but $99.99 on contract when the Pearl Flip 8220 is $9.99? That’s just not right, now is it. Anyway, hit the jump for some screenies.

Thanks, ILLIONAIRE!

More →

10 Comments
Exclusive
October 2, 2009
by

BlackBerry 8530, BlackBerry 9700 show up in Bell’s systems

By on October 2, 2009 at 3:25 PM.

BlackBerry 8530, BlackBerry 9700 show up in Bell’s systems

bell-8530-small

Love your Bell service in Canada? Don’t really want to spring for a brand new BlackBerry Tour? Well, it seems as if Bell is gearing up to launch the BlackBerry 8530 pretty soon. Full retail price is showing up at $499 without a service agreement, but don’t let that scare you off too much — it should be pretty reasonable once a contract is factored in. We also have shots of the BlackBerry 9700 making its way into Bell’s system meaning that it’s likely we’ll see Bell’s HSPA network overlay launch with it in tow. As always, hit the jump for some bigger and better shots.

More →

19 Comments