Additional snapshots surfaced today courtesy of the folks over at Driphter of the soon to be released Blackberry Bold 9780. Earlier images of the devices about screen had only been seen with bands 1, 4 and 8. These bands are primarily assosiated with T-Mobile (USA), WIND Mobile, Mobilicity, Videotron (Canada), and band 8 is used overseas with carriers Optus and Vodafone. The images released today show 3G bands 1, 2, 5, and 6 used by major North American carriers  AT&T, Bell Mobility, Telus, and Rogers. This should give all GSM customers a glimmer of hope holding out for the more traditional BlackBerry form factor. Lets keep our fingers crossed that we won’t have to wait to much longer for a release date.

So which next generation BlackBerry do you prefer? The 9800 Slider, Storm 3, or are you more of a traditionalist and holding out for the Bold 9780? Some of you shiver at the thought of moving parts or a touchscreen/QWERTY combo phone. What Blackberry are you? Let us know in the comments below!

via: Driphter

T-Mobile is all over it today. They first announced the BlackBerry Curve 3G, then they come out saying that the BlackBerry Podcast application is on its way to our devices later this month. I have yet to try out the BlackBerry Podcast app, but I know it seems nice. I tinkered with it over the weekend when I was playing with a Torch, but I haven’t really got to sit down and use it. I’m also not sure if this is just in line with the newly announced 9300 which will support BlackBerry 6. With that being said, we can only sit and wait for the Podcast app, or you can try to get it through BetaZone. I’ve been trying to get my hands on it for a while now to no avail.

via: RIMarkable

Torch week is over. Personally, I have never lived through such a hectic week in my life, but it is now over and we’re beginning a new week. One thing is for sure, RIM is not done. They have brought to the light that they still have enough flame in them to turn around their ominous slump.

T-Mobile heads this week off with the new officially announced BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300. While this news is simply under-stimulating for most, RIM has also officially stated that the 9300 will support BlackBerry 6. People have been complaining that releasing a BlackBerry with no BlackBerry 6 support at this point (the Curve 3G) would be pointless, but RIM has cleared that up for us all via press release. While I’m not sure exactly how BlackBerry 6 will feel or operate on a non-touchscreen device, the 9300 will, in fact, receive it and hopefully in a timely manner. T-Mobile said the Curve 3G will be available in the “coming weeks” with no word on pricing.

The follow is a full list of highlights of the BlackBerry Curve 3G:

• Full QWERTY keyboard and touch-sensitive optical trackpad for responsive typing and easy navigation
• Available in two color finishes – smoky violet and graphite grey
• Premium phone features including calendaring, voice-activated dialing, Visual Voicemail and Bluetooth 2.1
• Advanced media player for music, pictures and videos, with dedicated media keys and a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, plus BlackBerry Media Sync, which makes it easy to quickly sync music from iTunes® or Windows Media Player with the smartphone
• 2-megapixel camera with zoom and video recording · Built-in GPS with location-based services by TeleNav
• Access to BlackBerry App World, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones. Categories include games, entertainment, social networking and sharing, news and weather, productivity, and much more.
• Web browser delivers a desktop-like experience, including HTML e-mail
• BlackBerry Internet Service support for access to up to 10 e-mail accounts including Yahoo!®, Windows Live Hotmail, AOL®, GmailTM and most popular ISPs; and BlackBerry Enterprise Server support, which provides advanced security and IT administration features for corporate deployments
• Six popular instant messaging clients preloaded, including AOL Instant Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ®, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and BlackBerry Messenger
• Fast 624 MHz processor, 256MB of internal memory and hot-swappable microSD/SDHC card slot with support for up to 32GB with a pre-installed 2GB memory card
• BlackBerry OS 5; support for BlackBerry OS 6
• Model number: BlackBerry Curve 9300
• Wi-Fi enabled (802.11 b/g/n) for data and voice
• Quad-band GSM world phone: (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Tri-Band 3G UMTS/HSDPA world phone: (Band I, Band IV, Band VIII)
• Dimensions: 4.3 inches x 2.4 inches x 0.55 inches; 3.8 ounces; 2.4-inch screen, 320×240 pixels QVGA
• Rechargeable/removable 1150 mAhr battery, for up to 4.5 hours of talk time and 19 days of standby time

via: TmoNews | Engadget

The 9800’s release is, without a doubt, one of the more anticipated device releases of a BlackBerry device yet. I know personally cannot wait to have one in my hands. The design is very pleasing as is the new OS. A touchscreen and full QWERTY combo BlackBerry has been fabled for going on two years now, and we’re all just ready to unearth this mythical beast. A lot of BlackBerry fans and haters alike are surprisingly still very displeased with RIM and after seeing the direction RIM has decided to move, have written them off and jumped ship to one of the competitors. Let the fair-weather fans live! I will wait on the company that got me hooked on smartphones until they make a glorious comeback, whether it be this year or five years down the road.

Amongst all of the excitement and anticipation of this prolonged release, Salomondrin has clued us in on some information that really makes us even more excited (or…me at least). He claims that the BlackBerry Torch is already being made in and will also be released in white. Whether the white version will be available on launch day, we’re unsure. The way RIM usually releases the white versions of their devices is months after launch day in an attempt to give sales one that specific device a little nudge. In other series like the Curve, we’ve seen every color from red, plum, to even orange. Don’t expect these colors on a Bold or higher end series as the Curve series is aimed at a younger demographic and women. The only thing left to question now is, when will we see this beautiful beast? We know it’s coming to AT&T as a 6-month exclusive here in the US, and more than likely T-Mobile afterwards. We also heard a rumor that it will be an exclusive for Rogers to our neighbors up in Canada. So what do you guys think? Is WhiteBerry the new BlackBerry? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!

via: BBLeaks | Salomondrin

We’ve been on this train quite a few times already, but since we like pretty pictures we figured we’d share the latest batch. For this round of the Curve 9300 photopalooza, BGR has snapped some high quality, high resolution photos of their Curve and kindly shared them with the rest of us. There isn’t a whole lot to say that hasn’t already been mentioned, so head on over to BGR and check out the new shots!

Note: This will be the last time we cover any pre-release 9300 photos (baring some absurd new functionality). The device has been handled and photographed from just about every angle possible, and there just isn’t anything left to see.

via BGR

Just in case you were still unsure about the 9300, more photos have found their way into the wild. Everyone’s favorite ‘Berry sleuth, Salomondrin, has gotten his lucky hands on a purpleish (new color!) Curve 9300, and naturally has shared them. There isn’t a whole lot to say that we haven’t already covered, other than it looks as though RIM does intended to have the 9300 available in multiple color options (though we probably could’ve predicted this). Head on over to Sal’s site and check out the rest of the purple Curve shots.

via CrackBerry

Our good friend Jon Rettinger over at TechnoBuffalo has managed to get his hands on a pre-production BlackBerry Curve 9300, or “Kelper”.  We’ve had a look at the device before, but this is the first time we’ve seen the T-Mobile branding. According to TechnoBuffalo, this version is carrying European 3G bands, and is likely a device for T-Mobile over in Germany and other parts of Europe (a CDMA version is also rumored). We can probably assume the Curve 9300 will find its way to T-Mobile USA, and could end up replacing the Curve 8900 (despite being a lower quality device). Check out the video below, and let us know what you think in the comments!

via TechnoBuffalo

T-Mobile has officially released OS 5.0.0.714 for their Bold 9700.  You can head over to the T-Mobile website and download the latest OS.  No word yet on any improvements or changes, but if you have installed it let use know what you think.  As always upgrading your OS is done at your own risk, but if you need a guide visit our How-To: Upgrade OS.

Additional Mirror for OS 5.0.0.714

Via Crackberry.com

As if there haven’t been enough pictures to grow the hype, here are some more pictures of the BlackBerry Torch. This time and last we saw T-Mobile SIM cards in the Torch. Honestly, this doesn’t mean anything beyond the person with the phone has T-Mobile service. I can’t imagine the pre-production releases being locked to any specific carrier. Also, it’s only a demonstration. You see in the other pictures that there is no SIM card. It’s just to show where the slot is, not which carrier the phone is on.

via: BerryReview

Read the full story

Rumors have been afloat for a short while that the very popular handset, the Bold 9700, was going to be upgraded and re-released as a 9700a. According to BBLeaks, the 9700a will have the following feature updates:

• 5MP camera
• 512 MB RAM
  
• BlackBerry OS 6.0
• New webkit browser

These hardware upgrades will put the 9700a, codenamed BlackBerry Onyx Delta, right in line with the 9650 that just hit Sprint and Verizon. The 9700a will more than likely be headed to T-Mobile and AT&T but since this is rumor, I can’t really say for sure that both carriers will get the updated hardware.

I assume everyone remembers the discussion of which devices will receive BlackBerry 6 updates and which devices won’t. This is further indication that without enough internal memory, essentially any BlackBerry available now save the new 9650 (with it’s 512MB of internal memory) will not receive that update. In my opinion, that is a horrible move and terrible planning on RIM’s part. There were a lot of people mad when they were told their device wouldn’t be upgraded to OS 5.0 due to insufficient internal memory. Now, the exact same thing is going to happen. RIM will be dodging the angry mobs of people that just bought their 5.0 supported BlackBerrys. RIM definitely should have been expecting and had some better planning. This is what is giving RIM a bad rap. They need to loosen the reigns on the conservatism and impress customers with their improvements, not just barely meet demands six months later.

I love BlackBerry, don’t get me wrong. But I, just like all of the other long-time fans of BlackBerry, are getting fed up with unnoticeable hardware upgrades and likewise with the software. I hope and pray that BlackBerry 6 isn’t a flop. They’re easily eight months behind with putting a 5MP camera on a device. I honestly don’t think their problem is a lack of future planning, I believe it’s actually planning too far ahead and the game is changing increasingly faster everyday. RIM needs to re-evaluate the situation and get with the game.

[End rant]

via: BBLeaks