If you have $1400 sitting around and are sick of your Tour 9630 (or any other BlackBerry, for that matter), the Essex is now appearing on eBay.  Offering 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, and RIM’s new trackpad, the seller states that the device will be available for retail purchase between March and July of 2010.  What’s more, they continue on in broken English:

“For this moment in time.  You can avoid the crowd control at the shopping malls/plaza, and avoid the inevitable long lines when this bomb shell iPhone killer hit the shelves few months later.”

Seriously?  Despite the interesting (for lack of a better word) auction, I find the whole process funny.  You see, after being in this industry for several years, it’s easy to notice that all phone launches follow a similar trend.  They’re leaked, pictures surface, a few units show up on eBay, the device is officially announced, and the phone becomes available to the public.  We’re at stage three, so it’s a good sign for those eager to purchase one.

As always, if you’re interested in one of these units, be my guest – but purchasing is done at your own risk (and those familiar with RIM’s practices know that the PIN will most likely be blocked shortly after testing ends).  What say you – eBay auction, or is it worth waiting for a retail unit?

Via: PhoneArena

It’s the natural progression of CDMA BlackBerry devices in the US (or so it seems) – Verizon and Sprint pick up the device at around the same time, followed by the regional CDMA carriers in the coming months.  Thanks to a tip received by BlackBerry Rocks!, the Curve 8530 could be headed to US Cellular on or around December 10th.

Complete rumor at this point, but worth pointing out that it will be RIM’s first trackpad-equipped device on US Cellular.  Is it worth waiting for?

Via: CrackBerry