Hong Kong - 3 Hong Kong, the mobile operation of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited (HTHKH, SEHK: 215), and Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that the new BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 smartphone, the first all-touch BlackBerry® smartphone featuring the new BlackBerry® 7 operating system, will be available tomorrow.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 Unlocked Phone has been reduced to $623.99 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'Technical Details : 2.8" capacitive touch display Full, wide QWERTY keyboard BlackBerry 7 OS 1.2 GHz Processor 5.0MP camera with flash 720p HD video recording capability 1230 mAH battery 768 MB RAM 8GB on-board memory Micro SD slot supports up to 32GB Dual-band Wi-Fi GPS Tri-band HSPA+, Quad-band GSM/EDGE NFC technology New Augmented Reality enabled with digital compass and accelerometer BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard 24-bit high-resolution touch screen 10.5mm thin design New powerful 1.2GHz processor 8GB onboard memory expandable up to 40GB through uSD card Dual-band (2.4GHz & 5GHz) Wi Enabled for new NFC and Augmented Reality New digital compass Next generation BlackBerry 7 OS Featuring Liquid Graphics Fastest BlackBerry Voice activated universal search.'
MobileTechReview have published a review of the BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone. 'The Torch 9850 is pocketable and elegant where the Storm was bulky and boring looking. The Torch looks like a phone you want to own and hold, and thanks to improvements in the on-screen keyboard (sound the death knell for SurePress) and BlackBerry OS 7, it's a phone worth owning. Will it convert iPhone and Android users? Probably not. OS 7 isn't much of a radical change from that old and stuffy (though still serviceable) OS 6. But for you BlackBerry addicts who covet a large, high resolution display over a hardware keyboard, this is a fine 'Berry. In terms of specs, the Torch 9850 can compete. It has a 1.2GHz single core CPU, 768 megs of RAM, a 3.7" 800 x 480 capacitive multi-touch display and a 5 megapixel camera. Those are fine, though not cream of the crop specs for a higher end smartphone.'
The Blackberry Bold 9900 Unlocked smartphone is on offer for $666.99 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'Technical Details 2.8" capacitive touch display Full, wide QWERTY keyboard BlackBerry 7 OS 1.2 GHz Processor 5.0MP camera with flash 720p HD video recording capability 1230 mAH battery 768 MB RAM 8GB on-board memory Micro SD slot supports up to 32GB Dual-band Wi-Fi GPS Tri-band HSPA+, Quad-band GSM/EDGE NFC technology New Augmented Reality enabled with digital compass and accelerometer BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard 24-bit high-resolution touch screen 10.5mm thin design New powerful 1.2GHz processor 8GB onboard memory expandable up to 40GB through uSD card Dual-band (2.4GHz & 5GHz) Wi Enabled for new NFC and Augmented Reality New digital compass Next generation BlackBerry 7 OS Featuring Liquid Graphics Fastest BlackBerry Voice activated universal search.'
Laptop Magazine have published a review of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 (T-Mobile) smartphone. 'Looks alone will make BlackBerry addicts crave this new device. With its 0.4-inch profile, the Bold 9900 is the thinnest RIM handset yet. Extremely pocket-friendly, the 4.6-ounce phone begs to be shown off. Cast in hues of silver and black, a brushed metal band wraps around the Bold 9900, giving it both strength and elegance. On back is a black soft-touch finish that rings the phone's rear edges and angles towards an acrylic battery door. Here sits the 5-megapixel camera and flash plus metallic logos that seem to float beneath the surface. The top right side contains two silver volume buttons which bracket a play/pause key. Below is a button that launches the camera and doubles as a shutter, but can be configured to activate other functions.'
PC Magazine have published a review of the BlackBerry Torch 9810 (AT&T) smartphone. 'This Torch looks almost exactly the same as the previous Torch 9800. It's the same 4.4 by 2.4 by .6 inches (HWD) and the same 5.7 ounces, with the same silver edge around black plastic components. The back is now a flimsy-feeling black plastic with a checkered pattern, something I don't like. The QWERTY keyboard, just like on the previous Torch, is excellent, although it's a little flatter and tighter than the keyboards on BlackBerry Bolds and Curves. There's relatively little here to say "this is a new device," until you turn the phone on. Hit the wake-up button on the top right--the same place it used to be--and you're presented with a much sharper image on the 9810's 3.2-inch screen than on its predecessor's. The screen is now 640-by-480, rather than 360-by-480, allowing for sharper text, more detailed icons, and often teensy-weensy links on Web pages that you can't quite click on with your finger.'
ZDNet UK have published a review of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone. 'Almost every key has a second function attached to it, and we're slightly surprised that RIM has not implemented a long press to call up this secondary function. It's easier, and we find it faster than using the Alt key on the left-hand side. A long press capitalises a letter, incidentally. The rows of keys are separated by thin silver bands. We accidentally pushed a fingernail between two rows of keys and noticed that the bands are quite flexible. Hopefully this doesn't indicate that the keyboard lacks robustness. There's silver banding around the edge of the chassis too, and the device's edge has a brushed finish all round. It's not quite the tough, solid handset we'd like, but BlackBerry devices generally manage to withstand knocks pretty well.'
Reg Hardware have published a review of the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone. 'The BlackBerry Bold 9900 looks very similar to Qwerty-packing BBs of old, though it's perhaps a little bigger, a little sleeker. It measures 115x66x10.5mm, weighs 130g and looks very classy with its glossy black plastic casing, tough carbon-fibre back cover and brushed aluminium trim. Beneath the screen the standard BlackBerry control buttons (call start and stop, menu and back) sit on either side of an optical trackpad and beneath those is a 35-key Qwerty keyboard. The keys are angled so they're easily defined under the thumbs and it's easy to get up to impressive typing speeds. The numbers are arranged in keypad style rather than stretched across a single line, which also means you can get to them a little easier with one thumb. The keys are brightly backlit too, making it very easy to use in the dark.'
Tech Radar have published a review of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone. 'The BlackBerry Bold 9900 comes as something of a shock. You see, for years, BlackBerry has, in a sense, been catching up. That's not a dig at its parent company - it's practically royalty in push email and corporate handset circles. But it has been rare for RIM to lead the way. Cameras, internet browsing, HTML emails - all were included on RIM's phones years after they'd become standard fare on other handsets. For recent examples of decent phones that didn't really push the envelope all that far, just take a look at the Bold 9780 and 9700.'
The BlackBerry 8520 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, (International Version) has been reduced from $399.99 to $182.99 over at Amazon.com. 'The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone fits neatly in your hand, and comes with a full QWERTY keyboard that makes typing and sending messages easy, and comfortable. The bright screen displays over 65,000 colors, providing a great viewing experience. Access what's important with trackpad navigation. Like a laptop, the trackpad lets you scroll through menus, icons, and information by gliding your finger over it. Press and click to select an item and navigate to where you want to go. Control music and multimedia with dedicated media keys found atop the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone. Skip over songs, pause music to talk, or repeat your favorites over and over. You can even mute phone calls with the easy-access mute button.'
