In line with our previous post highlighting some of Bell’s initial HSPA offerings, the Canadian carrier has officially announced that they will indeed be carrying the BlackBerry Bold 9700 as part of their line-up. The announcement, unfortunately, didn’t reveal a price or availability date. Bell did however assure that the Bold will be there when their HSPA network goes live next month. Thankfully, we're nearing the final stretches of October so the wait won’t be a long one.
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is RIM's successor to the Bold 9000. It packs a 624MHz processor, 2.44-inch 480x360 light-sensing display, 3.2-megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, 3G HSDPA connectivity, and a microSD card lot for additional storage. It only comes with 256MB flash memory, but the Bold 9700 will ship with a 2GB microSD card as part of the package.
With Bell confirming the BlackBerry Bold 9700, it's expected that they'll officially announce their other HSPA offerings very soon as well.
Bell Mobility to offer the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone - Ready to roll on Bell's all-new HSPA mobile network launching in November
MONTRÉAL, Oct. 21 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today confirmed that it will offer the new BlackBerry(R) Bold(TM) 9700, the latest 3G smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM), when Bell Mobility launches its all-new HSPA high-speed wireless network in November.
"Bell is thrilled to bring the powerful new BlackBerry Bold 9700 to business and consumer clients nationwide when we launch our new HSPA network next month," said Adel Bazerghi, Senior Vice President of Products at Bell Mobility. "Clients will be able to choose from BlackBerry smartphones that operate on Bell's new HSPA network, offering superior international roaming to more than 200 countries worldwide, or those that operate on Bell's existing EVDO network, already Canada's largest 3G network and offering unbeatable North American coverage. With Bell, clients will have access to the best of both worlds."
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone offers top-of-the-line performance, functionality and features with support for 3G HSDPA networks around the world, a next-generation (624 MHz) processor, 256 MB Flash memory, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi(R), 3.2MP camera and sharp, dazzling display. Cutting edge engineering and premium finishes extend to the exterior of the handset as well, with the new model integrating a touch-sensitive trackpad and the highly tactile, distinctive, fretted keyboard found in RIM's premium full-QWERTY handsets. Chrome highlights and a leatherette back add to the new smartphone's sleek and elegant look, while the narrow profile, balanced weight and soft-touch frame allow it to sit comfortably in one hand.
"The new BlackBerry Bold 9700 delivers state-of-the-art features and performance in a compact and beautifully designed handset," said Don Morrison, Chief Operating Officer at Research In Motion. "This sleek and powerful 3G smartphone offers an incredibly refined mobile experience that is ideal for both personal and professional use."
Features of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone from Bell Mobility will
include:- Sleek design measuring 109 mm x 60 mm x 14.1 mm and weighing just
122 grams
- Sharp and dazzling 2.44" (62mm) light-sensing display (480 x 360
resolution at 245 ppi)
- Highly tactile, full QWERTY keyboard - with finely sculpted keys and
chrome frets - for fast, accurate typing
- Innovative touch-sensitive trackpad that allows intuitive and
responsive navigation
- Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
- 3.2 MP camera with variable zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording
- 256 MB of Flash memory
- microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB cards today and
is expected to support 32 GB cards when available; a 2GB card is
included
- Media player for videos, pictures and music, plus support for
BlackBerry Desktop Manager for both PCs and Macs, and BlackBerry(R)
Media Sync for easily syncing iTunes(R) and Windows Media(R) Player
music with the smartphone*
- A 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, dedicated volume controls, Lock and Mute
keys seamlessly integrated across the top of the handset
- Access to BlackBerry App World(TM), featuring a broad and growing
catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry
smartphones; categories include games, entertainment, IM and social
networking, news, weather, productivity and more.
- Premium and easy-to-access phone features, background noise suppression
technology and high quality speakerphone
- Bluetooth(R) (2.1) with support for Secure Simple Pairing, hands-free
headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals
- HSDPA and quad-band EDGE support for global roaming
- BlackBerry(R) OS 5.0, offering users email management and calendar
enhancements(xx) as well as a better browsing experience with faster
JavaScript and CSS processing
- BlackBerry(R) Internet Service and BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server
support
- Removable, rechargeable 1500 mAhr battery that provides approximately
6 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby time in 3G modeOperating on Bell Mobility's state-of-the-art HSPA wireless network, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone will also deliver great Bell Mobility mobile data services including GPS location, Live TV, SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Unlimited NHL.
* Certain music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies
(xx) Some features require BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0