It’s official - the Blackberry Bold is finally making its way to North America - through Canadian carrier Rogers. On Thursday, August 21st, the dream becomes a reality, even if it will cost you over $300 even with a plan. Here are some features for you lucky Canadians getting ready to snag your brand new BB, straight from www.blackberry.com.

• No compromises. With email, phone, IM and the Internet, it can connect you. With an integrated organizer, it can help you stay on top of your day. With camera and video recording, you can capture and share the moment with just a few clicks. And that’s just the beginning.
• Do more — do it faster. Take advantage of the speeds available on the HSDPA network and the BlackBerry Bold smartphone’s 624-MHz processor. Multitask and prioritize with access to your voice and data services at the same time.
• The fun goes with you. Enjoy premier image and video viewing, build playlists of your favorite songs and organize your media files. You can even use BlackBerry® Media Sync to transfer desktop iTunes® music files to your smartphone. Downtime may be rare, but the BlackBerry Bold smartphone delivers a wealth of entertainment.
• Know where you stand. With built-in GPS capabilities, and BlackBerry® Maps, you get turn-by-turn directions, so you can pinpoint where you are right now and where you need to be.
• Simple and straightforward. Lower your cellular costs and get service in areas where cellular network coverage may be limited or unavailable, with BlackBerry® data services over Wi-Fi® networks.
• Color and clarity come to life. The screen of the BlackBerry Bold smartphone catches the eye and is designed to deliver color and clarity that exceed expectations. From the moment you turn it on, you’ll be blown away by explicit color and quality.

 Can’t wait to snag this handy handset, but live in the US? You won’t have to wait too long. Rumor has it that the Bold will be here mid-September. When Blackberry brings its latest phone to the states, it will be an AT&T exclusive and is expected to sell for around $200 if you choose the right contract. Sound familiar? With the same screen resolution as the iPhone 3G, and the preferred-by-some tactile QWERTY keyboard, the Blackberry Bold 9000 should give iPhone a run for its money.

You might have heard of the RIM BlackBerry 9000, but RIM has officially named the smartphone the BlackBerry Bold.  In fact, it’s bold in more ways than one.  The gorgeous display makes it very bold, but it also represents a bold shift for the company.  With the release of the Apple iPhone 3G this summer, Apple saw great success and had record breaking sales.  RIM had to bring its A-game to the table with its next smartphone and after looking this thing over, they brought just that.

   (Credit:  BlackBerry.com) 

BlackBerry Bold and Beautiful

An article on cnet.com explained that the device gets its name from its screen.  The Bold features a half-VGA (480×320 pixel resolution) and a 65,000 color display.  During testing, research group participants continually called the screen “bold,” hence the BlackBerry Bold was born.  The Bold is equipped with a stunning display that shows a great video without any pixelation that you typically get.

It’s 4.5 inches tall by 2.6 inches wides, weighing a mere 4.7 ounces, the BlackBerry Bold is as sleek as ever.  This phone also offers a QWERTY keyboard and endless wireless options.  The wireless options include the quad-ban (GSM 850/900/1800/1900), but the best part about this smartphone is the HSPDA/UMTS (850/1900/2100) support.  This is a first for BlackBerry to introduce this support, and is it ever good to have.

Here are some more features that the BlackBerry Bold offers:

• Improved Web browser, option to view pages in full desktop HTML
• Navigate pages with a trackball, which acts like a mouse cursor
•  2-megapixel camera and video recording capabilities (up to 5x zoom)
• Media player supports MP3, WMA, AAC, DivX4, and WMV3 files
• Great speakers with a 3.5mm headphone jack
• Great BlackBerry interface with Dataviz’s Documents to Go suite, for viewing and editing

Get Bold with BlackBerry Bold … in September

Yes that’s right.  AT&T will be the primary provider for the BlackBerry Bold with the expected release to be September 1, 2008.  BlackBerry has always put out great devices and business users have had a special relationship with BlackBerry since they are very user friendly and e-mail access is outstanding.  With the release of the Apple iPhone 3G in early July, it is going to be interesting to see how this might affect BlackBerry sales in September.  Some financial analysts are holding strong for BlackBerry and recommending to buy into the stock now as the prices will rise right up to the release date.  Only time will tell, but until then, we’re going to be bold. 

As we eagerly await the release of the new iPhone and a slew of other smartphones, I’m faced with a decision - should I hop on the nearly-button-free, touchscreen bandwagon or do I want a QWERTY keyboard for easy texting and emailing?

Touchscreen Options

While Apple’s latest addition to the touch-screen movement is probably the most buzzed about, many cell phone manufacturers have touchscreen phones on the way for this summer. Blackberry’s Thunder is a much anticipated product, as it ventures away from the typical Blackberry form, but keeps some of the essentials, such as quick-touch buttons for sending and ending calls, browsing the menu, instant camera access, and other often used applications. It has, however, lost the tactile keyboard, leaving the user with only the visual one typical of  touchscreen phones. Also in this category are the LG Dare, Samsung Instinct, and HTC Diamond.

Tactile QWERTY Keyboard Options

The new HP iPAQ 910 has just been released, and packs a punch with its Windows 6.1 Mobile OS and sleek Blackberry-esque look. Another option with a full keyboard is the brand new Blackberry Bold, the first Blackberry with HSDPA networking. LG also has several QWERTY handsets for the mobile messager - the enV2 offers a full keyboard, and some great extras such as a 2MP camera, but leaves much to be desired with its subpar appearance. But for a consumer strongly concerned with ease of texting and emailing, a QWERTY keyboard could be the most important feature.

My Verdict

As far as my bottom line goes, I think my requirements are GPS, a full web browser, a high quality camera and reliable service. As a novice mobile messager, I think I can sacrifice the tactile QWERTY keyboard, but only because I don’t think I’ll be using a keyboard (in any form) much from my smartphone. So right now my frontrunner is the Bold, with its sleek touch screen and easy-access buttons, but I am confident I am not the only one facing this dilemma. As the products are released, and the race unfolds, we’ll see what a smartphone will need to take the lead.