Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

I’m not sure if RIM and AT&T will ever be able to launch the BlackBerry Bold in a timely matter, it always seems there is something new to prolong the delay of the highly anticipated AT&T BlackBerry Bold 9000.

Recently, RIM Co-CEO, Mike Lazaridis, said that the BlackBerry Bold is still undergoing 3G connectivity tests to make sure all is well when they finally release it.  RIM and AT&T both want to make sure the official release goes as smoothly as possible and they do not suffer similar 3G network problems like the iPhone 3G experienced. 

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After finding out I was on crack this week, I was reminded of some information I had on BlackBerries.  As you know, Research in Motion ("RIM") is releasing their Pearl 8220, the first BlackBerry with a clamshell design.  Gadgetell got a chance to speak to RIM and found out that the keyboard on a clamshell BlackBerry will probably never be a full keyboard.

According to RIM, the clamshell format precludes the usage of a full keyboard.  The form factor would become very strange and users just wouldn’t go for it.  That does not necessarily mean that there are not other form factors that RIM could choose like a slider or even a Sidekick-style format. 

If you want a full keyboard and clamshell form factor, just get that out of your head.  It’s just not happening. 

It looks like the detail floodgate has opened up for the soon-to-be released T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220.  Although, it is not coming in as low priced as we had hoped for.  All things considered, it does seem to be pretty fairly priced, and in fact, it seems to be a little better than the deal that Rogers currently has for the same model.

The pricing with T-Mobile here in the US will, as usual, vary depending on contract length.  Those willing to accept a two-year agreement can expect to pay $149.99, however a one-year agreement adds just an additional $50 to make it $199.99.  That pricing is for new customers and both come after a $50 mail-in-rebate, but those rebates seem to be pretty standard nowadays.

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As much as this pains me to say, it appears as if Best Buy is becoming the place to go for popular handsets.  It was not that long ago that they added the iPhone 3G and HTC Touch Diamond. 

Now, it looks like customers will soon be able to grab a few more smartphones and it seems that October 26 is the day to look forward to.  On that day Best Buy will make the unlocked Palm Treo Pro available.  Of course, that is perhaps the least exciting of the bunch as the Pearl Flip 8220 and HTC G1 will also be made available that same day. 

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It seems AT&T is still inching their way to finally announcing the BlackBerry Bold availability.  While we still have not seen an official release date, we have already seen plenty of information that looks like it will be available in late October.  Further confirmation of that time frame goes along with those recently leaked Best Buy screenshots showing an availability of October 26.

These launch party dates seem to further confirm that time frame as AT&T has scheduled six events with dates ranging from October 15 through October 30.  More after the break.

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The nightmare on Wall Street may become one for mobile phone makers and providers as well. The financial markets have long provided them with their most profitable customers, but with over 12,000 workers already out of a job and the possibility of tens of thousands more joining them, tough times could be on the horizon. Experts say RIM, the makers of the ultra popular Blackberry, could be especially hard hit. Palm, HTC and HP also stand to be affected.

Demand is already slowing in the U.S. due to the credit crunch and poor housing market. Cell providers have tried to compensate by offering deeper subsidies on their high end handsets, but if predictions come true, it may not be enough. RIM sold nearly 6 million Blackberries last quarter and is preparing to roll out their much anticipated Blackberry Bold, and that seems to have RIM feeling confident they can ride out the storm.

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A recently surfaced image has shown off a new third color for the soon to be released BlackBerry Pearl Flip. Currently, we had seen and been expecting the Pearl Flip to be available in either black or red, but these recent images show it off in silver with a black face.

As of now we are unsure if the silver will be available with T-Mobile or even Rogers upon the initial release. The images come courtesy of a RIM press release that was written in Spanish, and sadly upon translation the release does not seem to offer any more than just the image. The release does not mention any specific colors and just lists the availability as a general sounding “through mobile operators around the world starting this fall.” Quite possibly the silver will be reserved and used for another (non-North American) launch, but it would be nice to see it made available as an unlocked handset.

Read [MiBlackBerry] Via [CrackBerry]

Cortado (I had to look it up) is a company that is betting big the BlackBerry is staying firmly planted in the business world.  Their new application for BlackBerry Smartphones combines remote access to your files with printing/faxing options.  In short, Cortado is making your laptop a leave at home device.

Cortado Corporate Server Professional increases flexibility and lets users always have up-to-date information available while mobile. The easy-to-use software enables BlackBerry smartphone users to securely access and organize files and folders stored on the company network. In addition, users can print in original format to any Bluetooth-enabled or network printer, send faxes, or present documents on a computer or projector screen.

The heart of the matter really is how confident are you that you’ll be using a BlackBerry in one year, two, five?  With the slew of hot new phones like the iPhone and HTC’s offerings, can anyone be that confident? 

Read on to find out if I think is something you crackberries ought to consider.

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Please check out the comment at the end of the first paragraph.

T-Mobile seems to be moving forward with the release of the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220and have added a new page on the website for interested buyers to pre-register. As of now, it seems to be just a matter of time before you will be able to give up your hard earned money for the very first flip-styled BlackBerry. However, the addition to the T-Mobile website seems to be more of a formality as you can only pre-register for the phone, which means that you are just signing up to be notified when the Pearl Flip is actually available for sale.

It would have been nice to see T-Mobile include some pricing or availability information. At this point, it seems we will have to wait just a little longer. The latest official word on availability came from the RIM press release which simply stated it would be available this fall. Keep in mind, that in the past, T-Mobile has been fairly quick to release new models once they appear on the website. We can only hope to see it come available within the next few weeks, but more important is that price. Let’s hope that T-Mobile and RIM have decided to keep it low.

Product [T-Mobile]

RIM has recently announced some upcoming new apps that will soon be available for the BlackBerry lineup. Personally some of this new support it not really all that exciting, but everyone has their personal taste and I am sure others will be a little happier than myself.

First up, I will lead off with the one I am most excited by, well at least if I were a regular BlackBerry user anyway, of course this could possible entice me to pick up a BlackBerry Curve of Bold as a secondary device. Anyway the app is for Slacker Radio and the nice part with this service, is that unlike some other streaming radio services this content will be cached on your device meaning you will not need 3G to get a good listening experience, of course an external storage card will most likely come in handy. As we told you about in our recent Slacker Radio review you can opt for the free service or the premium service which will set you back $7.50 a month. This should prove to be very nice for those lucky enough to have an aux-in jack on their car stereo.

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