BlackBerry becomes Bold with 9700

BlackBerry Bold 9700, the latest Qwerty-based smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) is all set to take the UK by storm.

The successor of the hugely popular BlackBerry Bold has undergone subtle design tweaks and upgrades and now is a slimline Qwerty handset that measures 109×60x14.1mm (4.3×2.4×0.6 inches), weighs 122gm (4.3 ounces), is powered by a 624MHz processor, runs on the critically acclaimed BlackBerry OS 5.0 (which boasts of a range of improvements to the existing applications - from more email options for Enterprise users to a faster web browser), and boasts of a 2.4-inch 480×360 pixel resolution HVGA display, 3.2-megapixel camera (with autofocus, variable zoom, LED flash and image stabilization), video recorder, 3G, on-board GPS, media player with multiple audio and video support, 256MB internal flash memory, microSD card slot (internal storage expandable up to 32GB), WiFi, HSDPA, EDGE, GPRS, stereo Bluetooth with A2DP, 35-key backlit Qwerty keyboard, 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB port and, of course, BlackBerry’s famous push email-service.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 also boast of pre-installed IM apps such as BlackBerry Messenger, AIM, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, ICQ and Yahoo Messenger.

The device’s calendar app also incorporates some great updates such as forwarding of events, conference call options and attachment viewing.

Other features that distinguish BlackBerry Bold 9700 from its predecessor are the optical trackpad that replaces the existing trackball (the trackball in BlackBerry Bold became a major gripe to many users as it trapped dirt and grime and often fell out), a revised leather-like (’leatherette’) battery cover and an improved battery life (the 1500mAh battery promises to power the device up to 19 days of standby time and 6 hours of talk time).

BlackBerry Bold 9700, also known as BlackBerry Bold 2, is a quadband GSM-based device and is available with Vodafone and T-Mobile will be selling the device sometime later this month.

Vodafone has already announced that the device is available for free on a £35 per month, 2-year contract or a £40 per month, 18-month contract. Business customers can sign up for business plans that begin a £30 per month onwards.

Contracts with T-Mobile begins at £35 per month while adding internet and the BlackBerry service would cost an additional £5 per month.
Source:[ibtimes.co.uk]