Posted on September 18, 2008, at 9:21 am .
Good news today for T-Mobile subscribers hoping that one day their carrier will support 3G BlackBerrys. T-Mobile has announced the expansion of its 3G coverage to 13 major markets as well as the signing of backhaul agreements to cope with the increased traffic across its network. T-Mobile’s 3G network is currently available across 13 major metropolitan markets: Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York (including northern New Jersey and Long Island), Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio and San Diego.
T-Mobile also confirmed that it was on track to expand its 3G service to 27 major markets in the United States by the end of 2008, with Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle coming by mid-October and n additional six markets — Birmingham, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis and Tampa — available before the end of the year. This would expand T-Mobile 3G services to more than two-thirds of T-Mobile’s current data customers, with meaningful expansion to additional customers and markets through 2009.
So what do you think, folks? Do you think 2009 in a reasonable time line to see 3G BlackBerrys like the Bold on T-Mobile? Post a comment and let us know.
(via CN)
Posted on August 27, 2008, at 6:09 am .
Update: Just got talking to a couple of our friends at RIM, who said they weren’t surprised by the results of our test. It turns out that the focus of RIM’s development for the new rendering engine in OS 4.6 was in stability, not performance, and the Waterloo crew is still working on speed optimization. What this means is that future OS updates from RIM will require additional speed tests.
While previous results had been contested, we hope to put the BlackBerry Bold versus iPhone 3G browser debate to bed. Taking some time with our brand-spanking-new Bold and QuicklyBored EIC, Kyle McInnes’ iPhone 3G, we put the two beasts through some browsing hoops to see who can get through the fastest. We tested on Wi-Fi only, 3G-only, both with and without JavaScript enabled. Sadly, our results are pretty conclusive – the iPhone’s browser is faster.
To be fair, it’s not by much – maybe a two to three second delay, depending on the site, but it’s enough to notice the difference. We’re also running on BIS, so don’t have enterprise servers doing a lot of the compression for us. The Bold’s browser is still a huge upgrade for BlackBerry, and definitely more enjoyable than what I was using on the Pearl. While we’re calling this test definitive (we ran a series of five tests using multiple sites each time), your mileage may vary – if you’ve got both devices in hand, take some time to wipe the caches and run a few tests. We’d love to hear if our results match up, and love even more to hear if they don’t.
Click here to see the iPhone 3G and BlackBerry Bold Browser speed test
Posted on August 22, 2008, at 8:49 am .
With RIM’s first HSPA (the BlackBerry Bold’s flavour of 3G) device now available internationally, and so many worries about coverage arising, it’s time to take a look at some subscriber numbers. Last year, 11 million cell phones were running on the 3G technology, but now we’re looking at 50 million handsets cruising on HSPA networks. That substantial increase is supported by 191 service providers and over 740 devices.
“These figures highlight the global success of Mobile Broadband and the fact that we are continuing to see greater and greater economies of scale,” said Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board of the GSMA. “This is driving down the cost of devices and equipment and enabling more and more users across the world to enjoy easy access to media-rich services anywhere at anytime.”
This gives us a lot of hope for better connectivity on the BlackBerry Bold and future 3G devices, but by the looks of the BlackBerry Javelin and BlackBerry Kickstart, the 9000 may be the only HSPA BlackBerry until the BlackBerry Thunder in mid-October.
(via cellular-news)
Posted on August 21, 2008, at 8:21 am .
We’ve heard from scattered sources that the BlackBerry Bold isn’t picking up 3G quite as well as it should be. The delayed Rogers and AT&T launch could be possibly be a result of the rough performance.
“We had a few occasional 3G signal dropping troubles at some locations especially on high-rises building streets & on our 34th floor (EDGE picked up immediately but slower internet speeds),” writes [Citigroup analyst Jim Suva].
While Suva’s opinion on the BlackBerry 9000 is generally positive, the 3G issue is still pretty big – we’ve even been hearing that the Hong Kong versions will be incompatible with the 3G networks over there. Did carriers drop the ball on this one, or is it their prerogative to expand their service as they see fit? Did RIM work closely enough with carriers when developing the Bold to make sure they could make the most out of the handset, or are they just taking the long view for when 3G coverage is more widespread? T-Mobile’s 3G rollout is seeing plenty of progress, and it’s entirely possible that your personal BlackBerry Bold experience will dependent on the same kind of forward momentum.
(via Barron’s)
Posted on August 6, 2008, at 1:31 pm .
UPDATE: Woah! Just got an update from our friend Fake Ted Rogers, who tells us that the Rogers BlackBerry Bold will be out on August 19th. So it looks like Canadians are a lucky 13 days away from Bold goodness.
More news on BlackBerry releases keeps flowing out of Rogers today. In addition to the BlackBerry Kickstart BlackBerry Pearl 8220 sales info, we were also able to get our hands on some BlackBerry Bold copy. While both pricing and release date are still unconfirmed, leading us to stick to our claim of $250 on a 3 year contract, we can tell you that the Bold will be released on Rogers without UMA support – initially.
Theses are exciting times for the BlackBerry Nation! So many new devices, coming out so soon! Check a handy BlackBerry Bold/8820/8310 comparison chart after the jump.
Special thanks to Mike for the shout out!
Click here to see the BlackBerry Bold comparison chart
Posted on August 1, 2008, at 5:20 pm .
As usual, this week’s BlackBerry Cool Podcast features a few tidbits about the BlackBerry Thunder, BlackBerry Kickstart and BlackBerry Bold, but we’ve also got some fresh colours from Bell and T-Mobile on the way. We’re also giving you a snippet of Doug’s talk with Andy Brown of Strategy Analytics. Andy was at the UK Bold launch and had the opportunity to interview RIM’s co-CEO Mike Lazaridis.
Check out links to all the relevant news after the jump, as well as options for streaming and downloading the BlackBerry Cool Podcast.
Click here to listen to the BlackBerry Cool Podcast: Episode 35
Posted on July 31, 2008, at 8:33 am .
Those rumours about 3G coming to T-Mobile are getting a little more traction with this poster announcing October 1st. as the date the switch is thrown. The major American launch cities include New York, Chicago, Orlando, Detroit, Atlanta, Los Angelas, Washington DC and plenty more. While the only new BlackBerry on T-Mobile’s radar in the near future is the 3G-less BlackBerry Kickstart, it does open the door for the next 3G BlackBerry to come along. Maybe the BlackBerry Bold sooner or later…?
(via TmoNews)
Full list of launch cities for T-Mobile’s 3G rollout behind the jump…
Posted on July 28, 2008, at 8:30 am .
One of the bigger upgrades with the BlackBerry Bold is the browsing experience, which you can see clearly in this video from Boy Genius. You get a look at the general rendering capability of OS 4.6, as well as speed differences between EDGE and Wi-Fi. I’d be curious to see how 3G compares… On the whole this is a much needed update – the poor BlackBerry browser has been a point of contention for plenty of users for a good long time. You guys happy to see the problem fixed? What’s the next biggest issue RIM needs to tackle?
(via BGR)
Posted on July 24, 2008, at 3:35 pm .
BlackBerry Cool writers have the privilege of being in constant contact with a variety of wireless industry players. Naturally, we often get in heated or hilarious discussions over recent news. We’ve decided to start posting some of the more interesting conversations, in the hopes that it will spur greater debate. Our test run is a hearty debate over the value of a CDMA carrier switching to GSM, how long until 4G becomes anything more than a ‘wet dream’ and myths about call quality. Enjoy, and please post a comment with your thoughts.
Note: My interlocutor was uncomfortable with being identified, so let’s just call him Fake Ted Rogers.
Fake Ted Rogers: Isn’t saying Bell/Telus is going to GSM kinda like saying Verizon should?
Douglas Soltys: Well, different countries mean different biz scenarios.
Fake Ted Rogers: I’d like to see what the subs are for Tel/Bel compared to Rogers. As in the states Verizon has more than AT&T.
Douglas Soltys: Some would say that Verizon is run much better than Tel/Bel.
Continue reading BBCool’s compelling conversation with Fake Ted Rogers
Posted on July 15, 2008, at 12:17 pm .
Gadget guru Boy Genius has been toting around a BlackBerry Bold for at least a month now, and has posted a lengthy and juicy run-down of the device. A lot of it has to do with OS 4.6, but there’s plenty on build quality, screen, and speakers too. BlackBerry Messenger gets a significant overhaul, including ability to send videos, send messages to multiple recipients, show the music you’re listening to, and automatically change your status message when on the phone. Notifications for buddies coming online is a pretty sweet feature too.
Plenty more on the BlackBerry 9000 behind the jump!
