Posted on August 8, 2008, at 7:57 am .
The latest Q3 documents from Rogers are showing the Wi-Fi BlackBerry Curve right next to the BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Kickstart Pearl 8220 for upcoming devices. It’s clear that Rogers is making a big push for their newly rebranded UMA service, TalkSpot, what with all of the Wi-Fi BlackBerrys coming down the pipe. They’ve had the BlackBerry 8820 and BlackBerry 8120 out since earlier this summer, all touting voice-over-Wi-Fi, but it looks like the BlackBerry Bold won’t be supporting it for some reason. Too bad, because unlimited long-distance calls in Canada when connected to any Wi-Fi network is pretty sweet. For those plenty satisfied with the BlackBerry Curve, you can expect to pick it up around the end of September for something in the neighbourhood of $199.99 on a three-year plan, and TalkSpot will cost you another $15 to $20/month on top of your regular e-mail, voice and data plans.
(via CB)
BlackBerry 8320 specifications behind the jump…
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 6, 2008, at 12:55 pm .
UPDATE: Our friend Fake Ted Rogers has also told us that the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 should also be arriving to Rogers in September like its T-Mobile counterpart.
The upcoming BlackBerry Kickstart is coming to Rogers sometime in Q3! But it won’t be called the BlackBerry Kickstart. Instead, the nascent FlipBerry will be called the BlackBerry Pearl 8220. Only time will tell if it will replace the candybar line of Pearls or run along side it.
There’s not much more than a few pictures and promises of the Pearl 8220 working on Rogers’ rebranded voice-over-Wi-fi service, “Talkspot“, but previous talk was pointing to a September launch on T-Mobile, along with a new CellData option to give some location info based on cell tower usage. An external LCD screen will also be on the BlackBerry 8220, marking it as a significant (and overdue) departure from the traditional BlackBerry form factor. This document from Rogers says the BlackBerry 8220 will have a “attractive price point”, which seems to confirm something within the supposed $49.99 price range.
Thanks Mike!
Full details of the Rogers BlackBerry KickstartPearl behind the jump!
Posted on August 5, 2008, at 8:43 am .
The shiny red BlackBerry Curve rumored last week came to T-Mobile over the weekend, now available for $149.99 on a two-year plan. The BlackBerry 8320 packs all the usual goodies you can expect from the Wi-Fi Curve, namely Hotspot@Home access, which lets you make calls willy-nilly over your home wireless network, as well as MyFaves, for quick and unlimited contact with your favourite contacts. While the pink paint jobs might win over the female segment, I see a colour like this appealing to the dudes just as easily. Hotrod red is a pretty slick colour, and if I was looking to pick up a Curve, this might even win over the grim titanium. Scope out the T-Mobile online shop for more details.
Posted on July 29, 2008, at 8:29 am .
Pink BlackBerrys have been increasingly popular these days, but we haven’t seen much of the elusive Sunset colour. Well, here’s a live shot of the T-Mobile BlackBerry 8320 packing the newest paint job, and it’s pretty dashing. Not quite as somber a sanguine as AT&T’s crimson Curve. If the BlackBerry Bold is a bit too rich for your blood, keep your eye out for this beauty on August 4th.
(via Cellphone Signal)
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 2, 2008, at 10:07 am .
It looks like Rogers isn’t the only carrier to start packing soon-to-be-antiquated devices… word has it AT&T will be putting up the BlackBerry 8320 alongside the BlackBerry Bold by the end of Q3. Why would anyone take a second look at the Wi-Fi Curve, when you could have a Wi-Fi/GPS/3G BlackBerry right beside it? Either all of the other BlackBerrys will have their prices knocked down to be an affordable alternative, or the BlackBerry 9000 will be so ridonkulously expensive that they’ll seem cheaper by comparison. Still, options are options, and the Bold might just be overkill for some users. The BlackBerry 8320 is certainly a more reasonable choice for enterprises making a widespread UMA rollout…
(via GearDiary)
Posted on June 26, 2008, at 8:16 am .
Orange launched the pink Wi-Fi BlackBerry Pearl in Spain the other day, no doubt to the fanfare of many mujeres. Wi-Fi BlackBerrys might be old hat in Spain, considering they were the first to host them, but something tells me the novelty of coloured cases still hasn’t worn off. Pink has been a definite factor in pulling in the female demographic, but of course, it’s not all frivolous – the BlackBerry 8120 makes use of Orange’s UMA service, Único Empresas, for cheap calls over Wi-Fi. For more info, hit up Orange Spain.
Posted on June 16, 2008, at 1:23 pm .
Remember the BlackBerry Javelin? It’s the 3G-less BlackBerry in the 9xxx family due out sometime in 2009. A lack of 3G doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause, however, because the Javelin still packs Wi-Fi, GPS, a beautiful half-VGA screen and something the bold doesn’t have: a 3.2Mpx camera.
We’ll keep you in the know as we learn more.
(Via Engadget Mobile)
Check out BlackBerry Javelin details after the jump
Posted on June 11, 2008, at 4:01 pm .
You didn’t think I went all the way to Rogers HQ just for a pink BlackBerry, did you? The mysterious ninja that is RogersDude69 also let me put my paws on the recently released BlackBerry 8120, which is notable for its WiFi/UMA support and being the first BlackBerry to launch with OS 4.5.
First to WiFi. It should be noted that if you don’t have an active account (i.e., if you’re not using a post-paid SIM card) you cannot use the web browser. With an active SIM in the 8120, but the “Mobile Network” option turned off in your Connection Manager, the browser will connect sometimes, but it’s very spotty.
While the AT&T version of the BlackBerry 8120 has a separate icon for WiFi browsing, it gets a little bit trickier with the Rogers version. With no separate browser, you have to make sure your BlackBerry Browser is set to the WiFi Hotspot option. Unfortunately, browsing using the WiFi can be excruciatingly slow, and I could beat the 8120 to most pages using my EV-DO BlackBerry 8330. I highly recommend disabling JavaScripts in your browser options, which can make a noticeable difference. I’m not sure why exactly browsing is so slow, but I’m willing to be it has something to do with the 8120’s legacy-8700 processor.
We’re going to play around with the BlackBerry 8120 some more (specifically its UMA features), and let you know when we’ve found OS 4.5’s other idiosyncrasies.
