WATERLOO – Research in Motion has announced five new BlackBerry models that run the BlackBerry 7 OS and will be available for sale around the world later this month.
The new BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 are the thinnest BlackBerry phones yet, and combine a touch screen with a QWERTY keyboard. NFC technology has been added making mobile payments a possibility, however no system was announced by RIM to take advantage of it.
"This is the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO of Research In Motion. "The BlackBerry solution offers a best-in-class mobile communications experience that customers love and we think they will be thrilled by the faster performance, enhanced browsing and richer multimedia delivered by these powerful new BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Torch smartphones."
RIM boasted that more than 225 carriers and distribution partners have already commenced or completed over 500 certification programs for these 5 new handsets.
Telus has announced it will carry the BlackBerry Torch 9860 and 9810 and BlackBerry Bold 9900. All three smartphones include 8GB of built-in memory and capability of up to 32 GB with an SD card, enabling users to store hours of music, photos and videos. The Torch 9810 has a 3.2-inch screen and a sliding keyboard, while the 9860 has a 3.7-inch display and no keyboard. The BlackBerry Bold 9900 features the largest physical QWERTY keyboard in the BlackBerry line-up with a 2.8" capacitive touchscreen display resolution of 640 X480 pixels for quick navigation.
BlackBerry 7 is the newest version of the OS that precedes the company’s switch to the QNX OS as found on the PlayBook Tablet. BB 7 is viewed by many industry analysts as a temporary solution until the switch to QNX happens next year.
While BlackBerry’s newest phones are faster and improve the web browsing experience in BB 7, it’s unlikely they alone will halt the smartphone manufacturer’s market decline over the past few months.
