{"id":528606,"date":"2010-04-15T12:30:12","date_gmt":"2010-04-15T16:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bbgeeks.com\/?p=4946"},"modified":"2010-04-15T12:30:12","modified_gmt":"2010-04-15T16:30:12","slug":"blackberry-news-from-the-wire-for-the-week-of-4122010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/528606","title":{"rendered":"BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 4\/12\/2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past few months we’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of RIM’s next two devices, the Bold 9650 and the Pearl 9100. Every couple of weeks we got a few tidbits about the devices, and from what we now know we can assume they’ll be announced at WES and will hit shelves shortly thereafter. It is time, then, to move onto the next round of devices. We’ve talked a bit about the rumored slider device, and there’s the always persistent rumor of a Palm Treo style touchscreen\/QWERTY device. Thankfully, this week we got a peek at what’s in the hopper for RIM.<\/p>\n

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Could the BlackBerry 9800 be the slider?<\/h4>\n

A UAProf is one way to know that a new BlackBerry device is on the way. This week we learned of one for the BlackBerry 9800<\/a>. The most telling spec of the device: a 360×480 screen, suggesting it will be in the Storm line. That could mean a full touchscreen Storm 3, which would go along with the every year releases. It could also be the BlackBerry slider device, previously dubbed the 9700a. Chances are that model number wouldn’t stick anyway, so a move to the 9800 makes sense.<\/p>\n

All we have at this point are rumors and speculation, so we’ll hold off on any decisive judgments. We do know that, considering the screen size, it is likely to be in the Storm family, and that it will in all likelihood be a touch device. Beyond that, though, I’m not really willing to speculate. We have hit another milestone, though, if this is in fact the slider, so I’d expect more news to flow in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n

If you check out nothing else this week: <\/b>Check out our mammoth list of free BlackBerry applications<\/a>. The only downside: there’s no way you can fit them all on your device. <\/p>\n

Look for the Curve 9300 some time this year<\/h4>\n

We got some good news\/bad news about another new BlackBerry device. Thanks to a UAProf, we know that we’ll see a BlackBerry Curve 9300 at some point in the not so distant future. We also figure to get a Curve 9330 for CDMA carriers, another plus. What doesn’t rank on the positive side, though, is the improvement this presents over the Curve 85xx series.<\/p>\n

The most notable element that CrackBerry presented<\/a> was the display. Like the 85xx series, the Curves 9300 and 9330 will sport a 320×240 display. Seriously? I’m not sure exactly why this is so, but with better screens on nearly every device I’m not sure why RIM didn’t go for the upgrade here. Perhaps it’s to keep the costs low so they can continue marketing the Curve as a cheap, entry-level device. <\/p>\n

Thankfully, for those on GSM networks, the Curve 9300 will rock 3G, so there’s at least a solid improvement over the 8520. For CDMA networks, though, I’m not sure what we’ll see in terms of upgrade over the 8530. Again, now that the UAProf has leaked we’ll probably see a more rapid influx of information. Until we hear more, though, I’ll continue to wonder what, exactly the 9330 presents that the 8530 does not.<\/p>\n

Tip of the week: <\/b>What to do if you’re not getting a data signal on your BlackBerry<\/a>. Make sure to check the comments for an additional tip from DavidB.<\/p>\n

It’s true: Pearl will rock T9 keypad<\/h4>\n

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For the past few weeks I’ve kind of been in denial. We’ve seen solid rumors that RIM is planning a T9 keypad device, and I just didn’t believe it. What advantages would that offer? Who would buy it? Isn’t cutting a QWERTY keyboard in half enough? Late last week, though, the above image surfaced on BerryReview<\/a>. Sigh. I still have the same questions as before. The only difference is that now I know that RIM will have to answer them.<\/p>\n

Verizon to retire Tour<\/h4>\n

With the 9650 in the offing, there really isn’t much more use for the 9630. As the model number suggest, they’re very similar devices. The newer one replaces the trackball with a trackpad, and also features Wi-Fi. It appears, according to this BerryScoop report<\/a>, that Verizon will retire the Tour in June. We’ve heard strong rumors that the Bold 9650 will hit shelves in May, so the Tour retirement date fits. Look for a big discount on it in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n

Wrap-up<\/h4>\n

Again, I’m pretty sure that’s not the same title I used for last week’s link dump. <\/p>\n