AT&T has finally announced the launch date for their BlackBerry Bold 9900, Torch 9860, and Curve 9360. The 9900 and 9860 will go on sale November 6 for $199.99 and $99.99 on a two-year contract, respectively. The lower-end Curve 9360 will be going for a scant $29.99 on-contract starting November 20.
The Bold 9900 and Torch 9860 are both upper-end devices with 5 megapixel cameras, 1.2 GHz processors, and 768 MB of RAM. The Bold has a 2.8-inch 640 x 480 touchscreen, while the Torch 9860 measures in at a much larger 3.7 inches and 800 x 480 resolution. The Bold’s camera unfortunately doesn’t have auto-focus, but it does have twice as much local storage as the Torch, totalling 8 GB plus microSD. The Curve 9360 has a more modest 2.4-inch non-touch screen, but the resolution is a significant bump up from the old models, and dang if isn’t cute little phone. Check the above links for my reviews on each one.
Verizon and Sprint had many of these models on shelves starting in August, but given leaked roadmaps, we were expecting AT&T to be a bit later. At least AT&T has had the Torch 9810 available for those really frothing at the bit for a new BlackBerry. We’ll be getting a glimpse at RIM’s next-gen smartphone platform in February, and probably won’t see proper BBX handset until the spring. Before then, the BlackBerry faithful will have another two OS 7 devices to tide them over, but at that poibnt will anyone be interested if the phones aren’t upgradeable to BBX?
Take a stroll to AT&T for more info on the upcoming BlackBerry Torch 9860, Bold 9900, and Curve 9360, or check out this promo video for the short version.