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I took a jaunt down to Waterloo to visit with RIM and check out their latest creations: the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and the BlackBerry Curve 9380. At first glance, they seemed like little more than entry-level rehashes of the OS 7 devices they launched over the summer, but that’s not exactly a bad thing.
Following the launch of the 9900, the BlackBerry Bold 9790 hearkens back to the slimmer 9750 and 9700. It’s very light, and carries with it a few new design changes, like beveled keys on the outer edges, and a repositioned micro USB slot, but keeps the single top lock button and redesigned side media control keys. From a specs perspective, the Bold 9790 is a notch behind the 9900, if not a huge one. The 5 megapixel camera is actually a slight improvement, considering it has autofocus, but it’s a bit smaller at 2.4 inches, and the resolution is down from 640 x 480 to 480 x 360. The 1 GHz processor is a decent improvement over the old 9700-series, and only a little bit behind 9900 / 9930. NFC is included, though dependent on carrier cooperation. That feature is more about future-proofing at this point; right now, I’d like to see RIM finally get mobile Wi-Fi hotspots working, and after that, DLNA support. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
In my brief time with the device, I wasn’t particularly blown away, mostly because the OS 7 experience is largely unchanged. Everything operated smoothly, and I think RIM will do a fine job in delivering a 9900-esque experience in a more affordable package, but the current pricing data from TELUS puts the 9790 only $40 cheaper than the 9900. Is that going to be enough of a price drop to make this phone accessible to no-contract markets, like the Indonesian one RIM is marketing the BlackBerry 9790 for? I doubt it, but maybe we’ll see some significant price cuts after a few months following the launch.
In any case, here’s a walk-through video with one of RIM’s product managers and a bunch of stills. What do you guys think – will this at least tide RIM over in international markets until BBX handsets start getting announced?
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
