We have confirmation from Sprint that the new-fangled BlackBerry Bold 9650 will hit the streets May 23 for $199 with a new, two-year contract.
It’s about the price we expected and for that $200 you’ll be a getting an above average, if unspectacular machine. The handset has that big, beautiful full QWERTY keyboard to shoot out e-mails and text messages. It also sports an optical trackpad, which is miles ahead of the trackballs that used to always break in a BlackBerry.
Sprint’s Bold will be able to utilize CDMA EVDO Rev. A 3G but it also has a GSM slot, so you’ll be able to use HSPA/UMTS 3G while overseas. There’s also a bright, 480 x 360 display, integrated GPS, WiFi (b/g), Bluetooth 2.1, a standard headphone jack, and multimedia capabilities. Since it’s a Sprint phone, it will also come packed with the carrier’s software including Sprint TV and Sprint Music.
There are also rumors that it will be hitting Verizon Wireless soon but there’s no official confirmation yet. It wouldn’t be a surprise because this is essentially the next-generation Tour, which hit Sprint and Verizon at the same time last year.