The BlackBerry Bold 9650 that was launched on Sprint two weeks ago just came through my door this morning, and I’ve had the day to play around with it. It feels a bit beefier than I remember its predecessor, the Tour 9630 being, but that’s by no means a bad thing. I’m used to the 9000, and the 9650 feels like an excellent upgrade. It has some heft, and a nice ridged battery door for extra grip, but otherwise looks like the original Tour. The trackpad replacing the trackball is the obvious exception, and the inclusion of Wi-Fi makes me think this was the all-in-one device that the first Tour should have been. The single thing that sticks out right now is the 512 MB of app memory – a first for any BlackBerry, and a pretty big deal considering how quickly 256 MB can fill up.
Sprint has been promising this one for a long time, but between the Bold 9650, Curve 8530, and Storm2 9550, it seems like most of Sprint’s bases are now covered. I’d like to see the new Pearl on a CDMA carrier, but that usually takes upwards of 6-8 months.
For folks looking for a CDMA version of the Bold 9700, the 9650 fits the bill, but I wouldn’t expect any pleasant (or unplesant) surprises. It’s got the same 3.2 megapixel camera, HVGA display, mediocre browser, and top-notch e-mail handling. Although you can nab it now from Sprint for $200 on contract, Verizon’s on the verge of releasing their own. Up here in Canada, I would be surprised to see Bell or Telus offer it, since they’re both packing the GSM Bold 9700 already.
If you’d like to hear more about the 9650, stick around – a full review will be coming next week. In the meantime, here are some pictures and video. Show of hands, who’s thinking of picking one up?
