As if we didn’t have enough OS 7 BlackBerry launch dates today. A leaked flyer for Rogers has shown that they’ll be getting the Bold 9900 even earlier than Telus. August 9 is the date listed, which is in exactly one week, though they do say that target is tentative. Yeah, that word is there, you just have to squint your eyes a bit, and relax your focus. You’ll also see a 3D sailboat. On top of this BlackBerry Bold 9900 launch date, we’re also expecting Rogers to pick up the Torch 9810, if you’d rather a sliding form factor rather than the traditional QWERTY candybar.
The Bold 9900 is so far the only one of RIM’s upcoming devices that have been officially announced, though it’s looking like they’ll all have similar specs: 1.2 GHz processors, sharper screens, near-field communications chips, magnetic compasses for augmented reality apps, a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot functions. The 5 megapixel camera on the back is the same, but it can shoot 720p HD video now thanks to the added horsepower. Software-wise, OS 7 will introduce a whole new graphics rendering engine to go along with the faster processor, resulting in smoother transitions, and improved web surfing. We’ve got some hands-on time over here.
Even though RIM hasn’t done a particularly good job keeping their upcoming devices under wraps, they have held off on announcing their new phones until right before launch. It sure beats the schedule the BlackBerry PlayBook went with, which was a 6-month hype-up period which slowly tapered off and dropped like rock after the pre-launch review came in. I’m curious to see if the opposite strategy (blitzing the market with a bunch of new phones all at once) will be any more effective. At the very least, the spec upgrades are significant enough to buy RIM time to get QNX-running BlackBerry handsets out the door early in the new year.
[via TechnoBuffalo]