RIM’s latest batch of BlackBerry smartphones have been gradually working their way out to various carriers over the last few weeks, and now there’s yet another notch to scratch. T-Mobile now has the BlackBerry Bold 9900 on sale for $299.99 on a two-year contract, as expected. That pricetag is a little on the high side, but up here in Canada, Bell has already slashed the price to $100 on a three-year contract, so expect a few cuts in the near future.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is spearheading RIM’s latest efforts, offering a 2.8-inch touchscreen with a 640 x 480 resolution, 1.2 GHz processor, 768 MB of RAM, and a 5 megapixel camera with 720p video recording. The operating system is more or less what you’ve come to expect from RIM; there’s a heavy emphasis on messaging, and app selection and quality still isn’t quite up to snuff. The addition of 3D graphics and augmented reality support might open a few doors, but I can’t imagine too many developers pouring their resources in a platform that may become obsolete early next year when RIM switches over to QNX. Near-field communications are also built into the Bold 9900, but for the time being, T-Mobile has placed a software lock on the feature. For a closer look, you can see my full review of the Bold 9930, or check out what Marin has to say about the T-Mobile model over here.
If you’re interested in picking one up, the Bold 9900 is available in T-Mobile’s online store over here. Of course, Verizon and Sprint have their own models available too; AT&T probably won’t be getting theirs for a while still.