It really did not take long for the launch information and pricing details of RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9000 Series to hit the Internet. This information is specific to the US market and more specifically; Verizon, T-mobile, At&t, Sprint users. The BlackBerry Bold 9000 Series will make its debut in July on Verizon Wireless, Sprint and At&t’s network. While the GSM launch is exclusive for At&t, it does not seem that RIM is making the device exclusive across CDMA carriers (Verizon/Sprint) and instead only penalizing T-mobile customers.
The big downer here is that T-mobile customer will not be able to pick up the BlackBerry Bold 9000 Series until September (3 month exclusive agreement for At&t?). To make matters worse for T-mobile customers, the price tag will be $50 dollars higher than the other 3 major carriers in the US. Verizon, Sprint and At&t will offer the BlackBerry Bold for $300 after typical rebates and 2 year commitment while T-mobile customers will pay $350. The one thing going for T-mobile users at this point is the alleged support for their recently launched 3g 1700 MHz band. I guess the $50 premium is to help recover some of the cost for the 3g network after all, but only time will tell.
Updated release dates (August 31st):
- At&t BlackBerry Bold: September 12th (October 2nd is the safe bet)
- T-mobile USA: January 2009
- Verizon Wireless: January 2009
- Sprint: January 2009
[Source InfoSeek]
Update 6/5: It is unclear what Sprint plans on doing with the BlackBerry Bold at this point. Testing units have been spotted so the existence of the device is confirmed, but unfortunately either a major hiccup occurred in the testing process or the release of the device is a very low priority. I’ve reached out to our media contacts at Sprint and they have not been able to provide any updated information on a release date. That being said, it might be worth taking a look at the HTC Snap releasing this Sunday on Sprint’s Now Network or take a chance on the Palm Pre. I will update this post as soon as I hear any additional news directly from Sprint’s PR team.
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Som celebs now have this phone, where can you purchase one before the release date? Thanks!
Well you can find some Blackberry Bolds on eBay, but the PIN is disabled by RIM. If the PIN is disabled it basically makes the phone useless for Internet access and Email since your PIN is the unique identifier of your Blackberry for RIM and your carrier. I know the guys over at the iPhoneblog picked one up off eBay recently and all they can do with it is browse through the menus, but the email app and internet are blocked. John Mayer did get his hands on one, but he is a spokesman for RIM, so he has a legit release unit.
Personally I would just wait it out, it will launch in June on At&t then follow up on Verizon and Sprint. T-mobile should be last since they need the 1700MHz 3g band and the current specs leave out that band for 3g.
Where is it ???
Rogers Canada just confirmed July 25th for their release date.
http://crackberry.com/blackberry-bold-coming-rogers-july-25th
Hopefully the At&t delays are proven wrong and we see this thing launch in the US before August.
I’m not sure if this is the phone but a friend of my girlfriend lives here in Washington and her boyfriend lives in Canada. Its been over a year struggle for them to talk without insane charges. They’ve now acquired a blackberry plan that allows them to text via Blackberry Messenger. My girlfriend was trying to tell me the phone they both purchased that wasn’t the pearl or curve. Was she talking about this one, or are other blackberries available to both CA and USA customers?
Nick,
Any update on the release dates for the Blackberry Bold? Naturally, the dates you outlined have already come and gone, as the phone is not even out on At&t as of yet. Not sure if you had any other information on when it is expected to be released, specifically for Sprint. Appreciate any valid additional information you may have. Thanks!
As of right now it is a mid-September launch from At&t (exclusive US launch). Sprint, Verizon and T-mobile will not be picking up the Bold until early 2009 after the exclusive period ends. Unfortunately at this point it does not look like the Bold will be any cheaper than $299 on a 2 year contract for At&t, but hopefully with rebates they can bring it down to iPhone 3G pricing ($199). If they don’t lower the price it is going to take a call to retentions to get a $199 price match.
Hey Jarvis…..which celebs, already have this phone??? My mother works for AT&T…and marketing just finished getting around to all 50 states about a month and a half ago to show all the directors….so yeah just curious which celebs managed to get there fingers on it even b4 i …lol.
John Mayer has had the AT&T blackberry bold since early summer. He posted pictures on his blog and has been photographed using it regularly.
so when can we see the 3g 1700mhz coming for tmobile because as far as Im concern the blackberry bold only works best with A 3g connectivity ….
So is the blackberry bold coming out for T-Mobile in January 2009 for sure? Because i am planning on getting one. Please reply thanks
When is the exact date the Blackberry Bold comes out for Verizon? What will be the price with a 2-year contract?
Been saving my upgrade credit for the Bold! Still no word for Verizon yet tho?
I am in the same boat. I am eligible for my Verizon upgrade and don’t want to miss out on the Bold with a Curve or a World Addition. Any news yet? I am seeing it posted elsewhere as May 2009: http://reviews.infosyncworld.com/cell-phones/compare/?name1=RIM+BlackBerry+Bold+9000+(AT%26T)&name2=RIM+BlackBerry+Bold+9000+(T-Mobile)&name3=RIM+BlackBerry+Bold+9000+(Verizon+Wireless)&name4=RIM+BlackBerry+Bold+9000+(Sprint)
I was really hoping that this blog projection (Jan 09) was going to be right, but we are running out of time!
So much for the January projection. Even in late 08 I was seeing March projections for Verizon but thats not looking too hopeful now either. Waiting impatiently… love my curve, but dying to get my hands on the bold. Dont have the patience for the storm either…
Is Verizon still on schedule for Bold release in July. I’m ready to buy.
It stated that Sprint release date was January of 2009 and now we are the June on 2009 and still no Blackberry Bold , and they pushing this palm phone. Is sprint still getting the bold cause I am ready to buy as well
BB Bold to Sprint NOW!!!!!!!!!! Another ready to buy user here.