RIM unveils the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G and BlackBerry Bold 9650. Take a look at the smartphones here.
Bonnie Cha
Bonnie Cha was a former chief correspondent for CNET Crave, covering every kind of tech toy imaginable (with a special obsession for robots and Star Wars-related stuff). When she's not scoping out stories, you can find her checking out live music or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California.
In a nutshell, the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9650 is the BlackBerry Tour but with the addition of Wi-Fi and an optical touchpad. Sprint will begin offering the smartphone on May 23 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. Verizon has not made any sort of official announcement yet.
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RIM BlackBerry Bold 9650
Other features of the Bold 9650 include dual-mode functionality for world roaming, support for international 3G bands, a 2.44-inch HVGA display, and a 3.2-megapixel camera.
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RIM BlackBerry Pearl 3G
Finally, the BlackBerry Pearl series gets a much needed refresh. The Pearl 3G will actually come in two models. The 9100 pictured here will have the 20-key SureType keyboard as did previous Pearl models.
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RIM BlackBerry Pearl 3G
Meanwhile, the 9105 pictured here will have a traditional 14-button keypad. Both models will feature an optical touchpad and dedicated media controls on top.
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RIM BlackBerry Pearl 3G
While there haven't been any official carrier or pricing announcements, the Pearl 3G supports both AT&T and T-Mobile's 3G networks as well as 802.11n. Other features include a 3.2-megapixel camera, BlackBerry OS 5.0, Bluetooth, and GPS.