3 Hong Kong and RIM Launch the BlackBerry Torch 9860 Smartphone in Hong Kong

Press Release

3 Hong Kong and RIM Launch the BlackBerry Torch 9860 Smartphone in Hong Kong

Hong Kong - 3 Hong Kong, the mobile operation of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited (HTHKH, SEHK: 215), and Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that the new BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 smartphone, the first all-touch BlackBerry® smartphone featuring the new BlackBerry® 7 operating system, will be available tomorrow.

With a spectacular 3.7” all touch display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone, the BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone is optimized for displaying web pages, photos and videos, as well as delivering powerful gaming experiences. It also delivers the highly refined, real-time communications and collaboration experience loved by millions of BlackBerry smartphone users around the world.

3 Hong Kong will offer the BlackBerry Torch 9860 at zero pricing if customers subscribe to its HK$398 monthly service plan* which includes 1,000 voice minutes, unlimited data usage and unlimited access to the Wi-Fi services. The BlackBerry Torch 9860 handset is also available at a standalone price of HK$4,888 from 3 Hong Kong. The first, 1,000 customers will receive a GelaSkin from 3 Hong Kong for free.

“We were the first operator in Asia to launch the BlackBerry service in Hong Kong in 2002 and started the trend of wireless email. As one of the largest telecom operators in Hong Kong, we strive to provide the best devices and services to our customers and we are excited to partner with RIM and be the first carrier in Hong Kong to bring the BlackBerry Torch 9860 to our customers,” said Amy Lung, Chief Operating Officer (Mobile) of HTHKH. “By combining this innovative smartphone with our highly competitive service plans, we have created yet another winning combination, which we are sure will delight our customers.”

Urpo Karjalainen, Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific at Research In Motion commented, “We are very excited to be bringing another BlackBerry 7 smartphone to Hong Kong together with 3 Hong Kong.  This time, we are introducing an all new touch experience with the BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone, which allows customers to stay connected, informed and entertained while on the go.  Customer will be thrilled by this refined, all-touch smartphone, which delivers a smooth user experience with faster browsing and richer multimedia.”

BlackBerry 7

The BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone runs the new BlackBerry 7 operating system (OS). BlackBerry 7 provides users with a fast, fluid and intuitive experience, featuring a next generation BlackBerry browser, voice-activated searches, the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, as well as additional personal and productivity apps out of the box.

The next generation BlackBerry browser combines the dramatically improved performance of the advanced WebKit browser engine together with the powerful hardware enhancements found in the new BlackBerry Torch 9860 to deliver browsing results that are up to 40% faster than BlackBerry® 6 based smartphones and up to twice as fast as models running BlackBerry® 5**. Additional enhancements to the browser have also optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone also features Liquid Graphics™ technology, which combines a dedicated high-performance graphics processor with a blazingly fast CPU and stunning high resolution display to deliver a highly responsive touch interface with incredibly fast and smooth graphics.

In addition, the BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone comes with the newest release of BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) which now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other apps. These ‘BBM connected’ apps can integrate the popular functionality of the BBM service and offer users the ability to interact with their friends from within the app itself.  Advanced sensors in the new BlackBerry Torch 9860 enable new augmented reality applications such as Wikitude that can be seamlessly integrated with BBM 6, allowing users to interact with their BBM contacts and discover new BBM users around them.

Key features and specifications of the new BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone include:

• 120 x 62 x 11.5 mm, approximately 135 g

• 3.7" high-resolution (800x480 WVGA) capacitive touch screen (253 ppi)

• 1.2 GHz processor, Liquid Graphics technology and 768 MB RAM

• 4 GB on-board memory, plus microSD slot supporting up to 32 GB cards

• 5.0 MP camera, supports 720p HD video recording

• Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), Digital Compass (Magnetometer), Proximity Sensor

• Built-in GPS

• Wi-Fi® - 802.11 b/g/n

• Bluetooth® 2.1

• Wireless Network support: Tri-Band HSPA+, Quad-Band GSM/EDGE

• 1230 mAh, removable, rechargeable battery

• BlackBerry 7 OS

For more information on BlackBerry products, pricing and service plans through 3 Hong Kong, please visit www.three.com.hk.

For additional information on the BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone, please visit hk.blackberry.com/torch9860.

 

Tank Recon 3D now available for BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 and Torch 9810/9850/9860

Tank Recon 3D first popped up over a year ago for the BlackBerry Storm2 and after a long overdue update is now available for the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, Torch 9810 and Torch 9850/9860. This first person tank shooter features real-time 3D graphics that make it one of the most fun games on the platform.

Piloting your new advanced tank, code named Alpha, you will be shooting it out with various units such as tanks, planes, AT guns and more. Fire your main cannon and watch as the enemy explodes into pieces. Use your guided missiles to bring down enemy planes or anything else that needs blowing up!

Tank Recon 3D allows you to choose between Mission and Survival mode. Jump right into the action with Survival mode and see how long you can survive. The longer you last the harder the enemy units become. When you're done, submit your high score to the Internet for bragging rights.

Play Story Mode to go on various missions that will ultimately decide whether you defeat the Evil Hepion forces or explode trying. Playing through the missions takes time and is no easy task but fortunately the game supports saving your progress at any point. If you do manage to complete the missions, try them again but this time choose Hard or even Mental!

I've been rocking Tank Recon 3D on my Bold 9930 for a few days now and I absolutely love it. The touchscreen controls are easy and super responsive and the game features loads of replay value. A new version for the BlackBerry Playbook should be on the way very soon as well. Hit the link below for more info.

More information/download of Tank Recon 3D

Leaked OS 7.0.0.440 for the BlackBerry Torch 9860

Some Friday leak love for the BlackBerry Torch 9860 users as well. We have OS 7.0.0.440 for the taking to help get your weekend started right (hopefully). Nothing in on this one yet, so make sure you hit up the forums and let us know your findings. As always, use caution when installing leaked software on your device.

Download OS 7.0.0.440 for the Torch 9860

Discuss more in the forums

Source: N4BB

RIM shows off the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 in new commercial

RIM has posted up their latest commercial, this time showing off the BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860. The theme of the ad is "Break Free" and shows off some BlackBerry use to get away. This is the first ad we've seen dedicated solely to the all-touch device but most likely not the last. While it's been a bit overshadowed by the BlackBerry Bold 9990, this is a good reminder that the 9850 and 9860 are still out there :-)

Orange and T-Mobile UK release the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Torch 9860

 

As you may have noticed from my BlackBerry Buyer's Guide that T-Mobile and Orange had yet to release a BlackBerry 7 device, leaving our CrackBerry users on those networks out to dry. Today however, that has changed as both T-Mobile and Orange have pulled a double-whammy and released both the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the Torch 9860.

On Orange the Bold 9900 is available free from £41 a month on a 24-month contract and T-Mobile has it free from £40.85 per month on a 24-month contract. With the Torch 9860 you can get the Bold 9900 free from £36 a month on a 24-month contract on Orange and £35.74 a month on a 24-month contract from T-Mobile.

T-Mobile and Orange can now rejoice that they can finally get their hands on some BlackBerry 7 devices. It's not surprising to see both networks release the devices at the same time since they merged a few years back, to create Everything Everywhere, but still trade under their own names. The merge means that customers on each network can roam on the other network without being charged.

More information/purchase from Orange

More information/purchase from T-Mobile 

Movistar y RIM lanzan el nuevo Smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 totalmente táctil en España, desde 79 Euros

Llegó la hora a España para los dispositivos con BlackBerry 7 y el primero en anunciar uno ha sido Movistar España con la BlackBerry Torch 9860. Os adjunto nota de prensa recibida:

Madrid, 29 de agosto de 2011.- – Movistar y Resarch In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) incorporan a su catálogo a partir del 1 de septiembre, el nuevo smartphone BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 en España. El smartphone que se podrá adquirir desde 79 euros, opera con el sistema BlackBerry® 7, con el que la canadiense RIM ofrece al usuario gran rapidez y fluidez en un modelo totalmente táctil.

El nuevo smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 cuenta con una pantalla de 3,7 pulgadas, la más grande que se ha utilizado en un smartphone BlackBerry, y está optimizado para desplegar páginas web, fotos y vídeos y posibilidades muy potentes para jugar, además de contar con la mensajería instantanea (BBM) que utilizan millones de usuarios de la solución BlackBerry en todo el mundo.

Los nuevos usuarios residenciales de Movistar podrán adquirir este nuevo smartphone desde 119 euros contratando un Planazo de Voz de 29,90 euros/mes y la Tarifa Plana BlackBerry de 16 euros/mes. Si el cliente opta por la Tarifa BlackBerry Reducida de 6 euros al mes y un Planazo Global de Voz (desde 79,9 euros/mes) el precio será de 189 euros.

Por su parte, los clientes que se porten desde otras compañías podrán tener el nuevo smartphone desde 79 euros al contratar la Tarifa Plana BlackBerry y un Planazo Global.

Para quienes ya son clientes, y gracias al programa de fidelización por puntos de la compañía, el dispositivo se podrá adquirir desde 6 euros dependiendo de los puntos acumulados y de si se contrata una Tarifa Reducida BlackBerry. (Ver cuadro completo de tarifas).

Una de sus principales novedades es que el nuevo smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 integra el nuevo sistema operativo BlackBerry 7 que provee una experiencia de uso más rápida y fácil con una navegación de Internet mejorada, búsquedas de voz, la habilidad de gestionar contenido personal separado del corporativo, así como aplicaciones adicionales personales y de trabajo desde el primer momento.

El nuevo BlackBerry Browser combina un rendimiento notablemente mejorado del avanzado motor de navegación WebKit junto con potentes mejoras de hardware de los smartphones basados en la tecnología BlackBerry 7, proporcionando resultados de navegación de hasta un 40% más rápidos que los smartphones basados en BlackBerry® 6. Otras mejoras adicionales han optimizado el rendimiento de HTML 5 para una experiencia increíble con contenidos de juegos y vídeo.

El nuevo smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 también incluye la tecnología Liquid Graphics™, que combina un procesador de gráficos dedicado de alto rendimiento con una rápida CPU y una preciosa pantalla de alta resolución para proporcionar una interfaz táctil altamente sensible con gráficos increíblemente rápidos y fluidos.

Entre las características clave del nuevo smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 están:

Para más información sobre la nueva BlackBerry Torch 9860, puedes visitar: www.blackberry.es/torch9860

Precios de la BlackBerry Torch 9860 en Movistar España

Si os estáis preguntando los precios del lanzamiento de BlackBerry Torch 9860 con Movistar España os adjunto las tarifas recibidas tanto para los nuevos clientes por portabilidad, nuevas altas y migraciones así como los que ya estáis en Movistar y hacéis uso del programa de puntos. Haced clic en la imágenes para verlos con más detalle:

BlackBerry Torch 9860 becomes available in UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar

 

RIM's newest full touchscreen BlackBerry smartphone, the BlackBerry Torch 9860 has made its way to a handful of middle eastern countries - United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. The BlackBerry Torch 9860 is RIM's first all-touch device, following in the Storm2's form factor but comes without SurePress. A feature both loved and hated by some users. And it still comes with the option to use the SureType keyboard when in portrait mode as well as a wide landscape QWERTY onscreen keyboard.

The Torch 9860's large 3.7 inch touchscreen is great for watching videos and browsing the internet with its HTML optimised browser for better gaming. And of course it comes with BlackBerry 7, a 5MP camera, and 1.2Ghz processor and Liquid Graphics technology. 

Read the full Press Release

For more information on the BlackBerry Torch 9860 

BlackBerry J-Series Extra Battery Charger Bundle for Bold 9930 / 9900 and Torch 9850 / 9860

When I was using older devices I was always happy to have an extra battery at the ready thanks to my external charger. While the Bold 9780 didn't really need a spare battery given the great battery life, the BlackBerry Bold 9930 and Bold 9900 don't share the same luxury. There are plenty of ways to increase your battery life, but sometimes even that's not enough. Thankfully the BlackBerry J-Series Extra Battery Charger Bundle came to the rescue. This setup allows you to charge a spare battery at the same time you charge your device so you can always have a spare ready to go. 

The BlackBerry J-Series Extra Battery Charger Bundle for the BlackBerry Bold 9930 / 9900 and Torch 9850 / 9860 comes with everything you need to get rolling. Included is the external charger, microUSB splitter and spare JM-1 battery. The spplitter plugs into your current wall charger that came with your device so you can charge both your phone and the battery at the same time. You won't have to fumble for an extra outlet to charge this guy up so you'll save both time and effort. Drop the battery in the charger, plug it in and wait for the green light -- that's it! The battery charges up in about the same time as your phone (unless you use the PlayBook charger) and when it's done, just pull it off, stick it in your pocket, purse or briefcase and you'll have a fully charged spare battery ready to go. 

The BlackBerry J-Series Extra Battery Charger Bundle retails for $79.99 but you can get it for less at ShopCrackBerry.com. We're also giving away one battery charger bundle (details below). Keep reading for more images and info on this bundle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To me this set is a must have if you are a power user on the go. While the battery life on the Bold 9930 / 9900 and Torch 9850 / 9860 doesn't quite stack up to previous devices, you don't have to be left in the dark. Add this charger to your daily routine and you'll always have a spare battery on the go. You can even grab an extra extra battery and stay up and running even longer. 

 

To win a BlackBerry J-Series Extra Battery Charger Bundle of your own, just leave a single comment on this post letting us know how this bundle will help you day to day. Contest ends this Sunday at midnight PST.

 

Replacement Battery for BlackBerry Bold 9930 / 9900 and Torch 9860 / 9850

Hopefully thanks to our Ten Tips and Tricks to Extend Your BlackBerry's Battery Life article you're finding yourself able to get through the day on your new BlackBerry Bold 9930/9900 or Torch 9850/9860 with juice to spare.

If you're not finding that to be doable, you basically have two alternatives: re-charge part way through the day, or swap in a spare replacement battery. And as you might guess from the topic of this article, here we're talking about the latter, which is necessary if you're an always on the go type person.

The BlackBerry J-M1 battery is the standard battery that ships in the new BlackBerry Bold 9930/9900 and Torch 9850/9860. It's a super slim battery, allowing the new Bold to acheive the status of thinnest BlackBerry to date. That thinness comes with a cost though. Compared to the 1500mAH battery in the previous generation BlackBerry Bold 9780/9700, this battery clocks in at 1230mAH, which immediately means that all things being equal, you have 18% less power to work with.

The BlackBerry JM-1 Battery has a list price of $49.99, but you can get it for less at ShopCrackBerry.com. We're even giving away a chance for you to win one for free JM-1 battery (details below). Keep reading for more photos and info on this battery.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm obviously a BlackBerry power user and need to stay up and running all day, every day. Having an extra battery with me, especially when I'm traveling and tend to use my phone even more, makes that much easier and I don't have to worry about my device dying when I need it most. For the price it's really worth it to me to be able to stay charged that much longer and not have to search for somewhere to plug my device in. 

 

Want a chance to win a replacement battery for your BlackBerry Bold 9930/9900 or Torch 9850/9860? All you need to do is leave a comment to this blog post with your review feedback or letting us know how an extra battery would help you stay charged. Contest entry closes Sunday, September 11th at midnight PT. Please leave only one comment.

RIM launches BlackBerry Torch 9860 in Spain

 

As the rollout of the new BlackBerry 7 devices continues, RIM announced they are launching the Blackberry Torch 9860 in Spain. If you've been waiting to get your hands on this new all-touch device then you can rest assured knowing that you can grab it starting next week in Movistar stores from 79 euros. How many of you have been holding out for this device? Don't forget to head on over to the forums or read our help guides when you pick it up. 

Source: RIM Newsroom

Movistar and RIM launch the BlackBerry Torch 9860 Smartphone in Spain 

Madrid, ES and Waterloo, ON - Movistar and Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today launched the new BlackBerry® Torch^TM 9860 smartphone, which features the new BlackBerry® 7 operating system in a stylish new all-touch handset design. With a spectacular 3.7" display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry® smartphone, the new all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone is optimized for displaying web pages, photos and videos, as well as delivering powerful gaming experiences. It also delivers the highly refined, real-time communications and collaboration experience loved by millions of BlackBerry smartphone users around the world. The new BlackBerry Torch 9860 will be available in Movistar stores next week from 79 euros.

BlackBerry 7

The new BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone runs BlackBerry 7, a new operating system (OS) for BlackBerry smartphones. It provides users with a fast, fluid and intuitive experience with improved browsing, voice-activated searches, the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, as well as additional personal and productivity apps out of the box.

The new BlackBerry Browser combines the dramatically improved performance of the advanced WebKit browser engine together with the powerful hardware enhancements found in the new BlackBerry Torch 9860 to deliver browsing results that are up to 40% faster than BlackBerry® 6 based smartphones and up to twice as fast as models running BlackBerry® 5*. Additional enhancements to the browser have also optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone also features Liquid Graphics^TM technology, which combines a dedicated high-performance graphics processor with a blazingly fast CPU and stunning high resolution display to deliver a highly responsive touch interface with incredibly fast and smooth graphics.

Key features of the new BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone include: 

* Requires BlackBerry 7 OS. Testing was performed by RIM in July 2011 and measured average page load speeds using pre-release BlackBerry 7 software. 

For more information about the new BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone visit: www.blackberry.es/torch9860

About Telefónica

Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world in terms of market capitalisation. Its activities are centered mainly on the fixed and mobile telephony businesses with broadband as the key tool for the development of both.

The company has a significant presence in 25 countries and a customer base that amounts to 290.5 million accesses around the world. Telefónica has a strong presence in Spain, Europe and Latin America, where the company focuses an important part of its growth strategy.

Telefónica is a 100% listed company, with more than 1.5 million direct shareholders. Its share capital currently comprises 4.563.996.485 ordinary shares traded on the Spanish Stock Market (Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia) and on those in London, Tokyo, New York, Lima, Buenos Aires and São Paulo. 

And the winner of a BlackBerry Smartphone of choice in our Twitter Contest is..

OK @crackberrykevin twitter followers.... the moment you've been waiting for is here. And the WINNER of a new BlackBerry 7 Smartphone of their choosing is......

CONGRATS Spencer! And big thanks to everybody who's followed and retweeted. I use a paid service to track the contest and pick the random winner. We had awesome up take on this one, so keep on following @crackberrykevin and @crackberry for more chances to win stuff.

And don't forget, you still have until the end of this month to leave a comment on our BlackBerry 7 Smartphone Contest. Go to that post now! Thanks again for participating in this one, and good luck!

 

Precios de la BlackBerry Torch 9860 en Movistar España

Si os estáis preguntando los precios del lanzamiento de BlackBerry Torch 9860 con Movistar España os adjunto las tarifas recibidas tanto para los nuevos clientes por portabilidad, nuevas altas y migraciones así como los que ya estáis en Movistar y hacéis uso del programa de puntos. Haced clic en la imágenes para verlos con más detalle:

Movistar y RIM lanzan el nuevo Smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 totalmente táctil en España, desde 79 Euros

Llegó la hora a España para los dispositivos con BlackBerry 7 y el primero en anunciar uno ha sido Movistar España con la BlackBerry Torch 9860. Os adjunto nota de prensa recibida:

Madrid, 29 de agosto de 2011.- – Movistar y Resarch In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) incorporan a su catálogo a partir del 1 de septiembre, el nuevo smartphone BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 en España. El smartphone que se podrá adquirir desde 79 euros, opera con el sistema BlackBerry® 7, con el que la canadiense RIM ofrece al usuario gran rapidez y fluidez en un modelo totalmente táctil.

El nuevo smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 cuenta con una pantalla de 3,7 pulgadas, la más grande que se ha utilizado en un smartphone BlackBerry, y está optimizado para desplegar páginas web, fotos y vídeos y posibilidades muy potentes para jugar, además de contar con la mensajería instantanea (BBM) que utilizan millones de usuarios de la solución BlackBerry en todo el mundo.

Los nuevos usuarios residenciales de Movistar podrán adquirir este nuevo smartphone desde 119 euros contratando un Planazo de Voz de 29,90 euros/mes y la Tarifa Plana BlackBerry de 16 euros/mes. Si el cliente opta por la Tarifa BlackBerry Reducida de 6 euros al mes y un Planazo Global de Voz (desde 79,9 euros/mes) el precio será de 189 euros.

Por su parte, los clientes que se porten desde otras compañías podrán tener el nuevo smartphone desde 79 euros al contratar la Tarifa Plana BlackBerry y un Planazo Global.

Para quienes ya son clientes, y gracias al programa de fidelización por puntos de la compañía, el dispositivo se podrá adquirir desde 6 euros dependiendo de los puntos acumulados y de si se contrata una Tarifa Reducida BlackBerry. (Ver cuadro completo de tarifas).

Una de sus principales novedades es que el nuevo smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 integra el nuevo sistema operativo BlackBerry 7 que provee una experiencia de uso más rápida y fácil con una navegación de Internet mejorada, búsquedas de voz, la habilidad de gestionar contenido personal separado del corporativo, así como aplicaciones adicionales personales y de trabajo desde el primer momento.

El nuevo BlackBerry Browser combina un rendimiento notablemente mejorado del avanzado motor de navegación WebKit junto con potentes mejoras de hardware de los smartphones basados en la tecnología BlackBerry 7, proporcionando resultados de navegación de hasta un 40% más rápidos que los smartphones basados en BlackBerry® 6. Otras mejoras adicionales han optimizado el rendimiento de HTML 5 para una experiencia increíble con contenidos de juegos y vídeo.

El nuevo smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 también incluye la tecnología Liquid Graphics™, que combina un procesador de gráficos dedicado de alto rendimiento con una rápida CPU y una preciosa pantalla de alta resolución para proporcionar una interfaz táctil altamente sensible con gráficos increíblemente rápidos y fluidos.

Entre las características clave del nuevo smartphone BlackBerry Torch 9860 están:

Para más información sobre la nueva BlackBerry Torch 9860, puedes visitar: www.blackberry.es/torch9860

CrackBerry Contest: Win your choice of FREE BlackBerry 7 Smartphone!

The reviews are in, and it's unanimous... the new BlackBerry 7 Smartphones are the SWEETEST BlackBerry phones yet! So following up our reviews of the BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Bold 9930, BlackBerry Torch 9860, BlackBerry Torch 9850 and BlackBerry Torch 9810 we're giving a lucky CrackBerry reader the chance to win one, free of charge.

HOW TO ENTER:  Just login to CrackBerry and leave us a comment to this post! In your comment, be sure to tell us which BlackBerry 7 Smartphone you want and why! 

Other Details: Contest is open worldwide. Entry deadline is Midnight ET on August 31st, 2011. Please leave only one comment to this post. We'll announce the winner September 1st here on the blogs.  Good Luck!

This contest is sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com - the #1 for store for BlackBerry Accessories!

CrackBerry Poll: Which newly-announced BlackBerry 7 Smartphone are you most interested in?

As the Crack Team gets into review mode working on this wave of new BlackBerry 7 Smartphones hitting the market, I figured the timing made sense to get some feedback from CrackBerry Nation on where our priorities should lie. Obviously we're going to tackle every new BlackBerry with CrackBerry gusto, but we want to know - of the new BlackBerry 7 Smartphones announced, which one are you most interested in? 

Are you a keyboard kind of person so you're all about the new Bold? Or do you want to go full touchscreen and are most excited for the Torch 9850/9860? Or maybe you're a huge fan of the Torch 9800's sliding form factor, so are all about the 9810? Whichever one you're most interested in, cast your vote for it on the poll above and sound off in the comments with your reasoning.

NOTE: Yes, I realize I could have added other options to this poll like the upcoming Curve 9350/60/70 or an option that says I'm most interested in BlackBerry QNX Phones (I think we're all interested in that!), but I wanted to keep things limited here to the newly announced devices, as those are the phones we have/will have in our hands to play with over the days and weeks ahead.

BlackBerry Torch 9860 coming soon to Vodafone UK

There’s lots of excitement right now with the release of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 on Rogers with some being overly jealous of those who have manged to get there hands on them, myself included. But of course not everyone wants to get their hands on the Bold 9900. As we all know there are other BlackBerry 7 devices coming soon and Vodafone UK has confirmed that they will be getting the BlackBerry Torch 9860. It is showing up on their coming soon page and will be available on a pay monthly contract. They’ve also given us a sneak peak video too. There is not release date stated yet but hopefully we can see it launched not too long after the Bold 9900 which is already available for pre-order.

I know a lot of Storm2 owners looking forward to the Torch 9860, being a full touchscreen device. I for one was looking forward to it but somehow the Bold 9900 has slowly won me over. Anyone Storm2 owners going to upgrade to the Torch 9860 or go for one of the other BlackBerry 7 devices? Sound off in the comments.

Register for updates via the Vodafone website

Friday Fun: BlackBerry 7 Smartphone NickNames... We dub thee Bold 9900/Bold 9930 the Gretzky!

We recorded a CrackBerry Podcast earlier today, talking about all of the newly-announced BlackBerry 7 Smartphones. It's a fun show, so be sure to listen. But by the end of it, we realized we NEEDED to come up with some shorter nicknames for this next generation of BlackBerry Smartphones. Ater sixty minutes of CrackBerry talk tossing back names like Bold 9900, Bold 9930, Torch 9850, Torch 9860 and Torch 9810 we were getting tongue tied and parched lips. Back in June I wrote a ranty editorial titled Can we just call it the BlackBerry Bold Touch already? This Bold 9900 / Bold 9930 thing is driving me crazy! which highlighed my annoyance that in order to address the new Bolds in a technically correct way, I could never just say Bold 9900 (as that ignores it's CDMA counterpart the 9930). Oh if only there were a unique way to identify both devices in one sentence, life would be grand.

With the Bold Touch or Touch Bold sounding a bit too much like a bad porno, I've tried to let that name slip from my vocabulary. But on today's podcast we managed to wrangle up a fitting name for the Bold 9900 / Bold 9930... the GRETZKY! Think about it. Gretzy was #99 (9900), Canadian (BlackBerry is from Canada), RIM loves hockey (remember Jim Balsillie wanted to buy an NHL team) and Gretzky is the Great One, just as the Bold 9900/9930 is the greatest of the traditional BlackBerrys to date. So there ya have it... if you want a good, short and fitting nickname that encompasses the Bold 9900 and Bold 9930, just refer to the new Bolds as the Gretzky.

As for the new Torches, here's where we're at. Since the Torch 9800 was the first Torch, it's still the Torch to us. So we're calling the new Torches by their last two digits.  So we got the ten (Torch 9810), the fiddy (Torch 9850) and the sixty (Torch 9860).  And if you want to refer to both the Torch 9850 and Torch 9860 together, just call it the fiddy sixty, which is super fun to say.

So if you're going to hit the bar this weekend and the topic of RIM's new BlackBerry Smartphones comes up, make things easy and talk about the Gretzky, the ten, and the fiddy sixty. Have any better nicknames for these new BBs? Drop em in the comments!

The calm before the CrackBerry storm... get ready for it!

Enjoy the calm while it lasts... Things are about to get CRAZY CRACKY around here.

If you're a long time reader of CrackBerry.com you know what happens when a new BlackBerry Smartphone hits the market... we go nuts! And to think we're on the verge of a wave of new BlackBerry 7 Smartphones getting announced and hitting the market after jonesing so long I have a feeling things are going to get really cracky around here, really soon. Don't forget, there's a BlackBerry 7 fan night coming up tomorrow and knowing RIM's habits we can fully expect they'll officially announce anything new that may get shown off at the events prior to them getting underway.

With August here I'm so relieved the wait is *almost* over. Seriously, the last BlackBerry Smartphone review I posted was of the Bold 9780 and that was back in December 2010. Talk about new BlackBerry withdrawal! And while the BlackBerry Bold 9900's unveiling at BlackBerry World helped to satisfy my cravings for a few days, my thumbs have been twitching for months now in anticipation of getting a hold of some new BBs to call my own. And I can only imagine so many of you reading this feel the same way. But instead of feeling impatient and mad at RIM for taking so long, it's time to start enjoying the last few weeks on whatever BlackBerry you own now as you get ready to say farewell to it and upgrade to a BlackBerry 7 device.

We've got a TON of stuff planned for the upcoming weeks to ring in what really is the new BlackBerry Smartphone Year, so be sure to enjoy this last bit of calm before the BlackBerry storm rolls into town (no, not that Storm!). Before you know it, it's going to be raining new phones around here!

OS 7.0.0.277 Leaks for BlackBerry Bold 9900 & Torch 9860

The leaks keep coming for these unreleased OS 7 BlackBerrys. The latest come to us courtesy of N4BB and bring OS 7.0.0.277 for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Torch 9860. Both of these devices are floating around so it could be those lucky few need an OS update but mostly I just like when users pick through the OS to see what they find. Hopefully these two are packing some goodies:

Warning: This OS will not install on any other BlackBerry besides the one mentioned above and is not an official release.If you do not know how to upgrade your BlackBerry OS please start by reading this step by step guide.Don’t forget to delete the vendor.xml file located in c:program files>common files>research in motion>apploader to install it on a different carriers device. Don’t forget our usual warnings: do not download and install these updates if you don’t know what you’re doing. Incorrect procedure or just bad luck could render your BlackBerry inoperative or unstable.

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