Wi-Fi coming to a BlackBerry near you?
(Credit: RIM)Well, well, well...what do we have here? According to the kids over at Phone Scoop, the FCC has approved a Wi-Fi-enabled (802.11 a/b/g) BlackBerry device, which is a great sign since Research in Motion has been talking about adding this feature for more than a year now. A few other details about the device: it's said to be a GSM/EDGE smart phone with Bluetooth, a microSD slot, and it resembles the RIM BlackBerry 8800 and BlackBerry 8830 in the design department. No word on carrier or availability, but RIM CEO Jim Balsillie has said the company would release a Wi-Fi-equipped model by the end of the year. Stay tuned for more.
Note: For those of you thinking I've made an egregious grammar error in my blog title, it's actually just my way of paying tribute to one of my favorite time wasters, I Can Has Cheezburger?
RIM BlackBerry 8800
(Credit: T-Mobile)No, it's not coming in a pink color, but the RIM BlackBerry 8800 will arrive at T-Mobile starting this Monday, April 21. The device will offer much of the same features as its counterpart with Cingular/AT&T. As a refresher: the device offers a 2.5-inch display, full QWERTY keyboard, and the tactile trackball that first appeared on the BlackBerry Pearl. Inside you'll find the usual BlackBerry Internet and Enterprise goodies, voice recognition, an expandable memory slot, a multimedia player, EDGE compatibility and quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) world phone support. There's no support for push-to-talk networks but that's not an issue since T-Mobile doesn't offer the feature anyway. You can get the 8800 for $249 with service.
Blackberry 8800: Hollywood's latest darling.
(Credit: crackberry.com)We all know that a BlackBerry can soothe our young celebrities in their time of need. We previously reported that Britney Spears had her trusty BlackBerry 8700 at her side during her various stints in rehab and K-Fed drama. Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan were also known to tote that version of the smart phone.
But Hollywood is a fickle beast that is concerned with the latest and greatest, and the folks over at CrackBerry are reporting that the BlackBerry 8800 is the latest in-style communication accessory.
I guess it's just a matter of time before we start seeing the BlackBerry 8300 in those paparazzi shots.
On Sale Now: $10.95 - $99.99
View the latest prices for RIM BlackBerry 8700c (AT&T)
On Sale Now: $179.95 - $179.99
View the latest prices for RIM BlackBerry 8800 (AT&T)
Samsung BlackJack
(Credit: CNET Networks)My Samsung BlackJack stinks. But it's not what you might be thinking. It's not that it's poor quality, but rather it really smells bad. I'm currently testing a BlackJack to include in a coming CNET Prizefight with the RIM BlackBerry 8800. Whoever had the device before me must have been a chain smoker because this thing reeks like an ashtray. I've never seen a cell phone retain stench so acutely. Perhaps the rubberized covering on the back side is to blame? I'm just not sure. But whatever the reason, it smells like a bar in Paris.
If this is the BlackBerry 8300, then me-rrrow.
(Credit: Mentesdigitales via Engadget Mobile)Man, the RIM BlackBerry 8800 has to feel a little jilted. The sleek, full QWERTY device just came out over a week ago, and already we've moved on to the next big thing. That's a pretty quick 15 minutes of fame, even in the tech world. But can you really blame us? Not when there are rumors of a Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry 8820 out in the wild. And now, thanks to Spanish site Mentesdigitales, we can drool over another rumored RIM device, the BlackBerry 8300, aka "Daytona." This sexy beast sports an attractive silver casing as well as the Pearl-like trackball. It's also said to have integrated Wi-Fi as well as a 2-megapixel camera with flash and built-in GPS. Not a ton of other information is available right now--you know, the stuff we really want to know like release date, pricing, carrier, and 3G support--but you can bet we'll be keeping close tabs on both the BlackBerry 8820 and 8300.
RIM BlackBerry 8800
(Credit: Research in Motion)Warm up those thumbs, kids: Research in Motion finally has announced the RIM BlackBerry 8800 that we've been hearing about as of late. Available through Cingular/AT&T, the BlackBerry 8800 is a full QWERTY device, and taking a page from its slimmer sibling the BlackBerry Pearl, it sports a new, sleek black casing, a trackball navigator, and a built-in media player for music and videos. The BlackBerry 8800 also has built-in GPS, so you can use it in conjunction with the carrier's TeleNav GPS Navigator service to get 3D maps and turn-by-turn driving directions right on your device. Other goodies include Bluetooth 2.0, a microSD card slot, voice-activated dialing, a speakerphone, a large 320x240-pixel resolution display, and of course, the same robust e-mail capabilities that makes it so cracktastic. The quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE) BlackBerry 8800 will be available starting on Wednesday, February 21, and pricing starts at $299.99 with a two-year contract and mail-in rebate. Check out News.com for more information, and stay tuned for our full review.
On Sale Now: $179.95 - $179.99
View the latest prices for RIM BlackBerry 8800 (AT&T)
BlackBerry 8800
(Credit: The Boy Genius Report)I've never gotten along with the SureType keyboards on some of RIM's BlackBerry devices. You input a couple of letters, get a list of possible words, scroll over to the correct one, then select it--yeah, no thanks. I know it gets easier to use over time, but it really shouldn't be so much work. It's a shame, too, because they're found on some of the company's best smart phones, including the sexy BlackBerry Pearl. I really like the design and functionality of the Pearl, but much prefer to have a full QWERTY keyboard. What's a girl to do? Well, it seems all my troubles may be over. New pictures and details of the BlackBerry 8800 have leaked onto the Web, and it looks pretty sharp. The BlackBerry 8800 gets rid of the more corporate look of past full QWERTY BlackBerrys, such as the BlackBerry 8703e, in favor of the more polished and aesthetically pleasing look of the Pearl. You'll also see it has a trackball for four-way scrolling. According to the Boy Genius Report, the BlackBerry 8800 will be sold through Cingular around mid-February. However, it won't have a camera or integrated Wi-Fi.
So are you prepping yourself to go grab the BlackBerry 8800 when it's released? Not so fast. There's an additional rumor that RIM is working on a BlackBerry 9xxx series that will feature a new processor, a revamped user interface, and the ability to back up to a microSD card. It'll also be 3G-capable and available through Cingular in Q4. Again, all speculation at this point, but still fun to think about, no?
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