We've seen evidence of the BlackBerry monaco coming to Sprint, and rumor of it hitting Verizon as well, and today we got further confirmation via pictures posted on BerryCN. They have posted up a ton of pictures of the BlackBerry Torch 9850 (CDMA) and 9860 (GSM), highlighting the major difference: the buttons! According to these images, the 9850 is going to have the physical buttons we've seen in other photos, and the 9860 will have the capacitive buttons a la the Storm 2. More pictures and video can be seen after the break, with the full gallery at the link below. Thanks for the tip dsquared2! 

See the full gallery of photos
Discuss it further in the forums

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If you fancy playing around with a BlackBerry Torch 9850 we have bad news -- you can't as of yet. But, you can now grab the device simulator and get as close as possible to the real thing for now. Given that this is a brand new device, meaning it's not from the Bold, Curve or even really the Torch series as we know it -- there is sure to be some surprises within the simulator. Most notably, the new keyboard layout is something to be on the look out for.

Since everyone always asks "What is this for?" when we post this kind of stuff -- it's a device simulator for BlackBerry developers to test their apps on. If you're not a developer or just generally have no interest in playing with a device you can't yet physically touch -- this isn't for you. Cool? Alright then, hit the links below to grab the install file.

• RapidShare
• MegaUpload
• DepositFiles
• HotFile
• zShare
• Uploading
• FileServe , Mirror #2
• MultiUpload

Source: N4BB

The last we saw of the BlackBerry Torch 9850 / monaco was on a Sprint inventory sheet alongside the BlackBerry Bold 9930. While the BlakBerry Bold 9930 had a date at that time, the BlackBerry Torch did not. Now though, that inventory documentation appears to of have been updated and looking at the list now shows the BlackBerry Torch 9850 as arriving in 8/21/11. In some related information, we've also been hearing that the device most likely will turn up without those physical buttons we saw previously but that's not 100%. Alas, dates can and often do change but we've got our fingers crossed.

Some nice info was just dropped on us today for all you Sprint users looking to get ahold of a new BlackBerry in the next little while. The above list, clearly shows the BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry monaco 9850 will be launched on Sprint soon but possibly more importantly -- it also gives us the go-to-market name for the monaco. If all is correct here, the BlackBerry monaco 9850 will be placed under the BlackBerry Torch branding when released.

So when exactly are these devices expected to arrive? Well, if you jump on past the break you'll see the release date for the BlackBerry Bold 9930 is tentatively set for August 21 while the BlackBerry Torch 9850 is still stuck in that to-be-determined area.

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[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

What once was seemingly heavily guarded is no longer. The BlackBerry Touch 9860 has been popping up all over the place and in various countries. That of course, leads us here to believe quite a few test units have been shipped off to folks which can only mean launch is pretty much around the corner. With BlackBerry World taking place in May this year, we're expecting to hear more then -- until then, enjoy the above video.

Discuss the video in the CrackBerry Forums

Getting the same treatment as the BlackBerry Bold Touch, the BlackBerry Touch monza / monaco has also now just had its full spec sheet leaked for all to see. Although at the top it does say Torch, that is presumably a typo in the information and this device now shows the model number 9860, where as the Torch 2 will carry the 9810 numbering. Naming of the processor appears to be left out on this spec sheet but given that it is also listed as 1.2Ghz it's pretty safe to assume it has the exact same as the BlackBerry Bold Touch. More details are after the break for you all.

Source: N4_BB

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Although some of the videos from the BlackBerry Touch have previously appeared, not all of the videos for the BlackBerry Touch (monaco) tutorials were able to be extracted. But, that hasn't really stopped folks from trying and as such -- those that remained unseen are now available. Again, not a whole to see in the videos but they're pretty cool either way. Now all we really need is some official confirmation and release dates to set our minds at ease. Although, RIM requesting the previous videos to be removed kind of serves as confirmation in my personal opinion. Jump on past the break for more.

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Since the other videos got extracted we figured we might as well go ahead and post this lone one of the BlackBerry Touch for everyone to see. Not exactly a whole lot going on in the way of videos for this device from the leaked OS but it does offer another glimpse of what is coming for BlackBerry smartphones. Thanks, Shao128!

The new BlackBerry 6.1 icons look pretty snazzy... but I wonder what the
blacked out ones are for?! 

If you're getting sick of the PlayBook tablet talk and have been hoping for something phone related on the news and rumor front, here it is. BG posted some hands-on photos of the upcoming BlackBerry full touchscreen device (monaco/monza... aka Storm 3 but it won't launch as a Storm) which *could* hit the market as the BlackBerry Touch. Not too much was said by BG that we haven't already seen or talked about in the past about the device (see 2011 BlackBerry Smartphone Roadmap, Monaco Hands-On Video), but he did note that it seems BlackBerry OS 6.1 requires you to create a BlackBerry ID account. We saw this on the BlackBerry PlayBook Setup Tutorial the other day and have talked about this previously on CrackBerry podcasts - BBID is definitely growing into the centralized "iTunes" like account for RIM. As for specs, here's where things have been sitting...

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some of the old devices that paved the way to 2011... keep reading to see what's coming this year! 

The first few weeks of January 2011 brought forth a number of device leaks to the internet, which when combined provide relatively comprehensive insight into what we'll see from Research In Motion this year both in terms of major product launches and device software updates. As you read through this roundup keep in mind that unofficial information can always change by the time it does get officially announced. To make sure you're always up to date, you'll want to keep it locked to CrackBerry.com (follow us via RSS or Twitter) or signup for our CrackBerry newsletter and we'll keep you up to date by email. Keep reading for RIM's 2011 BlackBerry Roadmap!

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The last couple of weeks have been full of leaks regarding the 2011 BlackBerry Smartphone roadmap, so we had a LOT to talk about on this CrackBerry Podcast. But before we get to the phones, we first spend a bunch of time talking BlackBerry PlayBook, going through many of the frequently asked questions that have been popping up in the forums. 

This was a fun episode and definitely one you'll want to listen to (aka, if you've never listened before, this is a good one to start off on!). The PlayBook conversation dominates the first half of the show, so for all the phone talk you'll want to jump to 44m15s into the show. On the phone front, we're talking BlackBerry Bold Touch, BlackBerry Curve Touch, monaco (full touchscreen), Torch 2, next generation Curve and more. It's a whack load of phones.

Last but not least, we're happy to have Craig back on this episode, joining Adam, Bla1ze, Joseph and myself. We had fun recording this one, so hope you enjoy the show!

Keep in mind - this is CDMA (hence why you're not seeing Torch2 or apollo listed). Also means
we could see GSM releases sooner than the CDMA timeline above... plus things often change from plan.

In the last couple of weeks we've learned a lot about RIM's 2011 BlackBerry pipeline thanks to a handful of device leaks. After months (and in some cases over a year) of speculation, we saw specs and renderings show up for the dakota (touchscreen GSM Bold), monaco (aka Storm 3, though possibly will not fall under Storm branding at launch), Torch 2 and apollo (new curve). All that was followed by rumors of another Curve, sedona. Despite the windfall, what we've been looking at only told about 65% of the story. Today, thanks to a whack load of CDMA carrier roadmap slides, we can further fill in the gaps and clarify the codenames and even product names of what's coming up in 2011, including an entirely new device that really hasn't been touched on yet (Curve Touch!).

Further BlackBerry Smartphone Roadmap Highlights and Clarifications

• new BlackBerry Bold Touch: dakota is the GSM version, while montana is the CDMA version
• next gen Curve: apollo is the GSM version, while sedona is the CDMA version
• new Curve Touch: not previously mentioned, malibu is a new CDMA touchscreen Curve (likely to be a GSM one in the works too of course)

On the BlackBerry 6.1 front, beyond what we learned at DevCon Asia, we can see some of the other goodies coming our way. Included in the update is a faster user experience via "liquid graphics", a faster web browser experience (thanks to hardware acceleration and more mhz in the new devices), more homescreen customization options and even voice-activated universal search. 

All in all, things are really starting to make sense and look good! There's plenty to look at below, so keep reading and be sure to sound off in the comments with your thoughts!

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Finally!! It's been just over six weeks since our last podcast (my bad - I blame CB Redesign as soaking up all my time), which means we cover a lot of good stuff in this show. While my written BlackBerry Bold 9780 review will be hitting the blogs soon (Monday Tuesday, don't miss it!), in the mean time you can listen to our verbal review. We dive into this discussion just a few minutes in. From there, we cover a bunch of other BlackBerry talk of late, including the Kik craziness, BlackBerry Style and Pearl 3G user impressions, and some of the latest rumors for things to come in 2011. Unfortunately Craig couldn't make this one as we recorded during the day, but we had CrackBerry Idol runner-up Joseph Holder fill in.

We hope you enjoy episode 60. And we PROMISE to be back before the end of 2010 with our super duper Best of 2010 year end show!