News & Rumors, Devices

Exclusive: New Live Photos of BlackBerry Bold 9650 Show Off Bold Branding!

by Kevin Michaluk

on 8 Apr 2010 11:21 AM

176

* * images removed by request * *

Hot off the CrackBerry Tip Line and following up yesterday's photos of the 9650 OEM casing, you're looking at live photos of the Blackberry Bold 9650. As you can see in the photos, the About screen is branded with the BlackBerry 9650 device model (I guess RIM's thought here is to keep the 96xx as CDMA and 97xx as GSM) and the back of the device features the Bold brand name. Referred to by the codename essex (originally thought to be the Tour2 as it follows up the BlackBerry Tour 9630), the Bold 9650 adds WiFi, an optical trackpad and OpenGL support above and beyond the features and specs found in the 9630. Two more photos below.

More BlackBerry Bold 9650 Photos

* * images removed by request * *

Filed Under: News & Rumors, Devices; Tags: Bold 9650, essex, prerelease hardware

176 Comments

Posted by cboekhoven Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

I want it

Posted by jiggz22 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

I love how the articles keep saying cdma yet u can fully see the sim card slot.

Posted by andysbarry Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

That's because it's still a Tour on the insides, with the global capabilities, et al.

Posted by mystic205 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

the tour.. and therefore the tour2 now the bold 9650 is CDMA + GSM..which would be hard to do without a SIM card slot :p

Posted by jiggz22 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Wow u idiots are as gullable as u are dumb. For u to get ur blackberry panties in a knot, wow haha. Obviously it's cdma cuz it shows it in the photo. Go sip ur starbucks and b*tch about something else.

Posted by ak110707 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

dude chill

Posted by Joeriginal Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

LOL yeah okay. Nice rebound dude. Dont worry We've all made goofs like that before.

Posted by rendrop Friday, Apr 09, 2010 672 days ago

the current tour is a global phone and has a sim card. check it out on the vzw website. its cdma and gsm aka quad band.therefore it makes sense that the bold 9650 aka tour 2 has a sim card slot.

Posted by gamy2121 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

the first tour has a sim card too....its a world phone

Posted by xDAKx Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

I'm sorry but I LOL'd when I read that comment. xD

Did you even check to look at the "CDMA" bit of the about screen?

Posted by BETA13 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Verizon is a CDMA provider. My Tour has a SIM card slot...with a SIM card. HOLY SMOKES!!!

Posted by Sam K Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

the CDMA reference in the About screen that's in one of the pics? Some people are so quick to jump to conclusions. If you knew anything about the upcoming Bold 9650 then you would know that it's upgrade to the Tour 9630 and they are both "global" phones that support CDMA, GSM and UMTS service. The SIM card slot in the Bold 9650 is needed so that you can use a SIM card for the GSM and UMTS service when you travel to Europe and Asia. You can also unlock it to use on the AT&T and T-Mobile GSM networks in the U.S. but it doesn't support AT&T or T-Mobile 3G service in the U.S. since it only supports UMTS band 1 which is used in Europe and Asia.

Posted by jlaw Monday, Apr 12, 2010 669 days ago

Don't be mad you said something blatantly stupid and got called out on it

Posted by NM08SRT8 Tuesday, Apr 13, 2010 669 days ago

Um, can you say, World/Global phone just like the 9630? You idiot

Posted by 312 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Too bad you guys are getting stuck with that crappy DX1 battery...LOL

Posted by VZWRocka Friday, Apr 09, 2010 673 days ago

I've been quite happy with the battery in the 8900, 9530,9550, and 9630...

Posted by breakfastclub122 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

am i the only one not seeing the updated hardware we were promised?

Posted by thebrownguy01 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

updated hardware = the word BOLD beside the camera. that's it, that's all.

Posted by robj75 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

There is now a trackpad and Wi-Fi. And the green phone icon is now facing up like the Bold 9700. And is says Bold. And there are probably some other internal hardware changes that were required to incorporate the Wi-Fi and trackpad--I believe I heard that the entire keypad has been shifted down slightly and the bottom keys (space, sym, aA, etc) are a little smaller, all to allow for the trackpad. So, no. They didn't just slap Bold on the back.

Posted by BBslim Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

What updated hardware? It HAS the trackpad.

Posted by breakfastclub122 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

something about it was supposedly supposed to be so different than the previous Essex models that were released...
i guess it took them a few extra months to get that word "Bold" stamped on there.

Posted by kevJP87 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Hmmmm looks toooooo like the 9700.......

Posted by rugbyua9 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Im torn... do i get this phone? Or do I wait until November when usually new phones are released (slider)? HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!

Posted by McNooberson Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

It is on pace to come out march 2011, so we can see all those other phones first :P

Posted by red72 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Sure I buy my Tour and they come out with a track pad version. Damn it!

Posted by freddymartinez9 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Its interesting. That OS is not one that we have seen leaked. The last one we saw leak was .533. Cool pictures.

Posted by freddymartinez9 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Its interesting. That OS is not one that we have seen leaked. The last one we saw leak was .533. Cool pictures.

Posted by afropoika Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Looks like these will be at the back instead of being at the sides like the Bold 9700. Also, the camera flash immediately above the camera lens is true to the original Tour styling, and I say keep it like that. No need to make this device look more like a Bold.

Posted by timerollson Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Guess it's getting closer to its release. I'm excited for this to be available to the general public, though I'm sticking with my 9630. I'm ready for some new hardware, excluding the Talladega. That thing is FUGLY.

Storm 3 soon, please.

Posted by kstagg Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Can't we PLEASE get something a little bit less mainstream and have their designers think more "outside of the box"? Ok, admittedly the "slider" looks like they are headed in that direction but all of RIMs devices are looking the same.

I love my entry-level Curve 8520 and I really like Blackberry, but they really need to blow me away with something if they expect me to stand pat before the Windows 7 Phone hits the stores around Holidays.

Posted by sgtmilstack Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

I think RIM isn't capable of doing that, lol. Slider is a start, but I'm not feeling it.

I guess we will see what other tricks RIM has up is sleeve by WES at the end of this month.

Posted by lemcoe9 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

This is RIM, not Apple. lol

Posted by Joeriginal Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Seriously? Windows 7. Its a schotty platform on the computer, and you wanna a phone that runs it. Dude do your homework, Windows is terrible as a mobile platform, either stick with BB, or go with Android.

Posted by fberfle Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

#1 Win7 is not as bad as anti-MS fanboys say it is. #2 Win 7 mobile has about as much to do with Win7 desktop as Android has to do with Linux. BTW, the UI is already pretty much available for a test drive on the Zune HD, and it is pretty flippin' slick and impressive. I wouldn't write this off with knee-jerk paranoid anything-Microsoft-is-bad reaction.

Posted by Kullkid92x Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

^^^ Agreed. the Win 7 Phone Series is a total turn around from previous Win mobile versions, like not even close dude.

as for RIM... they gotta start making WEIRD devices, yes thats right WEIRD... thats what gets attentions now a days, just look at the Motorola Backflip haha ;]

Posted by Cross Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Does it use the same keypad as the 9700?

Posted by olemil Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Looks a lot like the Tour keyboard to me.

Posted by 07thking Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

I was wondering the same thing. I would like my numbers to be a different color from the letters so if its the same keyboard I will put one on my 9700.

Posted by elvin1983 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

If the 9650 is the same size as the 9630, the keyboard won't be interchangable with the 9700. The board on the 9650/9630 is larger in size than the 9700.

Posted by 07thking Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

I was wondering the same thing. I would like my numbers to be a different color from the letters so if its the same keyboard I will put one on my 9700.

Posted by lcsglvr Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

If this isn't a great OS and if there are not any additional features other than the ones mentioned, I am not buying it. HTC Incredible is looking more and more appealing (although I do love the physical QWERTY keyboard).

Posted by LewisCBR Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

RIM and Verizon are going to great lengths to make sure everyone knows this is not a Tour with a touchpad and wifi. The last thing they want is their Tour customers endlessly bitching so they slap a huge "BOLD" logo on the camera so they can say, "Hey, this is an entirely different phone peole, no refund!"

Posted by mystic205 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Nobody has a right to complain that the phone they purchased does not contain something it clearly doesnt have... its the same for tv's, cars, everything..

and.. to be fair (at least to Sprint) Dan Hesse of Sprint stated back in July/August last year that there would be a version of the tour with wifi in 1Q10..

Posted by jlarkins08 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

I like it looks good! I just want it to come out already!!

Posted by olemil Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

Guess I'll have to wait until I try it out in the Sprint store, the 8530 trackpad is pretty sweet so this might sell me. I will also be looking hard at the new 4G phone with the 8mp camera. Wife already said she wants my Tour so either way I go the Tour will still be in the family...lol.

Posted by wild_honey Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

I see no deference with Bold 9700!!

Posted by Striker317 Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

you must be blind then.

different battery.
different placement of the mini-sd card.
different placement of the sim card.

definitely not a 9700

Posted by Californian Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

same Tour battery
same Tour card placement.
WAIT! IT SEZ BOLD ONNIT!!!11!1!

Posted by wild_honey Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

as an end user and seeing a sneak peak of a new BB product, I dont care abt the battery model number, where the sim goes or the memory slut placed I wanna see new features better looking product not a compromising between tour and bold and create a new model that doesn't make any sense (we don't have the full specs to judge, but the book from its title)

Posted by Cross Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 673 days ago

I dont see any difference also /: It look almost just like a Tour not even close to a Bold.