The new Sprint BlackBerry Curve 8530, or Curve2 as it has been referred to, launched on the Sprint Network last month. A solid month after the Verizon Curve 8530 launch. There was not much hype with the launch, and numerous people I have talked to weren't too excited about it either. They have the Tour, and don't see why they should be excited about this device.

Well, let me tell you, although the Curve 8530 doesn't have all the luxury of the Tour, it does have quite a few bells and whistles that the Tour doesn't have. In my opinion, those few things, make this the device of choice for me. We'll cover all these changes as you continue reading.

After testing out numerous different Blackberry devices over the past few years, I always find myself with "one more thing" i wish the device would have included. With the Tour it was Wi-Fi, with the CDMA Curve 2 it was a higher resolution camera, and with the 8900 or Pearl Flip it was 3G. Finally, I can say that RIM has "checked all the boxes" with the introduction of the Blackberry Bold 9700, AKA the Bold 2. Add in the change from the trackball to an optical trackpad, and the Bold 9700 has been the Blackberry I've been waiting for. The Bold 9700 used in this review was provided by RIM, and has service with AT&T. It is available for $99 with a 2 year contract after mail in rebate.

The BlackBerry Storm 2 has arrived to try and save the BlackBerry touch screen reputation after a pretty disastrous Storm 1 entrance last year. I used a Storm 1 and can safely say that while I'm a huge fan of Research In Motion 's (RIM) BlackBerry products (I've been a user since 2000), I was excited to see how RIM would jump into the touch screen Smartphone ring, and then immediately disappointed at the product I was holding in my hands.

It was laggy, buggy, kludgy, and the whole having to click the screen paradigm combined to make me feel like hurling it at the wall many times.

The BlackBerry Storm 2 is much better in many ways. It doesn't lag, it has fewer bugs, and typing doesn't feel as kludgly as before. You still have to click the screen, but even that has improved drastically.

So the question is, can this new improved touch screen BlackBerry survive in the corporate world? Can it handle the day-to-day work use and even enhance your existing BlackBerry experience? Finally, does it look professional enough to carry into the boardroom or courtroom?

The interwebs have been filling up with review coverage of the BlackBerry Bold 9700, which is now beginning to roll out to carriers around the globe (you'll need to check to see if your carrier has it yet). With so much content out there, and even CrackBerry.com doing up multiple reviews, I figured a little roundup of some links would be useful. And for those who have bought one already, how do you do like it? Sound off in the comments!

• CrackBerry Reviews: Kevin | Adam | Craig | Bla1ze | Member Reactions >>
• Blog / Tech Pub Reviews: Engadget | Gizmodo | BGR | PhoneScoop | Pocket Berry | Laptop Mag | infoSync | Washington Post | PC Mag | cnet | G-Style | more reviews? post the url in the comments!

After many months of waiting impatiently for the BlackBerry Bold to even just be announced officially, we finally have reached launch day in Canada for it. Rogers wireless was the first to get it out the door here in Canada. Launch went fairly well with the exception of in store availablity. Most stores are still getting their shipments in but customer service will gladly process an order for you with 2-5 days for shipping. I ordered mine the day of release and had it delivered the very next day. Good on Rogers for that, but I'd have much preferred to go to a local dealer and have it the day it showed up on the Rogers website.

We've had a look at the BlackBerry Bold 9700 a few times now and not much has changed from the pre release devices pending on how far back you want to go. We have seen the device go from showing up pre-release with a trackball to now sporting a very responsive trackpad. Follow along and let's have a look at the officially released Rogers version of the new BlackBerry Bold 9700

While Kevin, Chris and Adam are concentrating on the hardware and consumer aspects of the Bold 9700, I'll be reviewing the device through the eyes of a corporate BlackBerry user. If you are someone who already has a BlackBerry and is wondering if they should upgrade to the Bold 9700 when it is released.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 takes all of the great BlackBerry features from recent devices, as well as some new flair, and packs a punch that some will argue is the best BlackBerry yet. With an excellent combination of size, a great keyboard, trackpad navigation and BlackBerry OS 5.0, the 9700 is a force to be reckoned with. The device is perfect for both business users and consumers. Those who are new to BlackBerry will have no problem adjusting to the new device as the OS 5.0 improvements keep getting better and better. Here we'll take a look at the best features of the device, and check out the BlackBerry OS including standard features as well as the latest OS 5.0 upgrades.

Hands-On Review of Research in Motion's BlackBerry Bold 9700 Smartphone...

Whenever I write a review for a new BlackBerry Smartphone, it tends to turn into a 6,000+ word novel. Not this time. For one, Chris, Adam and Craig are all writing their impressions of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 too, each coming at it from a slightly different user perspective. Between us there will be no shortage of Bold 9700 coverage on the blogs. Also, I did a pretty thorough job of covering the BlackBerry "onyx" back in May when we showed everybody what the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 would look like. But most importantly and to the point, this is just an easy BlackBerry to write about. It's a straight forward story about an all-around stellar device.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is simply the best of everything that Research in Motion currently offers in a smartphone, wrapped into a tight package. I'm sure there will be some Bold 9000 owners out there who may prefer the styling and bigger keyboard/screen size of the original Bold over the smaller and arguably more conservative 9700, but the 9700 meets or exceeds the 9000 on the features and specs sheet in areas that count: more memory, bettery camera and gone is the trackball in favor of the ohhh sooo slickkk optical trackpad. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 really is the pinnacle of the "traditional" BlackBerry Smartphone experience. 

Read on For Photos, Video and First Impressions of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 >>

When the clock struck 12:01am on Thursday, October 15th, a small herd of BlackBerry Storm2 Reviews took to the internet (well, one actually popped up a tad bit earlier). Unlike some BlackBerry device launches where you could spend the following two days reading through every word of every review and watching every second of video, the BlackBerry Storm2's official splash was a bit sparse (though I am liking the revamped look of BlackBerry.com's product pages).

For all the Storm2 chasers out there, you'll want to click through on the links below and take a read. It'll help kill at least a little time as you wait for the day when you can go to the store and buy one for yourself. There's still plenty of CrackBerry Storm2 coverage to come too, so keep it locked here. If we missed any review links, feel free to leave them in the comments and we'll update this post to include them (sifting through google news it's a bit tricky to tell announcements from actual hands-on opinion in some cases). And the odds are good another batch of in-depth Storm2 reviews will hit the web before it's available for sale, so we'll follow up with a Review Roundup Part Deux in a bit.

BlackBerry Storm2 Reviews

• Storm 9550 Reviews: CrackBerry | WSJ | cnet | IntoMobile | PCWorld | PCMag
• Storm 9520 Reviews: Telegraph | The Inquirer | Tech Radar

Featuring WiFi, more memory and an improved SurePress technology, Research in Motion's second-generation BlackBerry Storm is ready for primetime and wants to be touched!

It's that time again! Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite energy drink, kick back and enjoy yet another CrackBerry.com pre-release BlackBerry Smartphone review. This time around we're looking at an officially-received BlackBerry Storm2. Has RIM taken the Storm to the next level with the Storm 2, or are we looking at a minor update? Should owners of the original BlackBerry Storm upgrade? Read on to find out!

Read CrackBerry.com's BlackBerry Storm 2 Review >>

Saying the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is a highly-anticipated device is a bit of an understatement. Like the Bold 9000, the 9700 represents the pinnacle of what the traditional BlackBerry experience is all about, though compared to its predecessor packs more punch into a much smaller package.

We brought you our initial BlackBerry Bold 9700 Review back in May, when the pre-production "onyx" aka 9020 units were still sporting a trackball and plastic battery cover. Since then we've seen the device get christened as the 9700, we've seen it get a faux-leather door along with the touch-sensitive trackpad introduced on the Curve 8520. We've also seen it pop up in T-Mobile clothing as well, which apparently under the hood has some slight differences than its AT&T (& other GSM carriers counterpart) in we **think** the form of a different battery and processor. 

In the weeks ahead we'll undoubtedly start "officially" seeing and learning more about the next-generation Bold, but in the meantime the Boy Genius has added to the ton of pre-release coverage that's been hitting the web recently and given his thoughts on an early Bold 9700 unit, which in reviewing the hardware proclaims it as the finest BlackBerry ever crafted, which I know is music to the ears of all who are jonesing for this device. If you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to jump over and read his review. It's solid. 

• Read Boy Genius Report's 9700 Review >>
• Read CrackBerry's BlackBerry Bold 9700 Review >>
• Visit the BlackBerry Bold 9700 Forum >>

I've had a little over a week to play with my new BlackBerry Curve 8520 and I have some mixed emotions at this point. There are some great features, and I think overall it is a great "intro to BlackBerry" device. I'm not going to get into a full blown review this time around, but rather just try and cover some quick points that may help make it easier to decide if the Curve 8520 is the right device for you.

The new BlackBerry Tour smartphone launched on the Sprint Network last month, and it was a highly anticipated device for many Sprint users. Up until the launch of the Tour, the only options for BlackBerry smartphones for Sprint users were the Curve 8330, 8830 World Phone, and the Pearl 8130. While these are all great devices, none of them could compare to the BlackBerry Bold that was launched on GSM carriers almost a year ago.

Sprint had some initial launch issues with device shortages, and even a little mix up with a Sperizon device being sent out. Seems things to have simmered down a bit, and now it's time to get down to the nitty gritty with a device review. So sit back and relax, and let the good times begin.

I received my Curve 8520 today (which is now available on T-Mobiles site) and was extatic to get it out of the box and start playing around. Kevin has given us his pre-release review of the entry-level device, but I was happy to have one to play with for myself as well. Mind you, I'm always happy to get a new device to review, but this one will be my first GSM device so I'm in for a totally different experience. Coming from a CDMA carrier I may sound a bit jaded at times, so throwing in a SIM card and firing up Wifi was really something to look forward to. Having my Tour for a few weeks now I'm fully ready to give another device my time (for a few hours anyway). The Curve 8520 is available on T-Mobile today for $129.99 on contract, or at WalMart for $48.88 on contract (yes same phone, same service). This is just a quick look at the Curve 8520, with a more detailed review to follow.

With the BlackBerry Tour set to launch on Verizon and Sprint this Sunday and Canadian carriers next week, we're starting to see reviews of the BlackBerry Tour (especially the Verizon model) roll in across the web. In case you missed CrackBerry.com's pre-release BlackBerry Tour reviews, be sure to check out our BlackBerry Tour Review Part I and BlackBerry Tour Review Part II. Over the next couple of weeks we'll be following up with more Tour reviews as the official units hit and we get some running time with each of them on their native networks (Verizon, Sprint, Telus & Bell to start). But if you're an existing BlackBerry 8830 or Curve 8330 user thinking about upgrading, the Tour is an absolute no-brainer - it really is better in every single aspect. If you want a smartphone with a full physical keyboard that isn't touchscreen, you can't go wrong with the Tour (if it only had WiFi!!). 

Win a Free BlackBerry Tour: If you haven't entered our Win a BlackBerry Tour contest yet, Click Here and leave a comment for your chance to win!!

Verizon BlackBerry Tour Reviews: If you're looking for some more hands-on impressions of the Tour from the perspective of tech blogger or journalist, you can follow the links below to learn more. We'll do another review roundup as more reviews (from all carriers) surface. And be sure to jump into our BlackBerry Tour forum for even more user perspectives.