* Update 2: Definitely see our updated post on this one - Could be a photoshop and we've got some follow up details on the Pluto project you'll want to read. *
*Update: So we've got a bit of question mark on whether or not the 9900 will ultimately hit the market with a SurePress display (screen that moves and clicks) or just a standard fixed touchscreen. We've known that earlier prototypes of this model have had the SurePress Storm-styled clickable screen, but are also hearing that part of what Vodafone/Verizon sealed up with their Storm exclusivity deal was the SurePress technology, at least for a while. So for now we're going to leave a question mark on this. And in the comments you can let us know what you'd prefer - a Touch Bold with a screen that clicks (a la Storm) or a fixed touchscreen. Ahh...gotta love the rumormill games! *
Holy FRAK. Here ya go. Just when we're starting to get excited for the CDMA BlackBerry 9630, here's a first real image of the BlackBerry 9900 (looks like the image itself used in the Rogers document is from a RIM device simulator). This is what has been referred to as "Pluto" for sometime now.
So what's the BlackBerry 9900 all about? We're talking about a BlackBerry Bold style-device with SurePress Touchscreen. Like the Bold, it'll be a 3G device and use the same speedy processor. What it will not have is a trackball. Crazy. Wicked.
According to this document it's slated for Rogers Q3 release, though we wouldn't be suprised to see it hit in Q4. And of course, like the Bold, we'll see this rollout to GSM carriers around the globe. Excited much??!!!
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90 comments
finally. could this be the epic phone. the phone to kill all phones? i guess we can only stay tuned.
Looks awesome
Nice pic there Kevin..... :D
Why is it when I see this post from CX, it almost makes me think he took the picture. :P haha
mmmmm
i'll probably never get one of these. but my father is looking to make the switch to a Smart Phone... maybe I'll have him wait it out for this one!
Your dad will not look back after he's made the plunge to the Smart Phone.
Congratz, I think you just redefined SWEET!
--Maven
Wow Crackberry is on the ball this morning!!!
Looks good but I love my trackball too much to give it up for a touch screen =[
No trackball? Bad move.
Having both would be fantastic. After using the Storm since it came out I can safely say the device would be 100x better with a trackball.
The G1 on T-Mobile has both the touchscreen and the trackball on it. Everyone that I talk to about having both features has stated that they never use the trackball because they have found that it is simply easier to navigate with the touchscreen.
Now that is something worth getting excited over. Full Keyboard and touchscreen? Best of both worlds!!
This is awesome! I just may retire my storm early... :)
Pretty nice I like it a lot comning the goodness of the bold keyboard and the thing that surepress does best selecting stuff! :)
I just don't want to think about it... got the Bold.. don't want to think about spending for another one.. damn RIM... relax your production... lol Proud to be Canadian :)
It looks like a Storm with a keyboard... I like too bad it is GSM :(
To me, the entire advantage of the Storm vs conventional blackberries is the ability to have the virtual keyboard hidden to free up all that gorgeous screen real estate. That won't happen here, and as far as I can tell, there is no other advantage ON THE BLACKBERRY OS to having the touchscreen vs the traditional trackball interface.
Without hardware 5-way controls you will be disappointed... touchscreen are a fad - not a functional one either. I'd take a non-touchscreen Windows Mobile phone over a touchscreen any day. It could possibly work with a trackball, and coding the software to be hardware keys/navigation based - with click features and using the touchscreen mainly for quick access to icons and selecting text.
I'll be sticking to the 2nd generation 8900 with HSDPA radio - am happy with my standard non-touch 8900 Berry.
Mother of God! Research In Motion are looking for world dominiation, lol. That's S-W-E-E-T !! It's great to see that RIM aren't resting at all. Keep 'em coming!
SWEET!!! i love the swipe to scroll on the storm but CANNOT stand the virtual key board, yet i wonder if would still be a pain to selct/copy paste as the storm???
Now this is sweet!!
I don't understand what they are trying to do here....
Keyboard, but no trackball...
Touchscreen with a tiny screen?
This device makes no sense and seems rather unpractical.
I agree with dusteater. Without a trackball, you still face the myriad of problems you have with the Storm - copy/paste, highlighting, selecting with precision, using forms online is a pain, etc, etc. Unless it's not a surepress screen and comes with a stylus, I don't know how this will turn out. Well, UNLESS they improve the touch technology we will still need a trackball.
If they integrate the new copy and paste tool into this phone as they have with the storm's new OS's that are getting leaked it will be a very usable feature.
this is true. i use a .113/.114 hybrid and the copy/paste feature has been greatly improved.
I hope tis is the size of the Bold and not the 8900.
Another leak today? Nice
Whats with the no trackball? That makes absolutely no sense!
But it did get me excited. And I want to see more of whats on page 99...
wow, now I could totally blow my bank account on that! Pretty sweet idea!!
Using this device is actually sweet. It's much faster because there is no scrolling. You just touch the icon you want. Then type. Makes for very fast navigating. Very good overall experience.
Nope. Nope. Nope.
I use epocrates every day several times a day and the "touch screen" experience of selecting input fields is sorely lacking. Anyone wanting to actually use their phone quickly and unobtrusively will be disappointed without a trackball... I'm serious. Before you give me your "used it more than thou" pronunciation, download epocrates, go to the medical calculators section and time yourself on doing an anion gap. Sure, I can do it with the regular calculator... but that's not the point! I used to be able to do it on the curve in 10 seconds.
Not every device that is put on the market is going to satisfy every person in the world. If this was the case they would make a single phone that everyone would buy and that would be the end of the phone market.
I was responding to his blanket (and wrong) statement that a touch screen makes "very fast navigation". This device is SO not for me... I guess, but if that's the case, it's not for anyone that wants to actually be happy with their blackberry experience.
ibcompletePOSliketheStorm
I hope they have fixed the Surepress when the 9900 comes out. I want this and the 9630! :)
Can we get a shot of page 99?
Lower left hand corner states "turn to page 99 for more information."
This device looks sick!!! I wish they would have both the trackball and the touchscreen because when using the device one-handed, I think the trackball comes in handy. All in all, this is another step in the right direction.
i am at a loss for words
I know.. it's that depressing, isn't it?
Touchscreen is an inferior interface whose primary advantage is to allow for a large screen. This seems like the worst of both worlds.
I dunno
the trackball is right where my thumb is
having to move my thumb UP to the screen and back down the keyboard may prove annoying
I have the bold, but can't wait to get my hands on this one too!
Very NICE!! Touch Screen & Keyboard!! ME WANT!!
WOW!! I didn't expect to see any pics of the 9900 until Q3!
Well, this changes my phone purchase plans for this year.
Wow, I am speechless and this hardly ever happens! LOL
Phone looks damn hot! Way to go RIM! I'm excited lots!
Well maybe this is RIM's way of putting this out there to gather consumer feedback. So if we all yell loud enough to have a trackball put in, they'll change it!!! Ya think!!
PUT IN A TRACKBALL PLEASE!!! There I did my share. ;D
WOOOOOWWWWWWWW now thats how you start a crackberry weekend!!!
hope t-mobile gets this one
people people - just because YOU may not like touchscreens, or YOU may want a trackball, don't take so much offense to what RIM is designing here. They're basically just trying to offer all sorts of options to capture MORE of the market.
Take my wife for example - she has a device (non-RIM, for now) that has both a full qwerty keyboard AND a touchscreen, and she tells me there's no way she'd use a device that did not have BOTH of those features. She likes the kb for data entry, and she likes the touchscreen for quick screen navigation. And she is a total non-techie.
I think RIM has heard over time that there is a portion of the market that wants both qwerty AND touchscreen - and as strange as that may seem to some of you/us here in this forum, those people exist out there. It may not be you, and it may not be the traditional BB user, but just relax a bit. RIM is seeking to EXPAND their market, and this device is just one more example of that. The Flip is another, and there are likely many more to come. Heck you may even see a slider or something like that (shudder). Who knows?
Just know that RIM isn't trying to offend you guys - relax and take a breath.
I think this device will either be a love it or hate it one for some people. Or it could be the best of two worlds. Full QWERTY Bold keyboard and Storm touchscreen (maybe storm like). And with the no trackball, I don't know why people make a big deal about it. The Storm doesn't have one either.
I think we should see what's going on page 99 "for more information please refer to page 99" :) Specs?
Around and around and around they go again. Wherever it stops a new/same phone pops out, lets call it a....BOLD! Yeah, thats the ticket.