Following a forum shared photo of the matte black Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry, we got confirmation of it coming soon and now you'll be able to get your hands on one come tomorrow. If you're interested in one, it will set you back £1390. It will be available from Harrods, London from January 2nd, 2013.

When the Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry first came out, it was said that Harrods sold out of them pretty quickly. Harrods are anticipating the same high demand again and are making this a first come, first served process. You will not able to reserve one, neither will it be available from Harrods' online store.

I must say, the matte black version does look sexier than the original. The Porsche Design line is, of course, not for everyone but if you're in the U.K. and you're interested pop into Harrods from 10am tomorrow if you'd like one.

Thanks Hussa! 

On my nightly stroll through the CrackBerry forums, I stumbled upon this thread posted just a few minutes ago by member filoinstyle of a photo he came across on Instagram today. 

CrackBerry readers will recognize the device at once as the exclusive BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 Smartphone, which carries a price tag in ball park of $2,000. But this isn't your typical P'9981, which normally sports a silver/grey color scheme. No, this baby is blacked out. It looks tough. It looks mean. It's HOT. I WANT IT. 

But what is it you ask? A custom P'9981 paint job or a legit device offering? All signs point to this being a real P'9981, soon to be offered by Harrods.

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For those of you in China that fancy a slice of luxury BlackBerry you ail be pleased to know that the Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981 is now available to buy. The rather expensive device may not be for everyone, but if you can afford it and want to stand out from the crowd you can pick up the P'9981 from Porsche Design stores as well as authorised BlackBerry retailers.

Adapted for Chinese customers, the new Porsche Design P'9981 comes with support for simplified Chinese and common Chinese input methods.

With BlackBerry 10 so close now I must be honest and say that you may be better off saving your money for that. However, if you can afford the P'9981 you probably have enough money to get both. The luxury device certainly attracts attention from other BlackBerry users - I know from first hand experience. 

You can catch the full press release below:

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The annual Mobile Choice Consumer Awards is here again and the nominations are up. A few BlackBerry devices have made it into four categories of the Awards, with two models finding their way into more than one category.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 has been nominated for Best Handset for Social Networking and the ultimate award of Phone of the Year. The BlackBerry Curve 9320 is nominated for Best Value Phone and also for Best Handset for Social Networking. We also find the Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981 being nominated in the Awards for Best Design.

Both the Bold 9900 and Curve 9320 look to be good contenders, especially the Curve 9320 for Best Value Phone. It certainly is great little device, giving you the whole BlackBerry experience, packaged into a small, sleek device and adding the BBM hotkey.

Let's get behind Team BlackBerry and get voting for our favorite devices. You can also be in for a chance to win a smartphone in the process.

Check out all nominees and get voting in the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards

If you’ve been hunting around Canada trying to find a Porsche Design store, you can officially end your hunt as the first Canadian store is now open. Porsche Design stores carry a huge selection of clothing, watches, kitchen knives, and now even a BlackBerry device -- all of which have been meticulously designed. The store had their grand opening on June 14th 2012 and we were on hand to capture not only the talk about the BlackBerry P’9981, but also their whole design philosophy of how they create their products. During the opening, Porsche Design also announced the availability of the BlackBerry P’9981 in Canada. You can read the full press release here.

Check out the video above and hear speeches from one of the managing partners, Khalid Kadrie and CEO of Porsche Design Dr. Juergen Gessler as they welcome the brand into Canada.

While the Porsche Design BlackBerry P’9981 has been on the market for some time now, us in Canada have had to resort to other measures to get our hands on the device.  During the official opening of the only Porsche Design store in Canada, I had the opportunity to sit down and discuss BlackBerry with the CEO of Porsche Design, Dr. Juergen Gessler.

Dr. Gessler himself is an active BlackBerry user, and the addiction for him started almost 10 years ago. Dr. Gessler also noted that he doesn’t think that the partnership between Porsche Designs and RIM is over, and as long as they are building hardware there will be the opportunity for more collaboration between the two companies.

As you can see I was quite excited to talk shop with Dr. Gessler, and even more excited to know that his passion for BlackBerry was almost as strong as mine. Heck even the two brothers that opened the Toronto Porsche Design store are BlackBerry fans and visit CrackBerry.com frequently. My question is, what product will Porsche Design work with RIM on next? Sound off in the comments on what you think it should be.

Although you could have easily imported a Porsche Design P'9981 from any number of online retailers since its initial release, Canadians looking to get in on the premium device can now pick one up within Canada. RIM chief executive officer Thorsten Heins and Porsche Design Groups Juergen Gessler were on hand to unveil the device and to celebrate the grand opening of the Porsche Design's Store in Yorkville Toronto.

“Porsche Design has been a symbol for Iconic Style since 1972. And the brand new P’9981 smartphone is a milestone product for Porsche Design,” said Dr. Juergen Gessler, CEO of the Porsche Design Group. “It is a representation of the iconic Porsche Design styling philosophy and RIM’s technology-driven focus, which combine to deliver engineered luxury and powered performance in a smartphone for the discerning consumer.”

As we already know, the Porsche Design P'9981 isn't going to be a device for everyone out there but if you have the $1890 it will cost you and want to enjoy a different BlackBerry experience it's certainly an option to consider. You can check out our full review of the Porsche Design P'9981 or read on below for the full press release from RIM.

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Do you love themes? Is CrackBerry your #1 site for all things BlackBerry? If you've answered yes to all of these questions, and who wouldn't, then I have some great news for you. Once again the forums and twitter have exploded with the news that drkapprenticeDESIGNS and Lucky45 have taken Mini_Banner_Live, what is one of the best themes (and one of my personal favorites) for OS7 devices, and transformed it into an amazing CrackBerry tribute theme for all of you to enjoy. Some of you out there knew this was coming, if you happened to come across the blink and you'll miss it forums post, but now the wait is finally over. So what are you waiting for, click on the jump to find out more!

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If you're a North American Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry owner, then BlackBerry OS 7.1 has just become official for you, 7.1.0.391 to be exact. While we've already seen a higher version of .428 from SmarTone HK but of course there are plenty of those who prefer to install stock OS, so this one is for you.

As usual, carry out a backup for your data before updating even if it is an official OS. If you run into any troubles while updating be sure to check out our BlackBerry 101 guides to assist you, like How to Install or Upgrade to a new OS. Once you're updated you can join in on the forum discussions to talk about findings and/or fixes.

Download OS 7.1.0.391 for the P'9981
Discuss more in the forums

I saw a few comments suggesting the Porsche Design BlackBerry that I gave away to a lucky reader might end up on Ebay, but that couldn't be further from reality. Thankfully, it found a great home with a deserving BlackBerry fan who appreciates it.

I shipped my P'9981 off to Toronto to CrackBerry member Houshinto, and he followed up with some photos of his P'9981, including a photo of it in its daily charging spot, next to its "protector". Gotta love it! I asked Houshinto for some background info on himself that I could share with CrackBerry Nation.

Turns out it's a really small world - Houshinto actually used to live in the same city I'm in (heck, his parents used to own a Chinese restaurant I've been to *many* times). CRAZY. Keep reading for a couple more photos and a bit more info on this lucky CrackBerry contest winner!

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OK CrackBerry Nation. This is it. Today is my birthday... I just hit the big THREE TWO... and this year, instead of me getting a birthday present I wanted to give an awesome gift to one of our readers. The present? My slightly used but never abused $2,000 Porsche Design P'9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry. It's exclusive. It's expensive. It's hawt. Heck, it even won an award this past weekend for 2012 Smartphone of the Year. 

We gave everybody three ways to enter in the Win CrackBerry Kevin's Porsche Design BlackBerry Contest - you could either leave a comment to that blog post, follow @crackberrykevin on twitter, or follow +Kevin Michaluk on Google Plus. The lucky winner was chosen at random from over 5,000 comments, 29,000 twitter followers and over 4,000 people on Google Plus. So that's it... Let's get to it...

And the Winner of CrackBerry Kevin's Porsche Design BlackBerry is....

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In Stuttgart, Germany a few days ago the BlackBerry Porsche P'9981 was honoured at the Plus X Awards by receiving the gong for Smartphone of the Year 2012. The Plus X Awards celebrate innovative technologies, as well as sports and lifestyle products that are "viable for the future and possess at least one 'Plus X' factor" (as quoted from the Award's website).

The BlackBerry Porsche P'9981 won the award for combining the Porsche Design's classic and 'puristic' design with RIM's own innovative BlackBerry technologies. Axel Kettenring, Managing Director RIM Germany, says: "We are very proud to receive this seal of quality. Receiving the Plus X Award for the Porsche Design P'9981 smartphone confirms we are operating at the cutting edge with our demand for design and quality."

Even if the Porsche P'9981 isn't a BlackBerry device that the majority of our readers will own, it's nice to see it win quite a prestigious award. Don't forget there contest is still open to those who would like a chance of winning CrackBerry Kevin's very own Porsche Design BlackBerry. Today is the last Day to enter, so if you'd like a chance to win check out the link below.

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If you so happen to be the proud owner of a Porsche Design P'9981, you'll be pleased to know that OS 7.1 is now available for download. More specifically, OS 7.1.0.342 is available via BlackBerry Desktop Software or via direct download through the Mobily BlackBerry download page. We've seen it appear previously on the P'9981 but it did take a while to fully roll out. Don't have a Porsche Design P'9981? No worries. Check out our P'9981 contest where you can win one for yourself courtesy of Kevin! Thanks, HK Low!

Download OS 7.1.0.342 for the Porsche Design P'9981
Check our more in the CrackBerry Forums 

Since posting our Porsche Design BlackBerry Review I've received more than a few emails from other owners out there asking if there is an official P'9981 owners club to join. The request makes sense. Considering the phone costs $2,000 and is still badly in need of an OS update to 7.1, you'd think there should be a forum where owners can privately count down the days until its released (of course you can do this publicly in our P'9981 forum, but your posts will likely be answered by 9900 owners saying you should have bought a Bold instead... lol).

Answering to the demand, today I setup Club P'9981 - CrackBerry's Official Porsche Design BlackBerry Owners Club. Taking advantage of the social groups functionality in our CrackBerry forums, this is an invite only club for owners of the P'9981 and proof of P'9981 ownership will be required:

To join Club P'9981, you must be a member of CrackBerry and provide proof of P'9981 ownership.

To do this, please take a photo of the P'9981 ownership card that came in the box with your P'9981 (this card contains your device pin beginning with 2AA) and email it to sitesupport@crackberry.com. Please make the subject of the email "P'9981 Owners Club" and in the email be sure to let us know your CrackBerry username.

From there, you will receive your private invite to this group via the CrackBerry forums.

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With a price tag of $2,000, the exclusive Porsche Design P'9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry is a Bold 9900 in an expensive new skin. It is not a better BlackBerry than the 9900, but if you have the cash and want to stand out, it is definitely the BlackBerry for you.

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Hands-on with the limited edition titanium Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981!

If the BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 isn't quite your speed, perhaps you're holding out for something a bit fancier? Seen here is a limited edition titanium BlackBerry P'9981. While it holds the same basic design as the original P'9981, this version is decked out in titanium all around, giving it a much different look than the stainless steel original. The keyboard fits right in with its matte black finish giving this device a smooth, dark look. A carbon fiber back cover (real or not we're not sure) finishes off the sleek lines of this high-end device. It looks like this limited edition titanium version isn't going to be readily available at Harrods either (sorry Kevin!), yet it will be available at auction with proceeds going to charity. Who knows ... maybe Jay-Z and Beyonce will want to upgrade? Keep reading for more images.

So what do you think of this limited edition P'9981? Better or worse than the original? Would you use one? Sound off in the comments!

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It appears as though Kanye West got ahold of the fact that not only does CrackBerry Kevin have a Porsche Designed P9981, but Miss CrackBerry has one as well. In an attempt to dethrone them from being the most awesome BlackBerry-carrying couple around, Kanye went ahead and purchased a P'9981 for his good friends Jay-Z and Beyonce. While recently out in London, Kanye apparently sent his driver over to Harrods to grab a pair of these high-end devices for his pals as a nice surprise.

It's nice to see the P'9981 landing in the hands of more users even if it's mostly celebs) and maybe this will inspire the Ferrari PlayBook to become a reality! :-)

Discuss more in the forums

Source: The Sun 

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

The Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981 has been fairly camera shy since it's release, but a keen eye (thanks Dave!) spotted one in this ad for Britain's Got Talent. It looks like Kevin and Beyonce aren't the only ones with this sweet device -- apparently Amanda Holden has one of her own as well (or it looks that way at least). The P'9981 is only on camera here for a few seconds (around 0:25) but there is no mistaking it. Have you seen a P'9981 on tv or out and about? Drop a comment and let us know!

I've been rocking the Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry for a few weeks now, and have been loving every minute of it (final review coming soon.. stay tuned!). I know the look of the P'9981 is a bit polarizing, people seem to either love it or hate it, but one that thing nobody debates is the fact that it stands out. This is partially due to the fact it looks so different from any other phone on the market, and also because it's so exclusive - when people are seeing my P'9981 in real life, most are still seeing it for the first time.

I've always been a fan of customizing my phone, though typically I've done it after purchase. Before RIM started selling their phones in white, I would send my BlackBerry in to ColorWare to have custom painted (awesome, but voids warranty). Original skins and cool cases are always an option too and I've used a lot over the years, but this personalization sits on top of a stock phone. And while this approach is ideal for most -- and adds a layer of protection -- I'm one of those people who likes the customization to be to the device itself.  I question whether this sort of limited production run is good for RIM's bottom line, but as a customer I really appreciate the effort and risk they took in collaborating with Porsche Design on the P'9981. It has given me an attention getting device that still has warranty.

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As if the $2,000 base price for the Porsche Design P'9981 wasn't enough, you can now buy your very own 24ct gold plated version on eBay. The Buy It Now price is set at £4,799.99 (or just over $7,500 US) and gets you a brand new, limited edition, 24ct gold plated device. According to the listing only 100 of these will be made and each will be marked and numbered. 10% of the sale price even goes to support the Sport Relief charity.

So if having a plain old BlackBerry P'9981 wasn't quite your style, maybe a gold plated P'9981 is more your thing? If you haven't seen the P'9981 before be sure to check Kevin's first impressions video [full review coming soon]. Hit the link below for more, and if you actually buy one then we'd love to hear about it! Thanks Dave!

Check out the gold plated BlackBerry P'9981 on eBay

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

I’m a theme junkie and have really been hoping for something different to become available for my Bold 9930 besides the different color schemes and ditching the extra menus.

The other day my Twitter account quite literally blew up with tweets over a new theme. Intrigued by that much traffic, I decided to take a look. This is one amazing theme that definitely deserves some CrackBerry attention. Not only does it have the smaller banner at the top to optimize wallpaper (my other vice) space but this banner is ANIMATED! In the new MINI_Banner_LIVE theme by drkapprenticeDESIGNS and Lucky45 you get the coolest theme ever with scrolling BlackBerry B’s to the glowing red banner notifying you of any missed calls or new emails. Continue reading after the break for features and screenshots of this fun theme.

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[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

Following up the teaser photo I posted of my new Porsche Design P'9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry, I responded to the requests of CrackBerry Nation and followed it up today with an official unboxing of this expensive and exclusive BlackBerry. And since this is a BlackBerry that's going to set back would be purchasers ~ $2k, I extended the unboxing video to also include a walk through of the device and some of my initial review impressions.

I'll follow up soon with my full review, but honestly, this isn't a phone that really requires a review. Seriously. With a price tag this high, buying the P'9981 isn't about features or specs or how it stacks up in value against other devices on the market. This phone is about emotion. It's about desire. And of course, it's about showing the world you can afford to spend $2,000 on a phone.

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Talk about a wicked week of awesomeness for this BlackBerry Addict. First we get BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. Then I get the Google + App for BlackBerry I've been waiting for (Add Me to Your Circles!) and then the good 'ole DHL man dropped off the phone my heart has been desiring for a while now... the Porsche Design P'9981 Smartphone by BlackBerry. Talk about CrackBerry Heaven!

It's been a crazy busy week for me, so now I'm off to play with these new gadgets so I can hit ya back up here next week with some CrackBerry Kevin styled in-depth reviews. Stay tuned!

PS. If you happen to own a P'9981 and want to be CrackBerry famous, send us in a photo of you and your P'9981 to editorial@crackberry.com!

 

While the details are scarce, it looks as though the Porsche Design Group is gearing up to include yet another luxury BlackBerry Smartphone to RIM's product line, the P'9531. Along with the dozen and a half slides leaked today are two that provide some small insight into the luxury phone. As with several other BlackBerry 7 Smartphones, the P'9531 will sport a 1.2 GHz processor, an initial 8 GB of internal storage space, touchscreen, and full QWERTY keyboard.

According to the slides, the P'9531 will offer its owners a custom User Interface, exclusive apps, and a unique PIN (I thought all PIN's were unique...). Unfortunately, we've no information as to what sets the P'9531 apart from the already released P'9981. Right now, we're thinking this new ‘9531 might be the CDMA version of the GSM ‘9981. Until we get some more details, we'll just have to stare with envy at the P'9531 and its "Engineered Luxury."

Source: BGR

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The Porsche Designed BlackBerry P9981 is no secret, it is for sale in Dubai, we have gone hands-on with it, and we don't even want to know the things our very own CrackBerry Kevin would do to get one for himself. We have seen the outside of the device plenty but what we have yet to see was what it was packing on the inside, and a recent filing to the FCC was able to show us just that. While it sure isn't anything like an iFixIt teardown it does still show us what exactly is running in the device -- spoiler, not much different than what you would expect -- but we all know the nerd in you is loving this. Be sure to hit the links below for more images, and the full FCC filing.

Source: FCC; via: Wireless Goodness

If you're a Bold 9900/9930 user and are a bit jealous of the P'9981 theme or icons, fear not. Both the custom theme as well as the icon files have been extracted from the Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981. Personally I'm not a fan of the "custom" look of this theme, but I know some may be longing for a new look for their Bold 9900 or 9930. Now keep in mind these won't work on any devices aside from the 9900 and 9930, and as of now they only run on OS 7 (not 7.1). So with that in mind, hit the link below to download the theme or the icons (if you want to create a theme of your own) and get your Porsche on.

Download the BlackBerry P'9981 Theme
Download the BlackBerry P'9981 Icons

Source: N4BB

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

The Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981 smartphone was announced two months ago with a question mark for a release date. It looks like some high-end smartphone seekers may have a happy holiday now as the BlackBerry P'9981 is set to be released in the luxury department store Harrods and will be exclusive to the UK (at least for now). The device rings in a price tag of £1,275 (approx. $1998 USD) which sticks to the $2,000 sticker price that was originally specualted. The P'9981 is sporting a 1.2GHz processor, touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, 5MP and much more. Harrods is expected to have the device by the end of December.

So will you be picking up a P'9981? Think it's the hottest phone yet or not worth your time? Sound off in the comments!

Discuss more in the forums

Source: T3

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

When leaked photos of the P'9981 first surfaced in September, most CrackBerry fans, myself included, didn't know what to think. With a look that is divergent from any other BlackBerry Smartphone to date, we couldn't help but question if it was an actual Research In Motion design, a prototype, or somebody's elaborate customization.

We soon figured out it was in fact a BlackBerry device, going by the codename "Knight," and the unique design was the result of a collaboration between RIM and Porsche Design. Fast forwarding to October 27th, RIM officially unveiled Knight in Dubai as the Porsche Design P'9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry.

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[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

Just a bit more love for the BlackBerry Porsche 9981 this morning as we have a shiny new product video from RIM. Here we get a much better look at the new device that will be landing in Porsche Design retail stores later this year. It is a very sweet looking device, but it looks like the CrackBerry Nation is split down the middle on this one. Some thing it looks great while others just can't stand it. So check out the video above to get a closer look and see if it changes your opinion one way or the other.

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

After the release of the BlackBerry P9981 today, tbreak managed to get a quick hands on video with the new device. It's good to finally see it live where we can actually get a good all around look at it up close. The BlackBerry P9981 features a stainless steel front, leather back and custom Porsche themed OS. I'm still not totally sure how I feel about this one, but I know many of you would love to get your hands on one. Check out the full hands on video above, then drop a comment below with your thoughts.

Source: tbreak