The Boy Genius came through big yesterday with two pieces of T-Mobile BlackBerry News. The most exciting factoid? One of BG's informants has provided the upcoming launch date of the new BlackBerry Curve 8320, which is set for September 24, 2007. The 8320 adds Wi-Fi functionality to all of goodness found in the standard 8300 Curve form factor - sweet!
Equally exciting news if you are a T-Mobile BlackBerry 8700g/8705g user - T-Mobile added a free update to OS 4.2.1.91 at t-mobile.com. This OS update version is actually newer than the 4.2.1.74 version currently available on T-Mobile's BlackBerry 8800. The launch occurred without any hype (not wanting to cannabilize device sales?), but sales reps are apparently educating customers about the benefits of the new OS update, going so far as to say it will make their 8700 "just like the Pearl!" The update can be found at t-mobile.com.
See the 8700g/8705g OS Upgrade Fact Sheet after the jump.
BlackBerry 8700/8705 Software Upgrades
The new BlackBerry 8700/8705 Handheld Software Upgrade Version 4.2.1.91 is now available. Customers with older versions of the BlackBerry 8700/8705 software can upgrade at T-Mobile.com for free.
Details
The software upgrade includes a number of fixes:
- The new software includes the Daylight Savings Patch (DST2007).
- The device no longer encounter issues when attempting to roam internationally.
- The device no longer freezes with a spinning hourglass or reset unexpectedly.
- New platform upgrade to 4.2 just like the BlackBerry Pearl.
- The new software includes access to BlackBerry Maps.
- Lotus Notes calendar compatibility is now supported.
- Media (ring tones and pictures) file transfer using Bluetooth is now available.
- The addition of the media icon allows the customer to view ring tones and pictures.
- Customers will need to re-download the Instant Messaging (IM) client if they use this application. To download the IM client, follow these steps:
- At Home screen, scroll to the Internet Browser icon and click the trackwheel.
- Expand Internet Browser Links. To expand, scroll to Internet Browser Links and click the trackwheel. Click Expand.
- Scroll to Install Instant Messaging and click the trackwheel.
- Click Get Link. The device will then download the IM application.
- Customers should not be sent to T-Mobile stores for the software upgrade or for a handset exchange.
Action Steps
1. Inform customers they may download BlackBerry Handheld software at www.t-mobile.com/bbupgrade.
2. Inform customers how to download the IM application.
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I'm so confused here. I love the fact that T-Mobile is going to release the 8320 but I keep seeing that it has GPS. How is this possible? Everything I have heard is that the size of the 8300 series phone doesn't allow for both WiFi and GPS. Truthfully the GPS would be of more use to me than the WiFi. I have WiFi on my current MDA and don't use it much. So what is the truth does it or doesn't it?
Kirby
Kirby - my mistake, now fixed in the blog post. Wrote that at 2am and in my sleepy haze put in GPS instead of Wi-Fi as the big distinguishing feature. Maybe it was a freudian slip - what I want to see in it vs. what it has. :) Truth is I want to see both! Come on technology, let's shrink those components!
Thanks for the comment and catching the error!