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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3 Ways To Win: Leave a comment to this post or follow @crackberrykevin on twitter and add +Kevin Michaluk to your circles on Google+. Do all three for three chances to win!

* Update - May 15th, 2012: OK folks, this is it. Today is the final day to get entered to win my Porsche Design BlackBerry! If you're not in on the contest yet, what are you waiting for?! I'll be announcing the winner here tomorrow on CrackBerry! *

Original Post - April 27th, 2012: As the world's #1 BlackBerry Fanboy, I take pride in always having the latest and greatest BlackBerry. So when the $2,000 Porsche Design P'9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry went on sale in North America, I just had to have it. The P'9981 is an exclusive (and expensive!) smartphone that gets a *lot* of attention thanks to its distinct styling and limited availability. As I mentioned in my P'9981 Review, you kind of feel like a celebrity just owning one.

And as much I enjoy using the P'9981 and being a member of the newly-formed Club P'9981 owners group, I've decided it's time to pay my P'9981 forward to a lucky member of the CrackBerry community. As was pointed out to me in an email I received from a reader earlier this week, the Fearless Leader of CrackBerry Nation should rock a BB more representative of the 99% of CrackBerry Nation, not the < 1%. I couldn't agree more. So I'm back on my white Bold 9900 and my P'9981 is up for grabs! 

How to Win Kevin's P'9981: So this is it... your chance to win my slightly used but not abused Porsche Design BlackBerry. And because this contest prize is so awesome, I'm going to give you three ways and three chances to win:

• Chance #1 - Leave a single comment to this post (tell me why you want my P'9981!)
• Chance #2 - Follow me on twitter: @crackberrykevin
• Chance #3 - Add me to your circles on Google+: +Kevin Michaluk

That's it. Do any of the above and you're entered. This contest is open worldwide. Contest ends May 15th at Midnight PST. The winner will be announced May 16th (my birthday!). Best of luck! And let's hope OS 7.1 is available for the P'9981 by the time you get my P'9981! :)

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.

For a chance to win CrackBerry's Kevin's Porsche P'9981

Source: Porsche Design Press Release, via: @BBEMEABusiness

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 

Press Release

Engineered Luxury Meets Powered Performance

Stuttgart, Germany and Hong Kong - Porsche Design and Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the elite new Porsche Design P'9981 smartphone from BlackBerry® is expected to be available in Hong Kong at the end of April.

Instantly identifiable as a Porsche Design product, the exclusive material choices for this unique smartphone include a forged stainless steel frame, hand-wrapped leather back cover, sculpted QWERTY keyboard, and crystal clear touch display. The customized Porsche Design P'9981 comes with an exclusive Porsche Design UI and a bespoke Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app experience. The smartphone also includes a premium, exclusive PIN that easily identifies the user as holder of a Porsche Design P'9981 smartphone from BlackBerry.

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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."

Design: A collaboration between Porsche Design and BlackBerry. You'll either love the look or hate it. Tends to get a better reaction in real life than from photos.	Feel: The unibody stainless steel frame gives the P'9981 some heft and a sturdy feel that makes it seem more like a luxury item than just another electronic device.
Performance: It's a Bold 9900 through and through. The 1.2 GHz processor delivers snappy performance and the keyboard is great for messaging.	Quality: As you would expect from a phone that costs $2,000, the quality of the hardware is top notch. RIM didn't hold back on the use of rich materials.

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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! :-)

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Source: The Sun 

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.

The other day I started wondering what other brands I'd personally like to see BlackBerry partner with down the road, if the opportunity for more cross company collaboration arose. As a Formula 1 fan, Ferrari came to mind almost immediately. What do you think... Ferrari BlackBerry PlayBook anyone? Let us know in the comments which company you'd like to see BlackBerry work with, if another partnership device was to come out down the road! 

Image Source: Ferrari PlayBook by John Anastasiadis for CrackBerry

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

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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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!