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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The Fedex guy just dropped off my BlackBerry Bold 9790, so I did the ritualistic thing and fired up the video camera and cracked open the box for your viewing pleasure. Though to be honest, the box is a review unit box which is often different than a retail box, so I skimmed that and moved onto a comparison. Of course, if you watched CrackBerry Podcast Episode 80 you'll know that I've already been rocking the Bold 9790 for a week now and gave a verbal review of it on that show (check it out if you've been eyeing up this phone).

The full out written review will be hitting the blogs soon, but in the meantime you can watch the video above in which I compare the BlackBerry Bold 9790 to both the Bold 9780 and the Bold 9900. I have to be honest - I'm really liking the Bold 9790. It really is a sweet little phone and a great evolution to the 9780. Two of the gripes against the flagship 9900 have been less than stellar battery life and no autofocus on the camera, and the Bold 9790 addresses these issues. I could say a lot more, but want to save it for the full review, hit play above and stay tuned for more!

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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First Unboxing Video of a Commercially-Purchased BlackBerry Bold 9900!

W00t!!!! Here it is CrackBerry Nation, the first unboxing of a commercially-purchased BlackBerry Bold 9900. While it's looking like tomorrow is the official Rogers launch of the new touchscreen Bold, some stores already have been selling their stock and I managed to pick up four units from a local store in Winnipeg. When we caught wind that Bolds were to be had early, we started calling every store we could. Most were either not selling yet or had already sold out (and some stores had waiting lists - go RIMPIRE!), so when I found a store with inventory I went into a CrackBerry craze. There was some dangerous driving involved to get to the store, but I made it I got the Bolds, and I rushed home to record up this frantic unboxing.

This is one cut, no excuses as I dive into the box for the first time and fire up the Bold (which it seems of the four units I bought, this one was the one they played with in the store as device had already been turned on at least once from what I can tell - Setup Wizard didn't appear immediately). Watch the video above as I dig through the accessories that come in the box, fire it up, and even compare it quickly to some other phones including the Bold 9780, original Bold 9000 and Apple iPhone 4. I gotta go spend some time now playing with my new Bold, but you're going to want to keep it locked to CrackBerry. The crazyiness on CrackBerry is only going to ramp up from here. Enjoy the show!!

Unboxing of the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet!

Following up on Kevin's BlackBerry PlayBook Review, we have an unboxing of a BlackBerry PlayBook with retail packaging. This is the 16GB version, and aside from the markings on the box itself, it's safe to assume all versions will sport the same package design. Inside the box is obviously the PlayBook itself tucked in a neoprene sleeve (which I'm sure will get plenty of use). Included is a microUSB cable for connecting to a PC as well as the travel charger. Mixed in are a few booklets with warranty and safety info. Unfortunately no included microHDMI cable, but you can snag one at ShopCrackBerry.com. One thing to note is the power button on this unit does seem to be raised a bit (unlike Kevin's review unit) so no problems powering on or off from what I can tell - definitely a good thing. Now get to watching!

Officially announced by Research In Motion (see press release) on Oct. 27th that it would be rolling out worldwide in the month of November, the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is beginning to hit carriers around the world. My local Rogers store go them in stock today, so I rushed out to grab one and immediately put it down on the good 'ole green CrackBerry review table for a closer look. You can check out the video above for the ritual unboxing as well as some quick hardware comparisons to other BlackBerry device models and a look at BlackBerry 6.

As a one year refresh device compared to the BlackBerry Bold 9700, the BlackBerry 9780 isn't *that* much different. Visually, the black color version is more blacked-out around the edges. Inside, the memory is doubled up to 512MB of flash memory and the camera moves up from 3.2 to 5 megapixels. The chipset is updated to the same that is used in the Torch and Pearl 3G, which means it gets Wi-Fi N and has slightly better video recording resolution than the 9700. Last but not least, the Bold 9780 ships with BlackBerry 6 preloaded. 

So while it may not be all that different from the BlackBerry Bold 9700, the 9700 was and still is a pretty awesome device and the 9780 simply improves upon.  Some initial thoughts:

• Look/Feel - I like the dark look, and like the Bold 9700 it's a great feeling phone in hand.
• Performance - It's FAST. BlackBerry 6 feels pretty darn snappy on the 9780. It's the fastest BB6 experience I've felt to date. From scrolling through the OS to snapping photos, it's quick.
• Battery Life - I haven't tested it yet obviously, but I'm assuming it's going to rock :)

I think I called the BlackBerry Bold 9700 the "pinnacle of the traditional" BlackBerry experience, so really, I guess the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is the "NEW Pinnacle of the traditional BlackBerry experience." I'd really like to RIM add a touchscreen to this form factor and somehow make the screen just a little bit bigger, but all in all if you're a heavy communicator and get stuff done quick kind of person, the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is likely the BlackBerry for you. Stay tuned for the full the review!

Unboxing videos. Love em or hate em, you know we gotta do them! The BlackBerry Curve 3G is available on Rogers now, and coming to other carriers soon, so it's time to tear open the box and see what's inside. The BlackBerry Curve 3G is RIM's entry level smartphone, so while it gets decent internals (the same 624MHZ processor that's in the Pearl 3G and Bold 9700), it skimps on other hardware - the low resolution 320 by 240 display is the same as the old Curve 8300 / 8800 series devices used to have and the camera is 2 megapixels without a flash (note, in the video I accidentally say that video recording resolution is the same as the Pearl 3G's thanks to the update to the chipset, but it's not... vid recording on the Curve 3G is still a lowly 320x240). 

For more information on the BlackBerry Curve 3G, read Bla1ze's BlackBery Curve 3G Review.

Another new BlackBerry, another video unboxing. Though this tech geek ritual is a little lame, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was as excited as hell to crack open the AT&T BlackBerry Torch 9800 box and get this BlackBerry 6 rock'n slider into my hands. There's a lot of new going on with the Torch 9800... new form factor, new brand family, newly updated operating system, new camera and more! You can check out our BlackBerry Torch 9800 Features and Specifications for full tech specs. 

In the box is the BlackBerry Torch 9800 Smartphone, hands-free 3.5mm stereo headset, charger and USB cable (the new style that we saw debut with the Pearl 3G, battery, 4GB memory card, polishing cloth and the paper work - quickstart guide, product and safety info Desktop Manager 6 cd. No carrying case or skin though, so you'll have to check out ShopCrackBerry.com for that one.

After you're done watching the unboxing video above, you can check out our full BlackBerry Torch 9800 Review and BlackBerry 6 Review. Enjoy the show. I had some fun with this one!

I finally got my hands on a shiny new Bold 9650 from Verizon. I'm very excited to check it out and be back on CDMA (for a while at least) since I've been rocking the Bold 9700 on T-Mobile for months. I was a big Tour fan when it came out, but now having the optical trackpad as well as Wifi (among other things) on the Bold 9650 is definitely a bonus. Nothing too exciting in the box that we haven't seen before. The standard world charger with adapters, a few manuals and the leather holster (no fun new charger like with the Pearl 3G). Check out the video after the jump for a quick unboxing, and stay tuned as I'll have a full review in the next few days.

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Hands-On Unboxing Video and Kevin's First Impressions of the BlackBerry Pearl 3G and going the SureType lifestyle

Bla1ze already posted a great BlackBerry Pearl 3G review up here on the CrackBerry blogs (check it out if you missed it), but I just had to follow-up with a little unboxing video of my own. Bla1ze's Pearl 3G came as a review loaner unit from Rogers, so it actually didn't have the same packaging and stuff in the box that you'll get if you buy one of these devices for yourself. Having been jonesing to try the new Pearl out for a while now, I went down to my local Rogers dealer on Thursday evening (June 3rd) and picked one for myself and have been exclusively using the device for a full three days now. I recorded the unboxing video on Friday afternoon, halfway through the first day of use, and followed up Saturday and Sunday putting the new Pearl to everyday use. Keep reading for the unboxing video and some first impressions.

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Video, Photos & 1st Impressions of the white Rogers BlackBerry Bold 9700!

WooHoo! My happy day is here! If you're a regular reader of CrackBerry.com you'll know I have a thing for white BlackBerrys. I'm not quite sure why... maybe it's the exclusivity (you don't see that many of them); maybe it's that white goes with summer; or maybe it's just the fact a BlackBerry in white seems so wrong but just looks sooo right. Whatever the reason, at least I do know i'm not the only one who thinks this. On a recent CrackBerry poll, 35% of respondents said if the BlackBerry they already owned or were going to buy next were available in both white or black at the time of purchase, they would get it in white.

You can watch the video above (be sure to watch in 720HD!) and check out the photo gallery below to get a good look at my white Rogers BlackBerry Bold 9700. I love it. It's beautiful. But while I'm super excited and happy with my new WhiteBerry, I have to admit there were a couple things I'm not 100% pleased about and just think RIM (and Rogers in this case) could do better with little very effort to drive home a better out of the box experience.

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The Sprint BlackBerry Bold 9650... it's finally here! CrackBerry's David Boyd is currently putting the new CDMA flagship full physical qwerty BlackBerry through its paces and is working on in-depth device review, so while we're waiting on that I figured it wouldn't hurt to get up David's Bold 9650 video unboxing and overview.  

In addition to now having WiFi, the optical trackpad and 3D graphics support as compared to the Tour 9630, the Bold 9650 also doubles its internal memory up to 512MB, which as you can tell from the video is something David is very excited about. Out of box with no tweaking to free up memory, you're still left with over 300MB of available space for instaling apps and running the device - a number that's huge to BlackBerry users. A device like the Bold 9000 or Storm 9530 out of box would have closer to 30MB of free application space, so we're literally talking a 10x increase in free memory (though a lot of us hardcore users would prefer to see gigs of free app space).

Check out the video above to get a good look at Sprint's BlackBerry Bold 9650 as it comes out of the box (and if you want to win my 9700 at as David points out, enter here). And if you have any specific questions you'd like answered or things you'd like to see in David's comprehensive review, be sure to drop them in the comments and we'll do our best to address them.

Here is a quick look at the new BlackBerry Curve 8530 from Verizon Wireless. In the box you'll find the device, wall charger, USB cable and headset. This is a reveiw unit so it most likely isn't what the retail box will look like (they will have a sleeve with artwork etc) so don't worry about the looks too much. Take a look at the video for a quick unboxing, and then jump into the Curve 8530 Features and Specifications, Curve 8530 Image Gallery or the Curve 8530 Review.

Another new BlackBerry hits the market, and another new BlackBerry unboxing video hits the blogs. That's the way it goes. It's a ritual. With the BlackBerry Bold 9700 now starting to roll out around the world, it's time we officially unbox this baby. Just to spice things up in true CrackBerry fashion, in this video I actually unbox not one, but two brand new units; one from T-Mobile and the other purchased straight from a Rogers dealer. 

As you can see in the video, things were going relatively smooth for me until it came time to remove the battery door. I'm not sure what the heck was going on at first, but with both devices this normally simple task turned into a bit of a nightmare (I literally cut out five minutes of cursing from the video). Tight tolerances for sure. Eventually I got the hang of it (check out this video tip) and the movement freed up a bit. At least I don't think we'll be hearing any complaints of loose battery doors anytime soon.

It's not the best nor most informative nor most engaging unboxing video out there, but if you've been waiting for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 to get released or are contemplating picking one up, then you'll definitely want to watch.

I know, I know... smartphone unboxing videos are a little pointless/lame, but seriously, how could I first lay eyes on a new BlackBerry and not capture that first 90 seconds of pure joy on HD?! So for all the BlackBerry Storm2 chasers out there, here's a look at my Verizon BlackBerry Storm2 9550 getting unboxed when I first received it on October 15th! Keep in mind this is not the way it will come from Verizon (this is a review loaner unit), so you can expect a prettier box with more stuff in it when you pick yours up. I guess that means we'll have to do up a second unboxing video once this baby hits the market for real. And if you haven't read it yet, be sure to check out our in-depth BlackBerry Storm2 Review.