Yet Another Upcoming BlackBerry Smartphone: Codename Essex is Next Revision of Niagara (Tour)?!
Word of the BlackBerry codenamed "essex" has been making its way around the interwebs for the past 24 hours, starting off in our very own CrackBerry forums. The codename name isn't actually new - back in July when I did a forum re-shuffle I actually added the essex codename to the Other Rumored Devices forum description - it was a name that had come up a few times since WES in BlackBerry discussions. With the device moving along in RIM's development cycle, more details have now emerged about essex which is slated to be the next iteration of the BlackBerry niagara, aka the BlackBerry Tour (thanks salo!).
With the BlackBerry Tour barely out on the market, it seems a bit crazy for the shape of its successor to already be taking form, but essex's revisions are addressing the few complaints current Tour owners have. Mainly, essex will include Wi-Fi and the new touch sensitive trackpad that is found on the Curve 8520. And it will be a global phone with roaming between CDMA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS networks. Camera is slated at a minimum of 3.2 megapixels, screen resolution is 480 by 360 pixels and we're hearing the device may just feature an orientation sensor to boot. As always in the world of BlackBerry, all will be known in time. My only wish is that we could have skipped niagara and went right to essex - I want this device a month ago!! In fact, I wantz this device so bad I just photoshop hacked one into my hand!
[ CrackBerry Forums ]
BBStorm007 Sep 1, 2009 at 1:09 am
i'm first
BoNg420 Sep 1, 2009 at 7:42 am
Grow up? Get a life? Thnx, bye.
Kevin Michaluk Sep 1, 2009 at 1:10 am
not my finest photoshop, but it got the job done for this post! wish I had mad Rene Ritchie-like skillz.
312 Sep 1, 2009 at 3:15 am
Can you figure out how to...uh..."Photoshop" one in my hand, too, please?
BBStorm007 Sep 1, 2009 at 1:12 am
still a real nice phone! that pad looks great, like it belongs.
the one and only M Sep 1, 2009 at 1:16 am
I WILL HAVE IT.
repeat
I WILL HAVE IT!!!
the one and only M Sep 1, 2009 at 1:17 am
WILL WILL WILL HAVE IT.
this is exciting.
storm9520 Sep 1, 2009 at 1:19 am
they should release a gsm version.
Zepeda0804 Sep 1, 2009 at 1:26 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpHMcQavUAQ
new storm 2 video
Mike1022 Sep 1, 2009 at 1:28 am
Is this the atlas or what?
iMatter Sep 1, 2009 at 1:29 am
Yes, I do believe it is.
kingzee Sep 1, 2009 at 2:35 am
Kev, how much are you looking forward to this phone compared to the Storm 2? Do you prefer this to the Storm 2? Does it come down to keyboard vs no keyboard for you or what? I'd be interested in your professional opinion.
Thanks.
redman213 Sep 1, 2009 at 4:00 am
haha i thought everyone knew this phone was coming out...it was called the atlas before. Anyways im glad it had a trackpad! ill be picking this up fer shure!!!
and to my knowledge this phone should released early Q2/late Q1 but now idk if its true since kevin has one....but then again maybe Kevin's version is just the one with wifi+trackpad i wonder what else (if) they might add to it. I think RIM should hold long enough to release this phone so that it should be LTE ready...
ultraluxe Sep 1, 2009 at 1:00 pm
YES!! My thoughts exactly; time it out to be the ultimate CDMA device. I can't wait for the trackpad either!
BKWILLIAMS Sep 1, 2009 at 3:22 am
THAT'S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.
Berrynubee Sep 1, 2009 at 3:31 am
You state the real problem for everyone quite clearly. "..we could have skipped the niagara..".
I would have a shiny Tmo 8900 if their network hadn't melted down the week I picked up the phone at Costco. Since Tmo couldn't tell me if it was the phone or their network, I returned the unit. Now, I am faced with a tantalizing "plethora" of new product from RIM and the other manufacturers. That Nokia 900 looks interesting. My daughter took a pass on the "MyTouch", why should she buy an iPhone look-a-like. However, she would take a Tmo G1. Go figure.
The product lines are refreshing just a bit too often. The 8900 hasn't been out for a year and it looks like we have a successor and it still is quite a nice device. Tour is out on a two for one and here comes the replacement with the trackball replacement and Wi Fi. Ok, I understand that one but will the "new" 8900 be that much better with the alleged uber 3G speed?
I would love a Blackberry, any blackberry, but in the process of trying to make an intelligent decision, I tend to lean toward waiting for "the next big thing".
Thanks for giving this a read. Love your podcast.
Jim
kid108 Sep 1, 2009 at 4:27 am
Too many new phones at once. Can't decide.
mookish Sep 1, 2009 at 4:52 am
RIM is making suckers out of all of us...SMH!
Jonezed7 Sep 2, 2009 at 1:45 am
Basically. This sucks for us that already bought the Tour...
myersau Sep 1, 2009 at 6:33 am
any such expected release date for this bad boy?
MontyCop05 Sep 1, 2009 at 7:14 am
Many of us just used our upgrades or sold our souls to customer service to get the Tour only to find that it had many build quality and OS issues. Maybe RIM would have been wise to make us wait a few months longer and put out the "essex" with all the fixes that it addresses from the Tour debacle. Now many of us are going to be dissatisfied to be stuck with our buggy Tours when it's replacement hits the market. RIM is not making friends this way......
BoNg420 Sep 1, 2009 at 7:42 am
Well hopefully the fix the battery door..
spenchey Sep 1, 2009 at 7:53 am
Just got myself a two year contract with a tour and they are ALREADY planning its replacement.
rabidfangs Sep 1, 2009 at 8:18 am
I like my Tour. I don't need wifi. I get good reception everywhere I go (I live in the SC mountains in the middle of nowhere). I am not ready for a trackpad. I like rollin the lil ball around. I haven't had any issues with my Tour yet, & I got it the day it came out.
sjkimberly Sep 1, 2009 at 8:32 am
i want the REAL thing!
gimme gimme gimme
mkurz12 Sep 1, 2009 at 8:34 am
As long as my Tour (5th one) keeps working I'll be fine with it but being that I am on #5, if this comes out soon enough I may just have to return this one for that one.
Roo4x4 Sep 1, 2009 at 8:39 am
This would be the perfect form. I too would love if the Tour had been skipped and this had been released instead. This would make a great phone just amazing.
BTW....love your photoshop abilities ;)
Mister869 Sep 1, 2009 at 9:00 am
This sucks. I just bought the Tour because I couldn't handle the slow typing on my Storm. Now in less than 6 months RIM brings out an improved Tour. Why not wait until they had the device with all the features everyone was waiting for. No wonder they are the fastest growing company in the world, they have all us suckers buying a new phone every 6 months - as will I when this bad boy comes out (and I will have already bought the Storm 2).
dwaynewilliams#WN Sep 1, 2009 at 9:09 am
How is this different from the Onyx? Isn't the Onyx just the tour with wifi?
gosfaba2x2 Sep 1, 2009 at 9:39 am
I'm so glad i held off buying the tour. Big Red finaly letting me use wifi. CAN'T WAIT!!
gosfaba2x2 Sep 1, 2009 at 9:39 am
I'm so glad i held off buying the tour. Big Red finaly letting me use wifi. CAN'T WAIT!!
tikisaila Sep 1, 2009 at 9:45 am
I think RIM is making big moves since last year when the only new thing was a 8310, 8320, 8330.
But now this is just getting silly. All of these phones are pretty much the same damn thing. I love my berry. I think the 8900 is an amazing phone. I just wish that the phones they are releasing so often, had more of a change than the addition of wifi. I know Rim can do it. They have the people that can pull it off. But for whatever reason they seem to be playing a game of catch up, for all of the years that they had been lagging in releasing new devices.
All we have now is different code names, but the same phone with maybe one or two additional new features.
Again, I love Berries, but all these new but very similar devices its getting slightly annoying.
I am anxiously awaiting a all around new blackberry.
RIM can you do that?
maxxgrl Sep 1, 2009 at 9:53 am
I said I wasn't going to go thru this again--- upgrading our switching out BB but I'm a sucker for something new. I'll just pay full price after I read and wait til it's been on the market for a bit and get the wi-fi and bugs weaved out the new so called Tour, oops essex
NiteWalker Sep 1, 2009 at 10:41 am
as the AT&T and t-mobile 8820 replacements. If this comes to t-mobile I'm all over it.
Hand_O_Death Sep 1, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I like my Tour and this is the one time I am the early adopter of anything, but if I had a choice, I think I would have chosen this Essex if it truely has all of the listed features.
Doesn't this make it look like anytime you want a phone from RIM you should just wait for a better version now?
With this logic, RIM won't sell anymore phones because everyone will just keep waiting for the next upgrade a c ouple months down the road.
gratefull dad Sep 1, 2009 at 12:36 pm
The Tour not working with Sync is a show stopper for me. My 8830 will do until the Essex makes its' appearance.
makaveli28 Sep 1, 2009 at 12:52 pm
This sounds like what the Onyx is supposed to be the only difference being CDMA?
dwaynewilliams#WN Sep 1, 2009 at 3:18 pm
But I thought that Verizon was getting the Onyx. So if the Onyx comes out on Verizon, why would they come out with the Essex with identical specs and appearance? That doesn't make sense.
xxDruMMer BoYxx Sep 1, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Can someone answer me a clear answer? Did he really photoshop this picture or does he really have the "Essex"...(Don't give me hints or any little clues, just say yes he does, or no he photoshoped it but that's what its suppose to look like.) That's all, thank you.
dyllon626 Sep 1, 2009 at 5:27 pm
man i want this phone!!! anyone know if it'll be on sprint?
cmbasurto Sep 1, 2009 at 5:38 pm
So i am seeing the new blackberry tour 2 i guess but will it stay in sprint and version or change to another compnay
tritan Sep 1, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Hopefully this will come out soon and I hope current Tour owners are allowed to have a minual upgrade fee. The OS having issues with email etc along with no wifi and trackball issues this would be a good upgrade.
ThatAnonymousGuy Sep 1, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Fill in the rest.
SoCalOrangemen Sep 1, 2009 at 9:19 pm
This picture has been circulating the internet as an official picture of the Essex. i guess it just really goes to show the actual credibility of some gadget sites claiming that this is a real pic without reading the print. Granted it may eventually look like this but some of those same site say the keyboard will be curve 8900 style instead of bold/tour keyboard, and this one obviously has the bold/tour. just some food for thought.
natedeezy Sep 1, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I'm ok with yearly device revisions but the Tour comes out and a rumored replacement already? If this is true I'll be one unhappy RIM customer.
mystery252 Sep 1, 2009 at 9:46 pm
is there any way you could manage to "photoshop" one in my general direction? hahaha
vdiesel Sep 24, 2009 at 7:23 pm
I'm really hoping they update the styling of the 9650. It looks okay, but the 9700 looks so much better.
badsmell Oct 4, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I'm still lovin' my first BB, the 8330 and will wait till a BB with everything I want is available, I read everything about BB everyday like a freak and am up for my new every two upgrade for a year now............wait
Djarudiin Oct 5, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Pretty much what I wanted with my Tour.... Going to be a bit miffed if it comes out too soon and is not a free or highly discounted upgrade through Verizon since I paid full price for my Tour, only to see it so soon become replaced....
Djarudiin Oct 5, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Accidental x2 post