We've been hearing some rumors for a few days regarding Rogers BlackBerry Bold 9700 release. Finally, it seems they are rumors now more. Rogers has sent off the emails to CSR's telling them to take the BlackBerry Bold 9700 training courses in the Rogers Fastrack system, while Rogers BlackBerry Tech agents have already been trained up. We were also hearing that the devices were sitting in the warehouse, flashed with the latest 5.0 OS and all packaged up for Rogers customers across Canada. All of this is now confirmed.
All that's really left right now is for dealers to place their orders and get them shipped off to retail locations. Shipping will be available from November 2nd and with some retailers receiving their devices possibly as soon as November 4th. The final rumor that has been passed around is that Rogers is planning on doing a soft launch of the device and while this still remains a rumor until some are actually sold, retailers will have the devices on hand and they're already in the system to be processed. And of course, Rogers may want to be getting ahead of Bell in the sales department if even just by a day or two. So, who's excited for the Bold 9700 now? Gonna be hitting up your local Rogers location to grab one of these?
Reader comments
Rogers BlackBerry Bold 9700 Launch Approaching Fast!
i cant wait to buy it
is this in ca dollars or us?
its a blackberry.
The first commenter mentioned there were too many bugs in the beginning of a phone launch. I was just wondering if anyone can elaborate--what kind of bugs? does it interfere with the phone's efficiency that much? can these bugs be fixed through software upgrades?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
doubtful they will lower the price...since the release is just in november will be a bit early to lower the price in december
What are the chances of Rogers lowering the price or coming up with some promotional deal for the bold 9700 come December? I'm a little hesitant to get one next week or wait it out till December in case there's a nice deal. What do you guys think?
To answer the question.......NO..I will not be going to Rogers to get one of these. If they were the only carrier on earth....well....I'd do without! Sorry..but that's the way I feel about Rogers !
in the picture it says november 30...im hoping thats not a release date for the 9700...i want it this week!
Seems it's time to move from Rogers now that all carriers are offering HSPA networks - from Telus, Bell, and even the new nano-carriers like Wind, Dave.
I wonder what a 20 year veteran Rogers customer is worth to the new players on the block?
--TT
Other than the touchpad there is nothing about the new Bold that makes me want to ditch my 9000 for it. Ya, my trackball sticks occasionally but a little patience to clean it, like an old computer mouse, and it's good to go. Now maybe if they had a decent HUP I would think about it... but by the time I'm eligible, another year, there will be a new toy to ogle and the 9700 will be a faded memory. The one thing about technology products... there is no point in trying to keep up, by the time the latest and greatest is in your fat litlle hand it's already obsolete.
There are quite a few differences, but they're pretty specific and may not be worth the added cost - keep in mind that RIM seems to be getting onto a ~1yr upgrade cycle, so if the 9700 doesn't do it for you, the 9700++ will be out this time next year (and most carriers have some sort of new-every-two promo for customer retention). I'm also looking at RIM's latest products and wondering when they're going to make a serious jump in performance again (9000 vs 8820 for example).
9700 has the following benefits over 9000:
1) Two SKUs, one variand being triband UMTS 1/2/5, other 1/4/8 - this is great news for TMo US users, as this is the first 3G BB for them - if WIND gets approved the 1/4/8 SKU would also run on their network.
2) Better battery life - looking at the specs RIM publishes, 9700 has longer talk time and longer standby off the same sized battery as the 9000. MP3 playback on 9700 is also said to be excellent (>30hrs), and video is supposed to be better as well - maybe Kevin can do some CB testing?
3) UMA support - 9000 has 802.11abg support, but no UMA. I have not read reviews of any 5.0 release for 9000, but I doubt that it will magically enable UMA for 9000 . we can hope.
4) Better camera (3.2MP AF vs 2.0MP FF), screen res (480x360 vs 480x320) and trackpad vs trackball - not stellar feature improvements, but keeps the Bold family in line with the Tour / Curve variants. I'm actually interested to see RIM positioning the "Curve" brand as more a starter phone with the 8520... I expect then that their higher-end features are going to be reserved for the Tour and Bold families going forward.
I've been in love with the Bold for over five months now, so i want it asap, regardless of possible software problems. However, i hope i'll be able to win it from the CB contest instead of spending $300+! ;)
I was expecting the outright price to be in the $649 to $699 range.
$599? I'm not sure. I wish they had some sort of "Already a Bold User?" promo that makes us early adopters want to ante up for the new Bold experience.
Yea, I am wondering the same thing, why does it say November 30, 2009 on the top?
Typo..rest assured it's supposed to say October.
When have they ever crippled their talk spot gimmick
why does it say nov 30 on the top ? hopefully thats not the release date?
Lacking UMA = because then bb can release another phone soon down the pike and enable it on that to take even more of your money. Simple economics. Just look at the trend of the blackberries that are coming out. Each one is missing that one key ingredient that would make it perfect.
The 9700 supports UMA (http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/blackberrybold9700/bold_specificati...). If Talkspot is not part of the package being offered by Rogers, that is not because the phone is lacking support for it.
Why would Rogers disable UMA on the 9700? Why take an almost perfectly complete device and cripple it by disabling a feature that many users find beneficial? What a dissapointment...
I live in a location in Toronto where their signal is quite weak, and sometimes non-existent in the summer, and rely heavily on UMA for decent connectivity. The lack of UMA support means this device has limited appeal to me now. Bummer...
I'm excited to buy a Docking Cradle without having to pay for $31 Effing dollars of shipping from this website! Come on! That's worse than Fleabay!
I was suprized since Telus said a 3 year will be $249. That Rogers would come out $50 higher.
I was wondering when you would see an announcement. Thanks Crackberry you're the best.
599.99CAD without contract....... sound nice.:D
I think it has something to do with a conflict between WiFi and their 3G frequency. None of Rogers 3G phones are talk-spot enabled.
What no talkspot???? Not that i use or would ever use it. Just dont understand why rogers seems to hate enabling this feature on all blackberries. Seems to me they would want to
I can't WAIT.
I've got my name on one for next Thursday at my local Telus dealer!
Hopefully it's a good device or I'll stick with my Tour. I'll check the Telus store near me when all their new devices come out. They have new plans next week too without extra fees like SAF and 911. Need to update wifey.
Looks like a wicked phone! Too bad I just renewed my contract in like April and got the 8900! I mean I love the 8900, but the 9700 looks so sweet! With the added UMA support, trackpad, etc! Can't go wrong!
Like so many other things lately, I want this yesterday! heheh
Can't wait!!
I am excited for this little guy but I don't think I'm going to be an early adopter this time. I was with the first Bold and there were too many bugs for my liking at the beginning. I'll wait for some feedback first.