BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 official

RIM kicked off the start of BlackBerry World with its first truly modern smartphone. The Bold 9900 series is the first to have both a fixed QWERTY keyboard and focuses on an exceptionally sharp, 2.8-inch 640x480 touchscreen. The company is also aiming for its first true iPhone-like responsiveness with a 60 frames per second interface that doesn't lag input like on the Storm or Torch.

Inside, the phone is now much more powerful and carries a 1.2GHz (likely Snapdragon) processor with 768MB of RAM. It now supports HSPA+ 3G on single- or dual-mode GSM versions. BlackBerry 7 is also key to the performance: the OS speeds up RIM's slower browsing speed through a new just-in-time JavaScript compiler and HTML5 support, and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics give BlackBerry phones their first real 3D gaming experience.

BB7 also brings voice-activated Universal Search, like Android. BlackBerry Balance is now official and keeps secure e-mail as well as other corporate information separate from personal data on the phone. The technique can not only keep secret information off-limits to personal apps but lets a company remotely wipe its data off of a leaving employee's phone without touching personal content.

The phone both catches up and moves ahead in some areas for RIM by adding NFC, for making short-range wireless payments or reading tags, as well as adding 720p video recording to the five-megapixel camera. RIM's phone is its thinnest ever at 10.5mm, still a millimeter thicker than the iPhone 4, but also fits both 8GB of internal storage as well as a microSDHC card slot and a removable battery.

Bold 9900 phones should be shipping in GSM (9900) and dual-mode CDMA/GSM (9930) versions starting in the summer. Early leaks have put the launch in or near July. Check in with Electronista later for a hands-on.

By Electronista Staff