Monday, July 7,2008 @ 9:20am
Rogers roadmap reveals BlackBerry Bold, Kickstart
Rogers will quickly follow up its iPhone 3G launch with multiple BlackBerry models, according to a leaked roadmap. The outline reconfirms reports that the BlackBerry Bold launches July 25th as the Canadian carrier's first 3G BlackBerry but also adds that the BlackBerry Kickstart flip phone will be ready by the second half of September as a lower-cost alternative that some have reported may cost as little as $50 on contract.
Also on tap is said to be the BlackBerry Javelin, the 2G-only parallel to the Bold that keeps the GPS and Wi-Fi of the more expensive version; the leak suggests the Javelin as the direct successor to the Curve for most carriers and that it will be ready by the end of November or early December.
No word has been received of the BlackBerry Thunder touchscreen phone, which may remain an exclusive to Verizon in North America.
The roadmap if accurate validates a very aggressive launch schedule for Research in Motion and its BlackBerry lineup, which was already updated significantly late last year but is expected to face increasing pressure from Apple, the second-place competitor in the North American smartphone market and RIM's immediate rival.