Blackberry’s Curve has long been devoid of a touchscreen.  That is until today, as the company officially announced the Curve 9380, an all touchscreen affair.  It has a 3.2-inch 480 x 360 display and a five megapixel camera (pictured on the right).  It will ship with Blackberry’s OS 7, their latest and greatest.  Unfortunately, that’s the only deets that RIM is dishing at the moment.  However, they also served up some details on the Bold 9790.

The Bold 9790 sports a 2.44-inch touchscreen with a 360 x 480 resolution, optical mouse, 8GB of storage expandable via  microSD card slot and a 1Ghz processor to boot.  It too will ship with Blackberry’s OS 7 as well as support for NFC and augmented reality (these latter features will be available in the Curve 9830 as well).

In case you’re wondering, RIM will also pack in a number of free apps, which includes the Premium version of Documents To Go, Blackberry backup, Social Feeds 2.0, Facebook chat and the always necessary BBM.

You can expect both the Curve 9380 and the Bold 9790 to ship in the “coming weeks.”

T-Mobile just piled another Blackberry on top of their list of RIM devices.  However, unlike Sprint’s Torch 9850 the Torch 9810 sports a slide out keyboard and a touchscreen that is .5-inches smaller, 3.2-inches to be exact.  Powering the BB 7.0 OS is a 1.2Ghz processor, which is further supported by 4G connectivity.  Continuing on its path for mediocrity RIM has included a 5-megapixel camera that can record 720p HD video and sports an LED flash.

If you’re looking for this device, you’ll have to wait until November 9th, when it goes on sale at T-Mobile stores and their website for $249.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate.  However, if you’re a business customer you can score it one week earlier, which makes sense, since the Torch 9810 is clearly targeted at those folks.

T-Mobile Announces Upcoming Availability of the BlackBerry Torch 9810

T-Mobile USA Inc. today announced the upcoming availability of the BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810, the latest 4G BlackBerry smartphone to join America’s Largest 4G Network™. Powered by the latest BlackBerry 7 operating system and a 1.2 GHz processor, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 provides a fast and fluid premium smartphone experience. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 combines a brilliant 3.2-inch TFT VGA capacitive touch-screen display with a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard for a truly efficient and intuitive mobile communications experience.

Encased in a sleek and stylish form factor with a zinc grey color finish, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is equipped with essential smartphone features, including access to BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), personal and corporate e-mail, and social networking applications; a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording; and access to BlackBerry App World™ for downloading premium applications and games.

The BlackBerry Torch 9810 is expected to be available in an exclusive pre-sale for T-Mobile business customers beginning today, November 2. The smartphone is expected to be available nationwide at T-Mobile retail stores, select dealers and national retailers, and online at http://www.t-mobile.com starting November 9. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 is expected to cost $249.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate card, with a two-year service agreement and qualifying Classic voice and data plan.

Blackberry has teamed up with Porsche’s design unit to develop the P’9981, a $2,000 smartphone that is all looks and no more powerful than the Bold 9900.  Cost aside, this is exactly the kind of devices RIM should be releasing if they want to offset their diminishing popularity, a result of being deemed a work, and not a lifestyle device.

So, yeah, $2,000 is a ton of coin for a smartphone that boasts the same feature set as its $300 counterpart, the Bold 9900.  But what you’re paying for is Porsche Design’s sleek and sexy finish.  The shop is well known for taking products, slapping their German inspired design on it and driving up the price tag a 10 fold.  So, really, anyone familiar with the brand shouldn’t be surprised with the exuberant price tag.

Nevertheless, you will get a Blackberry device running with their latest OS (7), a 1.2Ghz processor, 8GB of storage, microSD card slot, NFC support, a 5MP camera for capture 720p HD video, a 2.8-inch 640×480 screen touchscreen, dual-band WiFi, GPS, compass, accelerometer, a backlit keyboard, a leather back and an all stainless steal body that is no more than 11.3mm thick.

We’ve definitely had a wide range of products get sales hit in the past week. From video cameras to HDTVs at record breaking low prices and even smartphones and tablets. Here’s we’ve compiled a list of the best ones that are still around to take advantage of:

10. Panasonic HDC-TM41H Camcorder – $200

Beach Camera offered this sale on eBay and regardless of the nice price docking here it’s still around. This portable camcorder from Panasonic has everything you need for taking videos everywhere and of course comes in at 1080p. It has 16GBs of internal memory to take advantage of along with slots for SD cards which allow for much more. It even boasts an impressive 135 minute recording battery life to boot.

9. Yamaha RX-V471 5.1-Channel Receiver with Free Apple TV – $330

Now this is certainly an impressive one. Not only do we get a sweet discount deal on this powerful 5.1-Channel receiver system but it even comes with a free Apple TV (Which is a $98 value by itself!) This receiver has full support for the latest technologies like 3D and ARC while also presenting us with 4 HDMI inputs, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD encoders and an included iPod dock for pumping your music through your system.

8. Dell Ultrasharp U2412M 24-Inch Monitor – $320

Now this may seem like a high price from Dell, but this is no ordinary monitor. First off an $80 Coupon (XD5W7S1JRP52C8) bring this Dell LED Display down to this price. The monitor itself features IPS technology bringing out truly realistic and stunning visuals along with an incredible viewing angle which makes it easy to look at from anywhere in the room. And you also get a wonderful 16:10 resolution of 1920 by 1200 which gives you more than enough room for multitasking to be very easy, both vertically and horizontally.

7. Canon Powershot ELPH 100 HS 12MP Digital Cameras – $130

Crutchfield’s coupon savings still apply on this super portable Canon Digital Camera. Using code: 3A825 will save you $20 off an already low price mark. This camera can take large 12-Megapixel shots with ease and also contains a 4x Optical zoom while each and every image is graced by its DIGIC 4 image processor which brings out the best of quality. It also has a 3.0-Inch touch display and is capable of taking full 1080p High Definition videos.

6. Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch 16GB Tablet – $299

Yes you heard right, this powerful and brand new Blackberry Playbook tablet has had its price reduced even more, and even now you’re able to take advantage of it. This tablet comes with a colorful HD 7-Inch display and utilizes the BlackBerry OS which allows for some great multitasking and Internet browsing freedom. It’s powered by a 1Ghz Dual Core CPU and has 1GB of RAM, which sounds more like PC specs than a tablet. This one also comes with 16GBs of Internal memory which can be expanded with SD cards.

5. Apple MC526LL/A iPod Nano 16GB (Current Gen) – $150

The price hit has come down for these super sleek and powerful iPod Nanos. You can grab any color you like at this new low price from Amazon. The newest Nano features a size similar to a shuffle, but includes a multi-touch display for controlling your music cravings. 16GBs of internal storage come from this model for plenty of music listening on the go and when gesture based controls are combined with its display its never been easier to listen to exactly what you want to hear.

4. Apple Macbook Air MC968LL/A 11.6-Inch – $950

Believe it or not you can still catch this super low price for the popular and super thin Macbook Air. This model comes complete with a super compact 11.6-Inch screen and comes powered by a speedy Intel core i5 processor and 2GBs of RAM. It also contains a 64GB solid state drive which gives it even more speed and impressing performance and includes support for Bluetooth 4.0, integrated HD Facetime webcam and a brand new Thunderbolt port.

3. Curtis LCD4686A 46-Inch LCD TV – $445

And here it is, if you’ve wanted to get your hands on a large TV for any room now’s your chance to make some awesome savings! This large 46-Inch Curtis TV has a full 1080p High Definition resolution and a 5,000:1 contrast ratio for deep colors. It also includes a wide variety of inputs which make it home theater friendly and these include HDMI, VGA, HD Component and several analog composites to fit all of your needs with ease.

2. Vlingo Voice Assistant for iPhone – FREE

We’re sure you’ve heard the saying If it’s free its for me, and iTunes has surely delivered on that by offering the powerful and flexible Vlingo Voice app for just that. This app allows you to speak your commands to your iPhone, which it will follow to a T and make life much easier on the go. You can tell it to do things such as texting your friend Mike, or updating your Facebook status or even ask it to locate a place of interest for you and a map will display. Eitherway it’s definitely worth checking out as it will cost you nothing!

1. HTC Droid Incredible 2 for Verizon Wireless – $0.01

Speaking of free, why not check out this new and improved Droid Incredible 2 for a price that may as well be free. With a contract deal you can experience the latest smartphone technology packed into this little phone. With a large 4.0-Inch HD display it graces you with the latest Android has to offer as well as SRS WOW HD sound to complete the experience. It includes an 8MP cameras as well and plenty of connectivity from Bluetooth to GPS and WiFI so you’re never left behind.

Staples is offering the lowest price we’ve ever seen on this BlackBerry PlayBook 7-Inch 16GB WiFi Tablet!

Unbelievable indeed! For a limited time you can grab this feature packed Blackberry tablet for almost half the price and with free shipping to boot! This tablet is fully Wi-Fi capable and that means some serious Internet connectivity can be had from it, and with Adobe Flash and Webkit support you will miss out on nothing the Web has to offer. You will be blazing through every application too, thanks to its included 1.0Ghz Dual-Core processor and 1GB of RAM while also retaining the data you want with its 16GBs of internal storage capacity. This model has a 7-Inch compact touch display and it definitely means business with its high 1024 x 600 HD resolution which is plenty for viewing Web Pages smoothly and even seeing HD content for all its worth. 3G network access through your BlackBerry smartphone is also available, as is Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR! To make it even better it also comes with 10 hours of battery life on a single charge! This is a deal not to miss!

This is simply a deal that won’t last; it’s the best price we’ve ever seen for it.  $200 in instant savings cuts the price to $299.  That means the original retail price was $499.  If this deal sells out, Office Depot also has it for $299.99.

2.5 out of 5 stars

RIM just hasn’t been able to make an all-purpose touch-based handset. They tried with the Storm, the Storm II, and the Torch (and subsequent models), but each new offering has failed in halting the shift of users leaving Blackberry for an iPhone, Android, or even Windows Phone 7 devices. The company once exalted by everyday consumers and businesses alike is giving it another go with the Blackberry Torch 9850, one of the company’s first phones running the latest operating system BB 7.0. Does the aging OS have what it takes to take on the relatively recent newcomers, or is RIM only beating a dead horse?

As one of the oldest cellphone manufacturers, RIM has produced hundreds of phones and has become exceedingly efficient at it. The hardware they design is rarely below average, though it simultaneously lacks the artistry and finesse seen in some handsets. The 9850 has a sleek, curved design with no sharp edges and is made to be held in the hand for long periods of time. Just like Blackberry owners expect and desire.

The front face features a 3.7” display with a bezel that curves carefully off the sides, connected to a reflective bezel which in turn connects to the removable battery panel on the back. Four buttons on the right side are easy to feel, yet difficult to spot, and manage to stay out of the way when in a pocket or in the hand. There is no accidental button pressing here. On the left is the micro-USB connector, and on the top is the lock key shaped like part of the phone, not like just another button. Four face buttons and a touch-sensitive button rest below the screen.

One notable aspect, which is true of many Blackberry devices and, sadly, not many other smartphones, is the removable battery panel. It has a simple one-button mechanical lock, where when pressed the aluminum panel comes off and reveals the battery, micro-SD card and SIM card. The micro-SD can be taken out without removing the battery. And, reflectively, it’s nice to see such a clean design on the inside of the phone. Most phones I test are a maze of circuitry and off-color panels, whereas the 9850 is crisp, simple, and to the point. Above the panel is the 5MP camera and LED flash.

Brightness on the display is good; the screen is visible in direct sunlight, though in general color depth and contrast is lacking. The 840×400 screen is dense and pictures are accurate, but because of the color issues they don’t have the vibrancy found on some displays, notably Samsung’s OLED-ready phones. Besides for excellent brightness, the display is average.

Touch sensitivity has been more problematic, though it’s unclear whether this is a software or hardware issue. In my testing I gave up on using the screen to click on links or words, instead using the touch-sensitive mouse nub as Blackberry users so often do. Unfortunately the touchscreen just isn’t perfectly suited for the finger, and I’d mostly use it for scrolling up and down emails and web pages, but little else.

That’s where the 9850’s greatest fault is: its keyboard. With no physical QWERTY, users must type away on the screen, and with poor touch accuracy, typing even tweets or text messages is a chore. In an awful twist of irony, I discovered Blackberry’s most attractive features (BBM, chat, email) and couldn’t make the best use of any of them. Typing on the keyboard is an exercise in futility; the faster you type, the more frequent and terrible the errors become. Blackberry’s aren’t made for slow thumbs, but with this virtual keyboard, answering emails, chat messages and texts will either force you to type with a turtle-like speed or spend equal time typing and correcting errors.

The hardware specs alone show a slightly different story from the handset itself: 1.2GHz dual core CPU; 768MB of RAM; 253ppi display; seven hours of talk time and six hours of video playback; 5MP camera with 720p video recording. These parts, however, don’t make the whole. Instead, they are limited mostly by a poor, repressed OS which RIM has refused to seriously change in a world that has already moved to touch-only smartphones.

In West LA Sprint’s network held up well, and making calls and sending and receiving data is fast. The 9850 connects quickly to the network and calls are clear. Driving around in both residential and commercial areas the 9850 maintained a solid connection, though in less populated areas and smaller roads the once dominant cell network now regularly drops calls and is as stable as the rest of the big four. Locally, however, Sprint’s network has deteriorated in Los Angeles county as a whole.

The 9850 atop the HTC Evo 3D, a significantly larger phone. The 9850 is pretty small compared to today’s smartphones

What I’m both surprised and dismayed about with the 9850 is that while it’s a 3G handset , what you can do with Sprint’s network is limited to the phone only. There is no hotspot connectivity, which for an enterprise-ready phone can be a death sentence for business users. The way Blackberry works, the BB Store only downloads via 3G and not through Wi-Fi, which considering the poorer status of Sprint’s network, as well as the overwhelming difference between Wi-Fi and 3G, makes me question the fundamental design of the phone.

Browsing the BB Store and installing applications isn’t nearly as easy as it should be. It’s a slow process. Too many applications require accepting their specific terms and conditions. There is no true multitasking. Switching from one app to the next is slow. Installing apps, and then installing updates for those apps, is painfully slow. Finally, plenty of cross-platform apps are very clearly worse on Blackberry.

Battery life on the 9850 is what I’ve come to expect from today’s smartphones, about a day with moderate use. In poor connection areas the battery drain is terrible, where some of the other handsets I currently have in testing can sit for days with low- or no-connectivity.

The camera is fairly good, though it tends to take grainy photos which are then post-processed to sharpen them. Viewing pictures taken with the 9850 directly on the phone looks great, but on a computer screen or blown up they are mediocre at best. The flash is powerful, and tends to wash colors out, but it’s the only way to take low-light shots. The plethora of shooting modes is good, though the automatic mode shoots the best and has in nearly every shot used the proper settings. Close shots automatically go to macro, night shots switch to the night mode, and even the neat text mode automatically detects properly. Sample shots below.

Video quality on the 9850 is very good. The microphone does a great job at picking up audio from the front and back, while also minimizing the sound of oncoming wind. At full 720p videos aren’t as clear as they could be, and the camera frequently has trouble focusing, while simultaneously switching between light and dark spots quickly. It’s overall a good camcorder, but there’s no tap to focus feature.

RIM, out of all the other smartphone manufacturers, has the biggest opportunity to make it right. They produce so many phones, have so many users worldwide, and have enterprise wrapped around its finger. That’s been changing thanks to iOS and Android gobbling up RIM’s market share, and phones like the Torch 9850 aren’t helping. The phone is a legacy device, not different or upgraded enough from its predecessors to put a dent in its main competitors. Add onto that an inaccurate touchscreen and you have a Blackberry, with everything a Blackberry is good for, sans keyboard. The 9850 is a device I really want to like, but RIM just makes it too hard.

Bottom line: It’s a Blackberry, with all the good except for a working keyboard. Interested buyers need to seriously consider if they want a Blackberry that’s no good at typing, that isn’t really business ready, and already feels outdated.

Pros:

• Solid build with a removable battery panel, which everyone should copy
• Blackberry’s revered email and instant services work marvelously

Cons:

• Touchscreen is inaccurate, makes typing a headache
• No hotspot or 3G-sharing supported
• App store needs a complete overhaul

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FireMall via Amazon is offering a very impressive discount on this Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (16GB)

Grab a tablet and save big money at the same time! This Blackberry Playbook offers up a 7-Inch HD touch display and the guts within to handle just about any task you can throw at it. It offers up access to tons of apps from the BlackBerry store as well as seamless Internet browsing which utilizes a full browser with Flash 10.1 and HTLM 5 support so you can enjoy any type of Web Site like you would from a computer. This baby is powered by a super fast 1Ghz Dual-Core Processor along with a full 1GB of RAM which adds to its multitasking ability. 3D gyroscopic motion for control along with its capacitive multi-touch screen adds to the intensity of playing 3D games and with 16GBs of internal storage you will have plenty of room to hold all things dear to you. Definitely a steal at this price, don’t miss this one!

$115 in instant savings make the price of this tablet at checkout just $382.   Delivery is included in the price

Aching for some Blackberry 7?  Well, good news smartphone desiring readers.  Sprint will start selling the Blackberry Torch 9850 on August 21st for $150 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and of course 2-year contract signing.  This is Blackberry’s first all touchscreen device on Sprint’s Now Network.

The Torch rocks a 3.7-inch touchscreen, a 1.2Ghz processor, 5 megapixel camera, a 1230mAh battery, GPS, WiFi and handful of other features.  As previously mentioned we’re a bit surprised to see a 5 megapixel camera in a consumer device, especially at this level, but than again it is Blackberry.   Also, keep in mind that it measures 11.5mm wide, where as the iPhone 4 is just 9.3mm.

In terms of the new OS, Blackberry OS 7, they say you can expect a more fluid like experience that is 40% faster than OS 6 and 100% faster than OS 5.  That’s pretty bold.  Blackberry Balance, a new feature to 7, promises to help you easily separate personal and business tasks, emails, contacts and so forth.

So what do you think?  Will you be getting the new Blackberry Torch?

Oh RIM, how we’ll miss you.   Okay, that might be a bit unfair, but in late the company just can’t seem to get a break in terms of an exciting device.  Like most companies they’ve “dialed” it in for too long and have failed to unveil handsets that are vastly different from one and other, and boast the allure of an iPhone or an Android handset, which have long had the luxury of owning.

However, RIM’s latest, the Blackberry Torch 9850/9860 might be the closest thing we’ve seen to stave off their downward spiral.  But from where we sit that ain’t saying much.  It’s a touchscreen affair measuing 3.7-inches with an 800×480 resolution.  Okay, we can live with that.  There is also the presence of a 5 megapixel camera, which isn’t lack luster, but in today’s marketplace there are many phones sporting 8 megapixel shooters so it’s a bit perplexing as to why they just didn’t max the thing out.  While the RAM is suffiecent, 768MB, it only ships with 4GB of storage, though you can expand that to 32GB via a microsSD card.  We’re a bit skeptical, but RIM says that the 1230mAh battery can achieve a 13 day standby time – you can cut that number down by 90% in NYC, where cell tower competition is up the ying yang.  And there is of course WiFi, GPS, an optical touchpad, the ability to record 720p video and Blackberry’s newest OS, OS 7.

If you’re wondering about the release date and the price, well, just keep on wondering.  RIM is mum on that info, though we suspect it will arrive sometime late in the year, which by all accounts is a risky move since Apple will surely release the newest iPhone around the same time.

Did we mention that it’s 11.5mm wide, where as the iPhone 4 is just 9.3mm?  Fatty if you ask us, but maybe you’re a chubby chaser.

Topshelf_Wireless via eBay has an exciting bargain offer on this Unlocked Verizon Blackberry 9630 Tour Smartphone for only $129.95 + Free Shipping = $129.95!

If you’re looking for a fully features smartphone that works anywhere in the world then check out these off contract savings! The BlackBerry 9630 combines together all the features you desire in a phone this small. It utilizes the speedy 3G network for World phone capability, allows you to listen to music and watch videos and even has built-in GPS and Blackberry maps. It has a 3.2-Inch Clear display and a 3.2 Megapixel rear facing camera for capturing memories anywhere you go. All of this comes powered by the 256MB of onboard memory which keeps everything rolling as it should.

Buydig is offering a special discount on this Playbook 16GB Tablet!

Get some great savings on a brand new Blackberry Playbook Tablet! To get these savings you will need to add This to your cart first before applying the promo code. The Playbook is designed to be as streamlined and fast as possible and this comes from the super fast 1Ghz Dual Core processor combined with a massive 1GB of RAM and symmetric multi-processing which means you will zoom from task to task. It has a 7-Inch display with a large 1024 by 600 resolution and utilizes the user friendly Blackberry Tablet OS which gives you a true web browsing and multi tasking experience.

You can get this BlackBerry Playbook 16GB Wi-Fi Tablet with iPhone Case for just $500.99 – $30 Coupon (Buydigclub30) + Free Shipping = $470.99!

Cell Hub is offering a very special deal on this Blackberry 9300 Curve w/ $50 Credit for T-Mobile which is $349.99 – $349.99 Instant Off – $50 Mail-in-Rebate + Free Shipping = You Get $50!

Yes that’s right, with your order of this BlackBerry 9300 you will also receive $50’s and free activation! The Blackberry 9300 is designed to fit all of social networking needs while keeping a sleek and stylish design. It’s designed to save as much space as possible and it certainly shows with the super sleek 2.4-Inch Wide LCD screen at the top with full QWERTY keyboard underneath for speedy text messaging. It also includes an onboard 2MP digital camera for snapping picture anytime and allows you to share them via email or even upload to social networking sites right away. It includes 250MB of internal memory and a 2GB MicroSD card which can be expanded on with up to 32GB SD support.

RIM officially announced the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones today, their thinnest and perhaps most opulent handsets to date.

They measure just 10.5mm at their thickest point and include an iPhone like brushed stainless steel frame and a high-gloss glass-weave backplate.  Under the hood is a 1.2 GHz processor and support for high speed 4G/HSPA+ wide area wireless networks.  The 9900 supports HSPA/4G, while the 9930 is the world variant and supports dual-band CDMA and quad-band GSM.

They’re dubbing the touchscreen Liquid Graphics, which delivers up to 60 frames per second performance with any “eye popping 287 dpi”.  It measures 2.8-inches, a far cry from many of today’s smartphones.

Other features include a 5 megapixel camera that can capture 720p video, 8GB of storage expandable via microSD card slot, Bluetooth, NFC  and Blackberry’s all new operating system, Blackberry 7 OS.

RIM says that the Blackberry Bold 9900 and 9930 will be available around the world sometime this summer.

RIM Introduces New BlackBerry Bold Smartphones

New BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones are the Thinnest and Most Powerful BlackBerry Smartphones yet, Featuring the Renowned BlackBerry Keyboard Together with a Brilliant Touch Screen and the New BlackBerry 7 OS

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today unveiled two new BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphones. The high-performance BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a stunning and iconic design that integrates an incredibly easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard with a brilliant, high resolution, capacitive touch screen. These exceptional smartphones are built on a new, performance-driven platform powered by the BlackBerry® 7 operating system and designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity for users around the world.

“The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones and BlackBerry 7 OS are inspired by millions of customers around the world who want the ultimate combination of performance, functionality and style,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “These fully-loaded and beautifully crafted smartphones offer a highly refined user experience with blazingly fast performance, a brilliant touch screen and an outstanding typing experience.”

Thin, Sleek, Iconic Design Distinguished by an iconic design and the industry’s best keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature the premium materials and finishes that characterize the BlackBerry Bold line. Both models have a lustrous exterior with a brushed stainless steel frame and a high-gloss glass-weave backplate. They are also the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones yet, at only 10.5mm. The quality materials and optimized design of the new BlackBerry Bold smartphones are instantly evident when held in the hand.

Performance-Driven These BlackBerry Bold smartphones are built on a new performance-driven platform featuring a 1.2 GHz processor, Liquid Graphics™ touch screen, and support for high speed 4G/HSPA+ wide area wireless networks.

The Liquid Graphics touch screen, a key new feature powered by BlackBerry 7, delivers fast, smooth performance for highly responsive touch-based navigation, web browsing, pictures, video and graphics intensive games*. Offering up to 60 frames-per-second performance with instant UI action/response, Liquid Graphics gives customers a visually rich and immersive experience that’s responsive to the touch. In addition, the smartphones feature brilliant displays with an eye-popping 287 dpi to deliver crisp, stunning visuals.

The new platform also provides support for 4G networks; the 9900 supports HSPA+ connectivity, and the 9930 supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and HSPA+ global roaming on GSM/UMTS networks.

NFC The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that will enable many rich and exciting experiences. Through NFC, users will be able to, for example, pair the BlackBerry Bold to an accessory or read information such as a web link from smart tags by simply tapping their BlackBerry Bold to an NFC tag (eg. Smart Poster).

Augmented Reality The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a built-in compass (magnetometer) to support location-based services and augmented reality. APIs will allow third party developers to take advantage of the new functionality within their applications. The new smartphones will also include Wikitude, the leader in mobile augmented reality, which overlays contextual information on what the user sees through the smartphone’s camera viewfinder.

HD Video The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones support up to 720p HD video recording and playback. Users can easily share their videos directly from the smartphone or sync videos, as well as music and photos, to their computer using Media Sync in the BlackBerry® Desktop Software.

BlackBerry 7 The BlackBerry 7 OS is designed to power the new performance-driven BlackBerry Bold platform. It provides an easier and faster user experience with improved browsing, voice-activated searches, the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, as well as additional personal and productivity apps out of the box.

The BlackBerry Browser has been significantly enhanced in BlackBerry 7. In addition to the general performance gains of Liquid Graphics, which helps deliver faster rendering and seamless panning and zooming, the BlackBerry 7 browser includes a new JIT (just in time) JavaScript compiler to improve the load time speed of web pages. The new browser also includes support for additional HTML5 elements, such as HTML5 Video.

Building upon the Universal Search feature introduced in BlackBerry 6, BlackBerry 7 expands the capability to include voice-activated search. This new capability makes it even easier and more convenient to search for content on the smartphone or web.

BlackBerry 7 also integrates BlackBerry® Balance™, which separates personal content from corporate content on the smartphone, giving users the freedom and flexibility to use the handset for personal email, Facebook®, Twitter®, multimedia, games and other apps while satisfying the very real need for corporate data to be highly secure and manageable. BlackBerry Balance works in conjunction with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which provides a number of unique IT policy controls such as wiping only corporate data from the handset or blocking work related content and apps from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts.

With BlackBerry 7 on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, users will also get the full version of Docs To Go® with all “premium” features enabled out-of-the-box so that users can easily work with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone. Docs To Go also includes a native PDF viewer.

Availability The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are expected to be available from carriers around the world beginning this summer.

For additional information please visit www.blackberry.com/touchbold

Say hello to RIM’s Blackberry Bold Touch.  BGR got a hands on with the phone and to say the least they are very impressed with its solid build and responsiveness.

Unlike the regular Bold, this phone sports a 2.8-inch 640×480 touchscreen and includes a 1.2Ghz processor as well as a new battery that has yet to prove its worth.  There is also the presence of a 5 megapixel camera that can capture 720p video and 8G of storage.

There is no word on when the phone will be available for purchase, but it is expected to make an official debut at BlackBerry World in early May.

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Finally!  The Blackberry Playbook is set to ship sometime between April 19th and April 26th (10-15 days later than previously leaked) and cost $499.99 for the 16GB WiFi only model.  Best Buy has an exclusive preorder on the Tablet, at least for starters.  While their US site shows the aforementioned price, the Canada site pegs the 32GB and 64GB models at $599.99 and $699.99 respectively.  

If you remember, James loved the Playbook when he had a chance to go hands on at CES 2011.  Under the hood is a dual-core 1Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM.  The 7-inch touchscreen has a 1024×600 resolution, which is complemented by 3 megapixel and 5 megapixel cameras.  It remains to be seen if RIM will release a 3G model, but it might be a safe bet to assume that they’ll enable tethering with compatible Blackberry phones via the microUSB input.

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BRG has stated that the Blackberry Playbook will arrive April 10th.  While no leaked screen shots of an inventory system were presented, this info comes by way of “multiple sources that RIM’s very first tablet will be launching on April 10th in retail locations”.  On top of that, the Blackberry OS will go “Gold Master” on March 31st and that you’ll, assuming you buy one, be prompted to update the Playbook OS upon initial launch.

But honestly, with the launch of the iPad 2, do you really care?

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RIM isn’t ready to give up on the Storm just yet.  BGR got their hands on leaked images of what they’re saying is the Blackberry Storm 3.  Arg, enough already RIM.

In terms of specs, and despite the model name, which has long been regarded as a mistake by RIM, this version of the device is rounding out to do some heavy lifting.  The  big take aways?  A 1.2ghz processor and 3.7-inch 800×480 capacitive touchscreen.

Others specs include a 5 megapixel camera with 720p video mode, quad band GSM connectivity, microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 3G mobile hotspot, optical trackpad, 1230 mAh battery and Tri-band UMTS/HSPA support.

Word has it the Blackberry Storm 3 will launch sometime this September, but don’t count on it maintaining the Storm moniker, at least not internationally.

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Blackberry is not a name most people associate with a tablet when it comes up in conversation. Why, I’m not sure. That’s just the way it is. Clearly, it’s time to change that.

The Playbook is marvelous. Ten minutes with it and I forgot about the hording crowds of CES, the shuffle of feet and the overbearing attitudes. It was impressive. So much so that it’s safe to say that if Apple doesn’t bring some significant upgrades to the iPad, it could have it’s first serious competition.The Blackberry Playbook uses a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, which is quite powerful, but undoubtedly going to be the norm for this year’s tablets. I have no reservations that Apple will outline a similar model next month when they show off the updated iPad, and most tablets shown at CES thus far are similarly powered. The Playbook, however, does it with incredible finesse. It’s light at just under a pound, and the 7″ 1024×600 display is sharp and resolute.

It’s performance that was most interesting. I took the Playbook and just started opening applications, one after another, and they all continued to run simultaneously. After the fifth, the 720p video stopped running altogether, but up until then all of the applications continued running. Not just remaining on in a static way like iOS or Android applications, but actually running. One touch gesture allows quick swapping between currently-open Playbook applications, and the all continued working without fuss.

The OS is fluid and, from just 10 minutes, appears very capable. 3D applications run smoothly, video playback is fast, web-browsing works well and gesture controls are intuitive. It’s all quite impressive. The main screen isn’t, however, instead of a list of apps or a live background, it’s simply a background and an option to view apps, or have a partial view, as seen above.

I’m impressed with the Playbook tablet. Blackberry took Apple’s phone-to-tablet integration a step further by going outside the bounds of current devices and making a new UI, but one that isn’t so different that it requires the user to learn. The iPad may feel like a big iPhone, but the Playbook in no way feels like a big Blackberry. It feels like a tablet, and perhaps it’s the first genuinely so.

At CES last year, there was a lot of talk about integrating phones and cars, getting apps, and most of it never materialized. As expected, this year is no different, but in Toyota’s case, we’ll be seeing their working tech later this year, with some of the first 2012 model cars.

Toyota’s Entune is an entire dashboard with a built-in screen that connects via Bluetooth to your cellphone, regardless of the type of phone. It does this through downloadable apps, which have thus far been announced to release for iOS, Android, Blackberry, and some dumbphones. Entune basically acts as a browser app, meaning users start the car, Entune connects to your phone, and you start the app (assuming it wasn’t already running in the background).

By itself, Entune isn’t very impressive. But there are plenty of little things that make it interesting. It comes with five main apps: Bing, iHeartRadio, Pandora, MovieTickets and OpenTable, but isn’t limited to these five. All apps are integrated with the built-in GPS, so if you search for an address on Bing, buy tickets through MovieTickets or look for a restaurant with OpenTable, each app has the option to direct you directly to the GPS. That’s snazzy. It also works if you aren’t in the car. Say you’ve got dinner on your mind and find a place with OpenTable. Save the address and when you get in the car, it’ll automatically set the GPS to go to that location.

It’s pretty neat. I played with Entune a bit, and it doesn’t feel remarkable. It feels like a simplified smartphone, like the driving menu on Android OS. But how it connects searches to action – in this case to driving directions – is incredibly potent. And even in he horrible mess of Pepcom, where several thousand people were crammed into a giant room ruining wifi and cell networks, Entune managed to run off a single data network with just one bar.

That’s right, Entune runs entirely on your cellphone’s data plan, but don’t worry, it doesn’t hog data. You may need to upgrade your plan should you now use more data because the option is now available in a safe(r) manner. Another cool bit is upgrading requires nothing more than updating the app and connecting to Entune. Once the app updates on your phone, and connects to your car, it’ll update the firmware instantly. This also means there’s the chance for malicious activity through Bluetooth connections, as well as bugs ruining the driving experience, but Toyota is going through great lengths to make sure it all works perfectly. It’s not super exciting tech, but it is a bright future for motor vehicles.

OnLive is really ramping up. The streaming game service, which received much criticism upon its release in June during E3, has just announced the official release of their micro-console, which is available for pre-order right now for $99 with a free game and one controller, and will have its first shipments on December 2^nd. They also announced that indie games and older titles (meaning those that aren’t selling particularly well anymore) will be releasing in the bucketful as part of a new flat rate for games. Finally, apps for OnLive will be available for the iPhone and iPad later this year, and for Android and Blackberry early next year.

The flat rate, which the company has not yet revealed a price for, will essentially be a rental service. OnLive, which is now free to any and all subscribers (the games obviously have to be paid for), will have any games in the flat rate plan available to you when you pay, and they will continue to be that way until you stop paying. When that happens, all of your saved data is saved in case you ever want to go back and play some more.

Apps on mobile devices for OnLive will be available shortly, according to the company. For the iPhone and iPad, apps will release before year’s end. For Android and Blackberry, they will release early next year. There are no plans for browser compatibility (for it all to just work through a browser) according to the company. The apps will also require Wi-Fi to connect to OnLive’s servers. Games will not initially be playable through these apps, not until developers make their games playable through touch controls or miniature keyboards.

Preorders can be taken at OnLive’s website. OnLive’s service is free of charge.