RIM Launches BlackBerry Bold 9700

AFTER a short wait since the release of RIM’S BlackBerry Bold 9700 in other countries, Singaporeans are now graced with local availability. I think the delay is in part due to the stricter telecommunications requirements and restrictions. Basically, having to get iDA (Infocomm Development Authority) approval. Yah, that only translates to a little sticker we usually see stuck onto the product but I’m sure the mobile phone operators see it as somewhat of a hinderance to bring their new models to market.

T’is the season for RIM to throw a grand launch party and they did so with grand affair. Held at Mohamed Sultan there were local stars and celebrities like Pierre Peng around and the party had a theme – Distinctly BOLD. Nice how they worked that into the launch. Denise Keller was the MC for the event and she did well to hype it up.

My first impression and thought was that this was not going to be your typical tech come geek-fest launch so I didn’t pack heavy with the usual camera gear. I went out with only the little 50mm fixed lens, not exactly a pancake but certainly not ominous and scary looking as a dSLR with external flash and zoom lens. Besides I wasn’t looking to snap pics of the celebs.

A fashion show ensued showing off the lifestyle one can expect to have when you are distinctly Bold. Here are some shots of the models. Taken with a fairly high ISO setting, slow shutter and wide aperture so they are not going to be super sharp and fairly noisy. I also captured some video (720p) and will see if it is worthwhile to upload to YouTube.

So, the back to the new Bold. I didn’t take any product shots so all that you will see are the press release photos supplied by RIM. If you have seen the original Bold you’ll know there is a lot of cosmetic change. The new Bold also gets hardware changes that are welcome. You can check out the hardware specs here.

I have seen one mention of the 9700 from SingTel but no word from the two other mobile phone carriers, M1 and Starhub. I’m waiting patiently to see what is being offered. I think whether or not it is an attractive offer is not going to matter so much. I’ve been holding onto a BlackBerry Storm 1 for a while (won in a contest) but I’m not happy with the touchscreen. I wanna get my full qwerty hardware keyboard back.

There were demo stations set up at the party and there were a few geeks like me man-handling them.