After months of "he said, she said" and rumored launch dates, Verizon has gotten all official with the BlackBerry Bold 9650. Shown off at WES 2010, the Bold 9650 sports the same trackpad, Wi-Fi, and increased memory goodness that the Sprint version does. The Bold 9650 is Verizon's first GlobalAccess Connect device, meaning that customers can tether their device in over 200 countries. Price-wise, we're looking at $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate, and availability via telesales tomorrow (with in-store availability on June 10th).
The full press release is below. I can't say that it's a huge revision over BlackBerrys of the past, but for those that need the award-winning enterprise support, the 9650 offers some nice improvements over the Tour. Anyone calling in first thing tomorrow morning?
GET BOLD WITH THE BLACKBERRY BOLD 9650 SMARTPHONE FROM VERIZON WIRELESS
Global-Ready Smartphone Offers New GlobalAccess Connect Service
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless today announced that the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 smartphone will be available to order online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning June 3 and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning June 10. Running on the largest and most reliable wireless voice and 3G data network in the United States, the BlackBerry Bold is the first global phone from Verizon Wireless to support GlobalAccess Connect, allowing customers to tether their BlackBerry Bold to a notebook or netbook and use it as a modem for wireless Internet access in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Key features:
- Optical trackpad for easy and fluid navigation
- Built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g)
- Push to Talk feature – Allows customers to leverage Verizon Wireless’ 3G network for instant two-way communication with up to 50 people with the touch of a button
- VZ Navigator® version 6 – Gives customers access to free mapping and integration with Bing to sort searches by relevance and a new option to choose day, week or monthly subscriptions
- VZ Navigator Global capabilities – Provides turn-by-turn directions and maps in English while navigating through more than 20 destinations, including Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. This easy-to-use application also marks distances in miles or kilometers and finds restaurants, gas stations, banks/ATMs and other popular spots using the Local Search feature
Additional specifications:
- Stylish design (4.40” x 2.44” x .55” and 4.8 oz.) with glossy black finish and chrome highlights
- Mobile e-mail and messaging capabilities
- Large (2.45”) high-resolution display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi) that displays pictures, videos and Web pages with contrast and detail
- 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
- Advanced media player for videos, pictures and music; a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack; and support for the Bluetooth® Stereo
- Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
- BlackBerry® Media Sync to easily sync music as well as photos*.
- Easy mobile access to Facebook®, MySpace and Flickr® as well as popular instant messaging services, including BlackBerry® Messenger
- Support for BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
- 512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB microSD™ HC cards (a 2 GB card is pre-installed)
- Full HTML Web browser, streaming audio and video via RTSP
- Built-in GPS with support for location-based applications and services as well as geotagging
- Premium phone features, including voice-activated dialing, speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.1)
- Support for high-speed EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America as well as single band UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad
- Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery for up to 5 hours of CDMA talk time
Pricing and availability:
- The BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone will be available for order online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning June 3, and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning June 10 for $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. A non-camera version of the phone will also be available for order online beginning June 3. Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
- Verizon Wireless customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide Talk plan or Nationwide Talk & Text plan and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.
- GlobalAccess Connect plans are available for $65 monthly access for 5 GB allowance in the United States and Canada ($0.05/MB overage) and 100 MB allowance in select countries ($5.12/MB overage). There is also a $155 monthly access option that offers 5 GB allowance in the United States and Canada and 200 MB allowance in select countries, with the same overage rates as the $65 monthly option.
- Customers can add Push to Talk for $5 per month per line and download the service from the Application Center or through VZStart on their handsets. VZ Navigator is available for $2.99 for daily use, $4.99 for seven-day use or $9.99 for monthly subscription.
- For information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
*Music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies. Photo syncing is currently only available for Windows-based PCs.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving nearly 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 81,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.
