Skip the navigation
News

Update: BlackBerry Bold hits stores

New device has full keyboard, 3G, Wi-Fi

By Matt Hamblen
November 4, 2008 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - AT&T stores today began selling the new BlackBerry Bold smart phone for $300, after a $100 mail-in rebate and a commitment to a two-year voice and data plan.

The phone operates exclusively in the U.S. on AT&T networks, including its 3G service over HSDPA, which is available in 320 cities, AT&T Inc. officials said in a statement. It also comes with GPS and Wi-Fi. The device is also available online from AT&T.

The Bold hit the market after several new smart phones were launched in recent weeks, prompting some analysts to predict there would be no lines to buy the device. But an AT&T spokesman said "it was a very good first day" with lines sometimes 20 to 25 people deep at the start of business at some stores in several major cities, including Boston, Chicago, Houston, the greater Los Angeles area, Las Vegas, Charlotte, N.C. and the New York metropolitan area. Several stores sold out of the device by late morning, he said in an e-mail.

While Apple stores saw long lines for the iPhone 3G when it arrived in stores in July, there were short lines at nearly all locations for the first day of sales of the T-Mobile G1, which runs on the Android operating system, when it went on sale last month.

BlackBerry Bold smart phone
The BlackBerry Bold smart phone went on sale today at AT&T stores and its Web site for $300.

Jeff Bradley, senior vice president for devices at AT&T Wireless, called the Bold the "best BlackBerry smart phone ever," noting in a statement that it has a variety of pre-loaded applications such as AT&T Navigator, Yellowpages.com Mobile, and access to music and video clips. AT&T has described the device as a well-rounded handset for business and consumer users with access to e-mail, voice, Web browsing, and features such as music and video.

There are 18 applications focused on business users, who work in such areas as health care, financial services, field sales and service and CRM, AT&T said. Bold also works with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, offering IT administration and security for Lotus Domino, Exchange and Novell GroupWise, as well as BlackBerry Professional, an application for smaller businesses. The Bold also supports the BlackBerry Internet Service, offering push-based e-mail for as many as 10 e-mail accounts.

The Bold is black with a chrome frame and a VGA display with a full QWERTY keyboard for fast typing. It comes with a 624-MHz processor, 1GB of internal storage and a 16GB expansion slot, and a 2-megapixel camera.

Customers who buy an unlimited data plan with the Bold (starting at $30 a month) can get free AT&T Wi-Fi service at 17,000 locations, including Starbucks outlets. Voice and data plans are required for two years with purchase of the phone, and voice plans start at $40 a month.

The Bold was previously known as the BlackBerry 9000.

Read more about Mobile and Wireless in Computerworld's Mobile and Wireless Topic Center.



Additional Resources
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
WHITE PAPER
Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Mobile and Wireless White Papers
Digital Transformation: Creating New Business Models Where Digital Meets Physical
Individuals and businesses alike are embracing the digital revolution. Social networks and digital devices are being used to engage government, businesses and civil...
Empowering Your Mobile Worker
Today's most productive employees are mobile, and your company's IT strategy must be ready to support them with 24/7 access to the business...
An Interactive Guide: Bring Your Own Device
BYOD presents significant security and management challenges to IT departments who want to take advantage of the trend, but still protect corporate assets....
Calculating ROI for Mobile Client Acceleration
As mobile devices continue to expand in business use, ensuring these devices have optimal performance is becoming an IT imperative. This EMA paper...
Tablet Computing Without Compromise
This paper provides an overview of how and why that migration-from any old tablet to Windows tablets-came to be.
All Mobile and Wireless White Papers
Mobile and Wireless Webcasts
Live Webcast
North Pole to South Seas: Overcoming the Pitfalls of remote Performance
In today's always-on world, connectivity is a business requirement. You need the tools that allow you to operate as if you were on...
Supporting Mobile Productivity With A Limited IT Budget
Join us and hear from Kaseya mobile IT management experts as we discuss core strategies for supporting the mobile revolution on a shoestring...
North Pole to South Seas: Overcoming the Pitfalls of remote Performance
In today's always-on world, connectivity is a business requirement. You need the tools that allow you to operate as if you were on...
Unified Communications 101
What's the best way to implement a unified communications solution for your organization?
QNX® and BlackBerry® PlayBook™ Tablet.
RIM's multi-processor, multi-tasking BlackBerry PlayBook runs a new Tablet OS powered by QNX, a bullet-proof microkernel operating system. This track will take a...
A Close Look at Tablets
Learn More
All Mobile and Wireless Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs