The BlackBerry Bold 9700 will be out this week. With 3G, a high res screen and a 3.2 megapixel camera it look great. At $200 under contract it looks even better.
The 9700 builds on the current Bold’s specs but has a smaller form-factor that many will appreciate. At the same time it retains the angled keyboard I have grown to love which makes it a solid consideration for anyone looking to get a BlackBerry.
From my perspective, while the idea of a smaller device is certainly attractive (let’s face it the Bold 9000 is BIG), I would be hard-pressed to give up the spacious, easy-to-use keyboard I currently enjoy on the 9000.
The BlackBerry 9700 is out on T-Mobile November 16. It will be on AT&T a week later.
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”)
Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. +Dan Cohen
Another exciting improvement in the 9700 seems to be incredible battery-life. During the BB DevCon, many folks were carrying 9700s and all of them were exchanging stats with each other on just how great the battery life was, compared to older BlackBerry devices. Kevin Michaluk (CrackBerry) was so impressed he ran a post this week on it there (I know, I know… . Average battery life folks are seeing is 2 days easy — in some cases longer. That’s going full force using all services…3G, BT, WiFi, calling, etc. Speaking as someone who has to charge their current 9000 at least once during an active day, this is another great reason to upgrade to the 9700
