BlackBerry, still known as Research In Motion at the time, announced the BlackBerry Bold 9900 more than three years ago. Powered by BlackBerry 7, it proved to be a very successful device for the company. In what is a very rare occurrence in the competitive world of smartphones, the device is now making a comeback. The company had announced plans to bring back BlackBerry 7 devices earlier this year in response to customer feedback primarily in the enterprise space where the adoption of new technology sometimes moves at a glacial pace.
The iconic BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone combines the classic BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard with a brilliant, 24-bit high-res touch screen and precision-based optical trackpad. Purposeful design details meet functionality, with BlackBerry 7 OS and fluid touch screen navigation. The distinctive BlackBerry Bold 9900 delivers incredible performance in one powerful device.
Specifications are unchanged from what they were three years ago:
- Processor: 1.2GHz dual-core QC 8655
- Operating system: BlackBerry 7
- Cellular connectivity: Quad-band GSM and tri-band HSPA+
- Other connectivity: GPS/aGPS, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, NFC
- Display: 2.8-inch VGA (640×480/287PPI) capacitive touchscreen
- RAM: 768MB
- Internal storage: 8GB
- External storage: MicroSD cards up to 32GB
- Rear-facing camera: 5MP with 720p HD video recording
- Front-facing camera: None
- Battery: 1230mAh
- Dimensions: 115 x 66 x 10.5 millimeters
- Weight: 130 grams
- Colours: Black
It’s unlikely that the BlackBerry Bold 9900 will establish itself as a top-selling smartphone but it will likely prove popular with businesses that are still standardized on BlackBerry 7.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is now available for pre-order through ShopBlackBerry both in Canada and the U.S. for $399, the same price as the BlackBerry Q10. Orders will begin shipping on June 18.
Update: A couple of days before pre-orders are set to begin shipping, BlackBerry has bumped the Canadian price of the BlackBerry Bold from CA$399 to CA$430. The three-year old device is now more expensive than the year-old Q10. The U.S. pricing remains unchanged.
Sources : BlackBerry Store (CA) // BlackBerry Store (US) // N4BB