BlackBerry Thunder: after the storm
We caused a little commotion when we posted the above shot last week. No it’s not a mock-up, dummy. But, there have been a flood of questions about the BlackBerry Thunder (remember, this is still a codename) so we’ll answer the most important ones for you. First off, yes there is a SIM card slot and it is under the battery of the device. Under the battery is also a microSD slot, so don’t expect it to rock a ton of internal memory out of the box. As far as release date is concerned, we’re still hearing Q3 of this year on Big Red. The cool part, though? It looks like the chip they are using supports almost everything. CDMA 1x, EV-DO, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and HSPA. Any other questions? We’ll be here all day! Just drop a comment.
DoCoMo might release before Rogers as well. And the release is up to the carriers.
Hopefully this will come along on Sprint shortly and hopefully they will do similar to the 8830 and unlock that SIM slot for overseas use (unlike VZN)…
I understand the carriers make the decisons (Apple!!)But it seems to be a bad day for RIM, since Apple will come out first, and it seems their pricepoint will most definitely make them a winner. With less wireless dolars to go around, someone will plunk down their 300 for the iPhone, rather than wait for the Bold. Seems like a bad deal for RIM. My son will dumpt his curve if he thinks it will be months before the Bold release. He has had his curve for over a year, which for him is long.
I stand corrected…i’m at work and it’s been hectic. With that said, I want the BOLD not the THUNDER
hey BG…
i have asked you this before, but i dont think i got an answer,
do you think this might be available in Canada?
thanks
Would this be close to the one that AT&T is getting thats back dated to October?
Or is the rumored one that has been floating around for a while?
Nice… So there is hope for the GSM carriers after all.
Demensions of the phone would be nice.
Interestingly….AT&T lowered the price of the new I Phone to $199 for the 8gig. However, they raised the data plan price by $10/month. With a 2 year contract the math is simple. Hmmmm…sounds like AT&T found a way to spread a customers payments out over 24 months to pick-up the extra $240.00. Americans love to be on the payment plan.
As a VZ customer..I’m just waiting for the Bold so I can compare it to the curve.
will sprint ever get a good blackberry? they just got the curve last week nd the bold is droppin like 2mr SMH!
unless you’re microsoft and your Fiscal Q4 ends in June. Q1 for MS is July. Not everybody is on the calendar quarter system.
Does the touch screen include haptic feedback for the enterprise version so it will be easier to type?
I understand it doesn’t have slide-in keyboard
BG,
What else can you share regarding the specs? Screen size? Resolution? Camera? Do you know what kinda processor they’ll be using? How much memory can be expected? Dimensions? Will they be using the same OS as the bold? Do you know the possible price point? I’m hungry for any specs you can share!! Thanks.
Crys
@Sith: If you accepted the rebate and discounts when you buy an 8830, you can’t get the SIM unlocked. IF you pay full price VZW will send you a code and you can then unlock the SIM.
@Jordan: No Bold for Verizon. It doesn’t have a CDMA/EVDO radio. GSM only, so ATT and TMO here stateside. Looking like no Kickstart either, spies have only reported it having GSM. There was a BG post last month some time though detailing a more traditional device coming with CDMA though.
Thanks for the clarification BG. It seems that no matter how many times you say something, people still don’t listen. What part of VZW and Vodaphone exclusive do people not understand. No, it won’t be on Tmobil, or ATT, or Sprint. Unless you have VZW or Vodaphone in Canada, it will not be available in Canada, either. If and when, VZW can’t keep up the quota, the phone will likely go to Sprint first, as the 8830 did because it uses the same technology. Then it could theoritically go to GSM carriers after that. The only way other carriers can get this, it if RIM makes a significant change to the device, ie. slide out keyboard, etc…, then they can call it something else (storm maybe) and not infringe on the VZW exclusivity.
As per the 3rd quarter issue, it hasn’t been specified what 3rd quarter to reference for a release date. There is a calendar 3rd quarter that is July through September. Then there is a fiscal year for VZW, and the 3rd quarter for them is the same as the calendar year. 3rd quarter for RIM begins in October and goes to the end of December, this is because their fiscal year begins in April I believe. So either way, unless the device is delayed, it will not come out before July 1st of 2008 and will be released by December 30th of 2008. That is a six month gap for a release date! Maybe if BG can find out whos 3rd quarter we should be using to calculate, then we can narrow it down to at least a three month date range.
Wow…Major bummer that VZ is not getting Bold…
RE: Jun 10, 2008 @ 3:54 pm, james Said:
I don’t believe for a second that Telus or Bell in Canada won’t get it.
IF I HUG IT AND PET IT WILL IT LOVE ME BACK??
IF I AM FEELING DEPRESSED CAN IT CHEER ME UP??
IF i AM LONELY WILL IT MAKE ME POPULAR??
ITS A PHONE PEOPLE. MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE.
Ya know…as much as I hate big red, if they meet their quota it might just be time for me to go back to them…I want this phone, and if it’s never gonna come to at&t…well…
…Just please people, don’t buy the phone at all so RIM will send it to at&t!
So definitely no Bold for Verizon? Didn’t BGR say September/October a month ago?
The main questions are:
Is it unlockable and usable on US GSM? (Question already answered)
You can unlock it but it will be CDMA for Americas and GSM for Europe/Asia
Will it have a glass or a plastic screen?
Capacitive or Pressure sensitive?
Hidden QWERTY or tactile keypad?
Hapatics?
Size of screen or comparison to other phones. Pearl size, Curve size?
Y’all are missing one key feature that’ll be another first for Verizon…
“Q3 is 3 months away, can’t wait to see it. You didn’t say anything about a DOrA chip”
Actually, we are in Quareter 3 right now. It started June 1.
Q3 starts july. Come on guys! Unbelievable.
@ahow
“unlock that SIM slot for overseas use (unlike VZN)…”
Check the facts before running your mouth. You can use any SIM card in the Verizon version of the 8830.
I’ve seen it listed as “Fiscal years start October 1st and end Sept. 30th. So the quarter breakdown is like this:
Q1- Oct. 1st through the end of Dec.
Q2 Jan 1st through the end of March
Q3 April 1 through the end of June
Q4 July 1 through the end of Sept.