BlackBerry Bold Available for Preorder from MCO; August 14 Arrival?
Well what do we have here? Despite the fact that the BlackBerry Bold has been delayed with several carriers as we reported earlier this month, Mobile City Online has made the highly anticipated handset available for preorder as of today. What’s more, it lists an expected arrival date of August 14. While this date is well ahead of the handset’s anticipated availability via many carriers it’s certainly not unthinkable that an unlocked version could be available ahead of time. Unlikely perhaps, but not impossible. We’ve seen MCO availability dates pushed back plenty in the past but we’ll wager that there are hoards of BlackBerry fans hoping that won’t be the case this time. We’ve yet to see the same availability date on other online retail sites, which also doesn’t bode well. Only time will tell of course. As for pricing; drum roll please… $700. Quite a price point considering this is a handset that is going to be picked up and subsidized by tons of carriers around the world. If you’re a die hard and you can’t wait another month or longer to get your hands on a Bold however, shell out the cash and keep your fingers crossed that the August 14 date stays put.
UPDATE: It’s up on Tiger Direct now as well, but without an estimated date of availability. Surely more sites will follow…
Tags: BlackBerry, bold, Handsets, Mobile City Online, Preorder, RIM
On Jul 28, 2008 @ 3:46 pm, Amir Saad Said:
700 dollars for a phone…or is that a laptop?
or maybe a laptop that can make phone calls….
This kinda reminds me of those days that nVidia was going out of control with video card prices till ATi busted it’s party with the new 3xxx series.
Oh well, I don’t blame them that they need to make some money but I’ll wait like a good boy…
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 3:50 pm, b Said:
Oh Canada Canada Canada… Starting to become really annoyed with blackberry!!! I want my WORKING BOLD!
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 3:51 pm, Joel Said:
eh, i bet it’s another situation like the other. they should be getting that “call” from RIM I’m sure…
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 4:03 pm, bob Said:
It’s $650 on tiger direct
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 4:07 pm, Jimboooooo! Said:
Im waiting for this to drop already! We got a test unit here and it is so sick!
Here’s some proof, me with the Bold and a comparison to my Curve for work.
http://bp1.blogger.com/_0m3kM32oapk/SI3BrkQ4E7I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/bjr7hYk0bqk/s1600-h/0725081120.jpg
http://bp1.blogger.com/_0m3kM32oapk/SI3BrNRW8sI/AAAAAAAAAPA/jjVOba2tU5U/s1600-h/0725081114.jpg
As for the pricing here… thats retarded. Just wait… they are gonna release it with at&t first and the other carriers shortly after. I would love this to hit Verizon. I would drop my DARE, as much as I love it, for the Bold. It’s that good.
But I have to say, having my curve on FW 4.5… the browser isn’t that great. I still wind up using Opera Mini instead…
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 4:20 pm, Andrew Said:
getting tired of and annoyed at all the delays, especially when every time I go out I see knobs (aka RIM employees) using the god damned things in public when they’re not supposed to be.
ok, so maybe I’m jealous…
But I must say it’s one piece of hotness and can’t wait to ditch the 8700. I don’t expect Rogers to carry it for another 2 months at least to “tweak” their restrictions into it.
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 4:23 pm, Andrew Said:
Ouch, Tigerdirect.ca has it listed for $792.99!!
LOL, as if
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 4:33 pm, spraggab Said:
@ Andrew: it’s not like it hasn’t already been officially announced.
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 5:23 pm, Stanovoy Said:
The real question is how much will the Bold cost after carrier discounts have been taken into account. Unless it drops by more than 50%, the Bold will have a hard time competing with the iPhone 3G for general consumer markets.
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 5:29 pm, Aaron J. Walker Said:
I am anxiously awaiting the Bold to hit AT&T so I would pass on the unlocked version.
This could be the upsell price for those who simply can’t/won’t wait since you can’t get the phone anywhere else.
AT&T is going to have to be competitive with it’s pricing for a new BlackBerry, even if it is a temporary intro price.
It’d be suicide for RIM to try and do this *much* beyond a brand new iPhone pricing with a carrier.
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 6:08 pm, farney Said:
$700? I’ll stick with the 8320 for another year.
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 8:24 pm, cobald75 Said:
Looking at the numbers of ~700 + Bucks there might be more value in Nokia E71?! But poeple could argue that as well.
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 9:23 pm, Jeff B. Said:
Holy frick!!! That’s a new exhaust AND cold air intake or short ram intake…built with carbon fiber!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 9:24 pm, argonnj Said:
$700 + is a lot of money for device that is sure to be riddled with bugs when it arrives.
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On Jul 28, 2008 @ 11:52 pm, Adam Said:
I think I might prefer this to the Thunder, but I am not waiting until next May or later for it to get to Verizon. And if I am going to switch to AT&T it’ll only be for the iPhone.
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 6:19 am, ppcmd Said:
I will just wait for AT&T, my 8820 works fine for now and I can just add a line for $9.99 which I was going to do anyways for a 3G air card but now I will just get the Bold and buy the air card retail and later on.
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 6:28 am, TareX Said:
That angle makes it look really thick.
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 7:31 am, Steve G Said:
I’d buy it if it had a touch screen, itunes and safari.
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 8:53 am, Dr Evil Said:
Does the device come with frickin’ lazer beams on it?
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 9:19 am, Gustav Said:
CIT Miami has it for $633 pre-order and they say it will be available tomorrow (07/30/2008)!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 11:46 am, DavidB Said:
MCO says: “This phone is unlocked and can be used with any SIM card. No activation required (check carrier frequency requirements)”
Did you guys also notice the list a “retail price” of $899!!!
Oh, and Jimboooooo, you say you’re “testing” it and don’t realize it’s not a CDMA device??? Um, last I checked that means NO from Verizon (or Sprint, or Alltel, or Telus, or Bell, or …). And not even BG himself has dropped us any hints of a CDMA version of the Bold.
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 12:48 pm, Jimboooooo! Said:
@DavidB
I never said that it was going to actually come to VZW. Look again. I would LIKE it to, but as we know it takes forever for it to hit VZW.
I know its GSM, not CDMA. I switched from at&t to VZW and just want it to hit the VZW marketplace. My bad for miscommunicating the desire.
And man, it really is sleek. The faux leather on the back holds nicely. The battery compartment was tough at first though. The screen beats out any phone I have ever seen. Sorry iPhone fans, this beats it. I like the iPhone too, but this screen is really amazing. Who needs to smudge it up?
And BG, you were right about it scratching easily, at least the test model. One of the techs scratched it already, thank god it was just on the side of it.
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 1:00 pm, pop! Said:
$633 is a good deal, i think.
Is CTI-Miami a reliable seller??
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 2:52 pm, Adam Said:
@DavidB
BGR gave us the date of May 09 for Verizon.
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/05/06/blackberry-javelin-and-blackberry-niagara-explained/
Infosyncworld says January 2009 for Verizon.
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On Jul 29, 2008 @ 2:53 pm, jerbel Said:
Tiger direct says estimated date of September. Click enlarge image link.
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