Sprint to release the BlackBerry Niagara this quarter?
We know how hard it must be for Sprint BlackBerry users considering that Sprint missed out on recent handsets like the Storm and Bold. Sprint hasn’t even issued OS 4.5 yet but as the saying goes, “good things come to those who wait.” If you believe this latest rumor, a very good thing is on its way to the black and yellow land of Sprint — the Niagara. A CDMA variant of the Bold with updated looks to compliment the styling queues of the 8900 and Storm, the Niagara features all of the goodies one could hope for: full-QWERTY keypad, 480 x 360 display, EV-DO Rev. A, aGPS, WiFi and a 3.2 megapixel camera. We even hear that there might be HSPA world-roaming (wouldn’t that be swell?). If the rumor pans out, it would certainly give Sprint a much needed shot in the arm. But then again, Verizon would probably just come in after a short period of time and wreck the party.
Oh yea, the Niagara has Wifi and HSPA.
After watching AT@T and Verizon gobble everything RIM up first. I’ll take it.
Niagara rumors have been swirling for six months now. Hopefully RIM won’t screw this launch up either like the Bold and Storm.
Get the OS bugs worked out first. A short delay beats a ton of negative reviews.
Michael,
Do you know if and when Bell Mobility in Canada will be releasing the Niagara? As you are aware, Bell already has OS 4.5 upgrade available on its website for the 8330 Curve.
Am very anxious to know since the Niagara will be the CDMA version of the Bold, only better!
- CB
“BLACKBERRY for LIFE”
Delicious, when verizon gets this, my storm is going to be picking up dust.
Looks great. Bet if VZW gets it the WiFi will go and aGPS gets locked! Anyone want to take that bet?
Gee, I guess RIM found a way to fit the tiny little WiFi radio in this one! Watch when it gets released on VZW all of sudden you will hear how the specs were all wrong or something and there is NO WiFi!
GPS is unlocked on the Bold, curve, and pearl. And if they are smart they would keep it unlocked on this device.
While gps is technically unlocked on the Storm, it is not possible to use off-the-shelf gps software [googlemaps or live search, for instance] and have it operate. Verizon IS still Verizon, afterall and this represents the very reason why I’m still unwilling to return to them. They are simply too arrogant and greedy to meet the market’s demands on price and services.
If all were right in the world only Sprint would get or at least have it 1st for at least a month
Sprint will not go under.
Verizon is arrogant and will eventually suffer for it.
This phone looks sweet.
^ “Go under”? Probably not in the most literal sense just as other failures such as GM or Chrysler will not “go under”. But, being absorbed into a conglomerate at the moment when Sprint finds itself being auctioned off at $1.00/share is the moral equivalent.
Truth’s one royal bitch.
Speculation is the bitch that backbeat perpetuates, whatever carrier that poster has/works for is reasons enough to troll any Sprint post on any site? This character is posting the same pearls to swine crap on engadgetmobile too and stuff like on most Sprint article there and here too
^ As if fanboi gushing over all-things-forever-hopeful for Sprint’s posterity aren’t deluded. Funny how self-policing that horde clearly isn’t within you. By your definition, one must not be a customer of any other carrier in order to 1) be educated on the economics in play regarding Sprint and wireless, in general; and 2)be so anointed as to be able to post in the interwebs. Thanks for your holiness’ revolutionary vision.
Don’t like that reality? Do something about Sprint’s reality! Can’t do that by posting on a blog? Well … Thanks for playing grownup but it’s time to put your little armymen away and take your overdue nap.
Backbeat boy you have no idea what you are talking about. Sprint is not going anywhere! Due to previous poor upper management running the company into the ground ruining the brand recognition, along with Apple’s release of the Iphone and Verizon’s most recent impressive handset portfolio Sprint has fell behind. In the immediate future Sprint will rise again to rival ATT and Verizon. There is no question that Sprint has faster data speeds than Verizon and ATT, along with less expensive and more feature packed plans, and the no.1 carrier in the business sector. Oh ya…Sprint doesn’t stop you from taking full advantage of what you can do with your device like Verizon or ATT. In a year or two you will be writing posts contradicting what you have writtin trying to seem clever and more intelligent than what you are.
Hopefully it will come with SMS….I have the treo 800w…and I hate it…no SMS.
^…and Betamax was a better standard than VHS.
Maybe porn can save Sprint too? Is that your point?
Seriously, if you offered any emperical evidence of Sprint’s positive _economic_ health [versus fantastical tales of triumph where none exist], you might be worth listening to. ‘Twas not to be.
anyone that says the BOLD and STORM are horrible doesn’t know anything about handheld smartphones and must be an apple boy…flamed apple boy i mean…lol
What proof does backbeat have that Sprint is going under, every time a post highliting any positive area here you come telling people they are dumb for wanting to save money. Sprint hasn’t gone as of now so at present you save, get more included features and great coverage for voice and data
^You obviously don’t pay any attention to Sprint’s financials. Blog posts, such as yours, are a dime-a-million. All hype and prayerful hope, but _nothing_ tangible. Go insult someone else’s intelligence, kid.
*For 3Q 2008, Sprint’s revenues fell 12 percent to $8.8 billion when compared to 3Q 2007. When summing all three quarters, revenue fell 10 percent, from $30.2 billion in 2007 to $27.2 billion. It had a net loss of $326 million during 3Q 2008, and an accumulated net loss for all three quarters of $1.175 billion. These losses are due to losses in subscribers. During 3Q 2008, subscribership fell 1.3 million to 50.5 million.*
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122606103341008295.html?mod=crnews
http://investors.sprint.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=127149&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1223773&highlight=
Bad quarter(s), what’s new to that. There is still on expiration date, what specifically do you have against saving money? There’s me and 50M other subs who refuse to spend more for the same service, we will go to whatever carrier we want the same as you will and neither is less intelligent than the other. If Sprint were to fold then you can feel vindicated but trashing all thier post and supporters makes you come off as arrogant, ignorant, immature and insecure. This is my opinion and Sprint is my preference, deal with whoever you have
More prayerful wishes of puppydogs and rainbows won’t change Sprint’s reality of record-setting bad _years_. Neither will a couple new cool phones. That’s not exactly news to anyone who can accept reality for what it is rather than what they wish it were. Yes, Sprint is _that_ far beyond simple operational repair. Their only hope is for restructure which will cause plan rates to become more competitive, erase the gray-market consumer acts of obtaining “referral” discounts without merit, etc. That’s just business-101.
If saving money was the central standard, T-Mobile would be the ring-leader since they operate on the world-standard of GSM. That’s not the case, now is it? [I can just hear the bullshit response now … “Bbbut … Bbbut … Bbbut …”)
Your attack on someone’s personal character is laughable, given the ostrich-in-sand act you and others play here and elsewhere. I needed a good belly-laugh on a Mon morning! Thanks.
How many millions of new plans are _you_ signing up for to make up for Sprint’s losses?
Basically it comes down to this. You are just speculating based on information that is available to anyone, we can not stop you from posting your opinion, correction it’s not your opinion but that of some one else. So, we can not stop you from repeating what someone else has already spoken. This is a blog for consumers interested in the blackberry device and not what you have to repeat about what you have heard about different carriers. So, let’s keep it to that and discuss what this phone can do for consumers!
To correct your grave oversight, the concept of Cause & Effect is in play here. Without posters’ wishful prayers insulting the reading public’s intelligence, posting historical facts and figures would not be necessary. You and your horde do not operate in a vacuum.
While it is true that I agree with the analysts on Sprint’s demise as well as certain glimmers of ‘hope’, this is business at the end of the day and should be treated as such rather than placating those who cannot face stark realities. Don’t take business so personally.
What exactly can this phone [Bold-in-Javelin-skin} do for consumers? Hmmmm .. Nothing that it cannot do for them on any other carrier. It’s a Blackberry, as plain as that.
Just in time for my birthday, will upgrade from 8330 to this unit. CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!
Sprint is ready to make its comeback. And it’s gonna be a big comeback.
Dan Hesse had to clean up some things – and he cleaned them up FAST.
And it’s just a matter of time before people start paying attention and seeing through ATT and Verizon’s marketing (when really customer service sucks at ATT especially and at Verizon to a certain extent). Customer service at Sprint went from last to first in just the one year that Dan Hesse has been there. And the networks have been reinforced greatly – including IDEN.
All you’ve been seeing for the past year is internal cleanups – but you’ll start seeing the results very very soon.
Oh, and look at pricing too – you can pay all you want at ATT and Verizon for their MARKETING. You still won’t have the included GPS, the reliable network (both voice and EVDO – which I have heard people taking their mobile broadband card on trains and never losing their strong signal throughout – even through tunnels).
Comeback – count on it. Or you could just join the ranks of Verizon zombies who take their marketing as gospel. Take a closer look people.
Oh, I forgot to mention Sprint TV, which is live streaming (AT&T DOESN’T EVEN HAVE LIVE STREAMING VIDEO – Fun Fact), Nascar live feeds and live streaming NFL TV.