The new BB 8700 series will be out soon. Highlights are:

1. EVDO +BB and EDGE + BB device for Verizon (Sprint) and Cingular respectively.
2. GPS and IM builtin (Carrier fee applies)
3. faster processor + 64MB RAM
4. Better - more native - attachment viewing
5. No camera, no wifi, no VOIP.
6. Classic form factor + sleeker design, speakerphone
7. In testing now: Due out in Oct/ Nov from Verizon, Cingular and Sprint/Nextel. (I will have one in hand in about two weeks from now)


Like the 7290, dont forget you heard it from me, first. I have shared everything i know.

Sounds like the Electron!

Forget the Electron! When is there going to Blackberry with a 20GB HD, bluetooth 2.0, GPS, Swiss Army Knife, MP3 player, Broadband, and WIFI?

I sure hope you are right. I returned my 7250 last month awaiting a Verizon 7130e device. I wanted a better phone operation (Send/End keys) but if this is the Electron, it would be great!!

our internal codename for it is indeed electron.

good to hear. you start working at RIM now?

Love it....Verizon is at the top of the heap for a change. That is awesome. Since it will have EVDO, will the 7250 still have this added with an upgraded firmware fix?

>> will the 7250 still have this added with an upgraded software fix?

That was the plan when I spoke w/ my Sprint rep last week.

Amen. Hard to believe Verizon will be on the cutting edge!

Sorry. I remain in the "what have you done for me lately department".

We fund their R and D. We should expect an uptick in functionality, regardless of SVC provider to field it first.

our internal codeword for it is: big deal

thanks for the insider info.

Motorola Q is coming to take away my blackberry:(

through this post i am willing to bet $1000 with imchrismullins..that what i have said are the specs of the next device. if he has any guts, he should pick it up rather than casting juveline aspersions.he can be funding himself or RIMs R&D, that doesnt cut ice

didn't you quote the wrong specs for the 7290...?

i qouted the precise specs for the 7290 also

I heard that the 7130 CDMA will be the same internals as the Electron.
I can't wait for the Electron.

Oh?

http://www.blackberryforums.com/rumor-mill/38-new-blackberry-handheld-7290-a.html

except the speakerphone and bluetooth (which i myself corrected subsequently for the model i had seen with it was to be the charm later which had the speaker)...please note that the day was much before the official release. so from my post of aug 2004 here it is:

RIM 7290


BES/Blackberry email service
Blackberry Web Client
RIM Operating system
Email Reconciliation
PIM Sync
Wireless Calendar
Attachment Viewing
Folder Management
Xpress Messaging
850/1900/900/1800
Removable battery
Color Screen
Text Messaging
Qwerty Keyboard
Backlit Screen
Backlit Keys
Track Wheel
Speaker Phone
Web Access
WAP Browser
HTML Browser
Color Browser

No bluetooth or wifi. Only speakerphone

What about T-Mobile?

honest answer is i dont know.

aspersion \uh-SPUR-zhuhn; -shuhn\, noun:
1. A damaging or derogatory remark; slander.
2. The act of defaming or slandering.
3. A sprinkling with water, especially in religious ceremonies.

i kinda like door number 3.


$1000- we are impressed with your offer and your ability to articulate your "purview"
(I made up that word) Just kidding...

So these are specs?

BES/Blackberry email service
Blackberry Web Client
RIM Operating system - its going to have an O/S too?
Email Reconciliation
PIM Sync
Wireless Calendar
Attachment Viewing
Folder Management
Xpress Messaging
850/1900/900/1800
Removable battery
Color Screen
Text Messaging
Qwerty Keyboard
Backlit Screen
Backlit Keys
Track Wheel
Speaker Phone
Web Access
WAP Browser
HTML Browser
Color Browser

Again, at the risk of being aspertive (made that one up too)....
Whats the big deal?

My point was and is..this is the type of bb functionalities that should be at our fingertips and that we should be provided regardless of service provider.

What you cut-pasted were the specs of the 7290!! Aspersions or whatever your version of English says huh?beneath me.

TMO will follow a few months behind - most likely a 30-90 day exclusive by the others. gives them time to iron out more real-world bugs that will be found with the Cingular release of it (same went for the 7290 release last year).

You have to remember that the wireless carrier is the manufactures customer, and it is the wireless carrier that has a big influence on what gets put in. Not so much the little guy, which is not how it should be, but is how it is.

What would this do for the possibility of a VZW 7100-series?

athreya,

you said these were specs not me! The cut and paste items r from your original message are not specs! These are functionalities, features, characteristics, and components. An example of specs:
weight=5 oz
memory=32/64 MB
display =LCD (Color)Colors: 65,536 (16-bit)Size: 240 x 160 pixels
Batt life=Talk: 4.00 hours (240 minutes) Standby: 216 hours (9 days)
dimensions=4.50" x 2.90" x 0.90" (114 x 74 x 23 mm)

but thanks for that "breaking news",we will assume you got the modes and memory correct.

i am ready to move on..

thx for the industry insight

http://www.bbhub.com/2005/05/29/is-t...st-blackberry/

corey@12mile could probably give us some "specs"

i think he did a good enough job with the pseudo-specs. the form-factor is very similar to the 7290, thus the dimensions and weight will be very similar (slightly varying). the memory was included - it is 64MB. he included functional network improvements, such as EVDO and EDGE. i believe they changed the screen to be more like what we'll see on the 7105 later this month, if i'm not mistaken. if you want specifics, then you'll most likely get them in a month or so when the phone's documentation is released by RIM.

I hope the initial Cingular models will be unlocked...

same. i'm thinking about getting an unlocked Cingular handset until TMO gets them next year.

But the TMO won't have true broadband speed correct? EVDO is only for CDMA and TMO only recently added EDGE. Following the financial postings is seems TMO has been a cash cow for T Mobile International and their is a conundrum within their senior management over the capital expenditures it will require to upgrade across the US. If the make the investment the profit returns will be long term while near term the balance sheet suffers. I don't understand the delay, personally, as by the time the get it rolled out the competitors will have had such a significant head start. I am a TMO customer and I find it disconcerting.

those specs were in response to T-Roy about the 7290.please see the thread sequence. the specs of the 8700 are what i have mentioned in the first post. if you have more specific questions, post them and i will try and get them asap. i agree that the carrier decides a lot- but not all- of the features. this time they are deciding a lot about the look and feel etc. im just sad that they still havent been able to get onto the mag-alloy or carbon casing to take on the Q.

TMO has rolled out their EDGE network to approximately 90% of their US towers. This is 150-180kbps. The Verizon EVDO, which is substantially more expensive, will run at 300-500kbps, with real-world tests being around the median of those. Neither are 'broadband' for what we've come to love from our 1.5-5Mbps connections at home. In the sense of a true 3G network, there won't be one for some time in the US, from what I've read.

I read on Engadget Japan is testing a 4G network running 100mbps

Traditionally RIM has always released GSM models first, with CDMA later. I dont see an 8700 coming out for Verizon/Sprint anywhere near the Cingular release... but maybe that has changed.

Hope your wrong. I want the 8700 on Verizon.

From what I figure, the real problem is packet loss and/or lag time. When i teather my laptop to my BB it seems to be more inefficient than it does slow. I wonder what they can do to make GPRS/EDGE more efficient?

JIBI:
I understand what you mean, at the same time I have tried the Verizon EV-DO here in So Cal and it is pretty sweet. Maybe for gaming or uploading files it would present issues, but I was pleased when I tried it out. Also if you have been following the info on Cingular's solution UMTS (sp?) there has been discussion that Verizon can kick the throughput up another notch and plans to next spring. Thanks for the insite.

Interesting - when will there be new devices for use in Europe (GPRS)?! Any news about that?

JIBI;

I am a TMO customer who is waiting for the Electron. My contract is up and I am wondering for faster data transfer would I be better off going with another carrier with EV-DO or will TMO be able to stay in the race with the new release in Q1? I am a Grad Student who uses the 7100t for just about everything from office applications to games and browsing.

If this is the wrong place for this question sorry!

I havn't heard anything... but Vodafone got the 7100v, they might get something with the 8700... If so I would expect it to be out around the same time...

Given that the 7250 is apparently EVDO ready and this new 8700 series will most likely be EVDO too, does anyone think Verizon will release a EVDO update for the 7250? Or will they keep it 1xRTT so people upgrade to the 8700 series? I just bought my 7250 and am totally in love with it... as much as I like to get the latest and greatest technology I do not yet want to part with my 7250. I know that's how technology goes, buy it today, outdated tomorrow, but I'd just like to hold onto my 7250 for sedimental reasons. After all it popped my Blackcherry. (HAHA... is anyone going to get that lame joke? I still have my original Palm Vx... I can't get rid of it despite having owned four other PDA's since then; it was my first)