Update on Bold:

its made a reapperance this morning on:

Pay monthly mobile phones - the Orange shop

also: BlackBerry Bold new mobile phones from the Orange shop

is working too... still not managed to get a defo answer that it will launch tomorrow out of anybody @ Orange yet. will keep trying :D

But still no definitive pricing, but that other link was showing cashback deals and everything! I hope the Orange store offer similar pricing. I'm not fussed about cashback but I'm hoping for a free bold on a £35-£40 a month tariff!

Also, if any of you work near an Orange Shop, did you know you get 10% off your line rental?

I've been offered 10% off my rental as part of an upgrade deal.. but i've been holding out till the bold hits the shops..

i might do an extra for smashmystuff.com - Q up, get a bold.. then smash it to bits and stick it on youchube

of course... nobody would do that.. would they??

O used to be the best most innovative and most competitely priced network around with the best CS - now they're rubbish. Poor reception, expensive, terrible roaming rates, and CS is shocking like all other networks. I was with them for 5 years. I am now with O2 who have been much much better. I also understand O's 3G network to be the least sophisticated of the 4 big MNOs in the UK, with TMob/3 being the best, followed by Voda, O2 then O.

Voda are commonly thought to have the widest 3G coverage in UK, but I'm sure o2 would disagree. And Voda's CS is usually first class.

Not even a free Bold would make me migrate to Orange.

Likewise - My wife is on O now, and considering a Bold, but the downside of being stuck with O for another 18 months makes it worthwhile holding on a few weeks.

For me, I'd rather pay £400 sim-free than go to O.....

Cheers for the input guys. Been out of contract for 2 months now and I'm itching for a new phone so, I'll try not to have any IDs with me this weekend :/

I don't find Orange coverage to be that poor. I have o2 and T-Mobile phones and cannot get o2 coverage particularly well in my basement. I prefer T-Mobile datacards but Orange are the only network to offer services such as Single Number (a second SIM for car or 2nd handset) use that works with data. They also offer Enhanced Line 2 which works with the BlackBerry OS. Two separate numbers for calls and texts on the one handset. Orange and Vodafone are partnering to share their 3g networks.

I've got a SIM free Bold on order from Misco but if Orange get them first, I'll buy mine from there. I'm only half way through a 24 month contract so will have to pay near full price for it, but would have to anyway. It's an expense so I am not bothered. I just want the thing!

If its coming this weekend, they are obviously not letting on!!!


System@Orange: Welcome, we'll be right with you.
System@Orange: Robin C has joined this session!
System@Orange: Connected with Robin C
Robin C@Orange: Hello, I'm Robin. Can I take your first name please?
You: Hi, its John
Robin C@Orange: Hello John, how can I help you today?
You: I'm really interested in the Blackberry Bold, could you tell me when I could get one?
Robin C@Orange: I'm afraid we don't know when we'll have the Bold in stock, if you click on "email me" and fill in your details then we'll send you an email when it comes in stock.
You: oh ok, so it will definately not be this weekend, as the papers have been reporting?
Robin C@Orange: Although I've heard that as well to be completely honest we don't know over web chat when we'll have it in stock, it's possible we will have it in stock by the weekend.
You: ok, thats cool, I've just been waiting ages!



Argh!!!

I passed by 3 stores today - all of them said the same thing. No idea but expecting it in the next few days.

Only 1 store had a dummy and that was a business store up in the City.

Thing is, you would have thought if it was coming this weekend, someone at Orange would have sent prices etc to the stores and the insiders would have passed it on..

Wirelessly posted

http://pressoffice.orange.co.uk/Cont...6&NewsAreaID=2

Yeah!!! Some confirmation!

I've asked my local Orange store to phone me if they get a Bold in tomorrow because if they do I will be in to buy it.

This is a quote from a poster in vodafone's forum:

What's funny is that I got a text today from Voda to remind me that I'm due for an upgrade, looks like I'm ordering my PAC instead.

Looks genuine enough! Looks like a trip down to Orange tomorrow!

The link from the previous page for buymobilephones.net has a list of prices including the Bold free on the dolphin £25 18month tariff. Too good to be true?

How can they have pricing when Orange haven't even launched it yet?

hrm.. spoke to orange @ trafford ctr - and he was cagey as **** :-\ lol

LMAO and Meadowhall say its november, and the press release is wrong!!!!! :D : D: D: D: :D

Wirelessly posted

Fingers crossed. I'll be scouring the Orange site at midnight to see if anything's been launched.

I should imagine 8am or something...all the bold stuff wasn't their at 1am this morning, but was when I got to work at 8.30ish lol

I'm on it too. I banged on that site so many times today it's ridiculous.

Apparently the BlackBerry Bold is out now on Orange UK

Still coming soon on Orange website :/

Anyone been to a store yet?

I got a call that there in at my shop. I reserved one and am on my way to pick it up! Yahoo.

Nice!

My local Orange shop has them, but then fed me some crap about only for new connections at the moment. So, the irony is that I could get one, coming from O2, but my wife who's been an O customer for 10 years will have to wait till next week if she wants one. I'm sure that's a retail ploy (ie a call to O CS would get an upgrade sent out, but still....).

See - that's the new Orange way: screw your loyal customer base on the basis they won't move in order to lure new customers in. It's one of the reasons I left (and I spend approx. £60-£150 a month with my primary line). O2 have always given me huge deals and I've never had to wait for an upgrade for them to drag in other customers first.

Just phoned 3 different stores around Birmingham. Got an Answering machine each time. Left a message, lets see if any of them call back.

p.s. It pisses me off that they've all got 0870.... numbers, costs a hell of a lot to phone from your phone. Cant they just have the normal 0121 numbers !

There are in. I just Got on at the Orange Paddington shop.

wicked! that's not far from me. How is the 3G signal?

Just trying it out now. It looks good so far but I'll have to do more testing. This is a crucial point point for me - as my old 8820 on Orange NEVER had any EDGE in all of London!!

That's what I'm worried about but sounds encouraging so, keep on testing please. I'm spoiled with Vodafone's 3G.

Any case in the box? no case listed in the contents mentioned on the site.

BTW, hope you enjoy your new toy!

Yes, it came with a small slip case. For me it better than the old belt case as I don't put the BB on my belt - but that's just me. The BB automatically goes off in the slip case.

So far it is snappier when surfing but still testing.

Thanks

Anyone tracked any down in Birmingham (UK) ?

The Bold from Orange UK comes with the following games:

Brickbeaker
Word Mole
Texas Hold'em King 2
Sudoku
Klondike

Wirelessly posted

Went to try one this morning. Keypad not very nice - akin to the 8800 and not as easy to use as the Curve. Other buttons are about the same. Side buttons and top difficult to use. Love the oversized menu buttons.

Screen was fantastic, OS was very very snappy indeed and generally a lovely device. Video looked excellent on it and sounded excellent on the powerful speakers it has.

Wife was not impressed at all by the size and heft over the Curve.

So far It surfs quite quickly. My 'wireless coverage indicator' in the upper right corner of the display says 3G (I'm in London, near Paddington). Such a relief after a year of GPRS only.

Hi All

I just bought my Bold at the Fargate, Sheffield Orange shop.

Coming from a Nokia N95, its a lovely piece of kit.

One question? Anyone noticed that the navigation software is missing?

Orange UK don't include BB Maps in their devices. If you want to put it on yourself see http://www.blackberryforums.com/gps-...lackberry.html

However I haven't done this with a Bold.