Stopped at an ATT store and the guy had no clue about the 9800. Was very unexcited about as well. That is where I see a major problem. There is no hoopla over this. Look at the local and national news when iPhone 4 came out. The Today show had reporters broadcasting live outside the stores. Look at the Evo the 2nd hottest phone and again all over the national news. Lets see if there is any national hoopla over the 9800? I have used BB for 10yrs (current 9630) and have been a die hard. But I want a phone that will make me want to keep it longer than 6-9mos. I have always told my sales team...Your customers perception is your reality! Right now the perception is RIM has boring corporate phones with no fun factor. Not slamming BB, but will this have the Wow factor the Evo has or the new Samsung Galaxy S?

I am not excited because us 96xx users can't get the phone. I will save my energy for OS 6.
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:( .. ugh.. more and more people seem disappointed.. surely.. the grass grows even greener on the other side right now..

Here's to hoping some miracle happens before the 12th comes.. >_<

From reading the reviews from the various outlets, there isn't that much to be excited about. From what I read, it appears to be a very ordinary device, targeted more at keeping their corporate clients as opposed to new consumer users.

And typically, the store people don't know that much about most of the devices they carry. they are typically younger people, more enamored with the flashy iPhone or Android devices.

Just my 2 cents worth.

First I think blackberry is choosing not to go poweress route like apple and android are rooting. Blackberry has better control in the enterprise markets, govt market, and then consumers. Blackberry messenger, secure email >triumphs other competitors. if you want hd recording and the fancy hoopla of being "entertained" then iphone and galaxy is for you. That is why AT&T offers all 3 + palm and the next leader of windows7 phone launch

Why do people need wow and fun in their phones? Phones are tools for communication, not shiny toys to show off.

I personally like the Torch. It gives the option of using the touch screen or the trackpad, which is nice and that they kept the keyboard instead of not having one like the Storm (big mistake).

I hope the Torch does well and that some people will be mature enough to see beyond wow, fun and bling and actually see that the Berry is a good workhorse that does what it's designed to do (communication) and does it well.

But these are SMARTphones. They're suppose to have some WOW factor in it..RIM has the capability to offer security with a fun factor :/ I know it! Imagine if the torch had higher specs(so bigger battery too!) and openGL support. with just those two I bet the phone would be amazing!

I use to think the same thing, and I still agree to a point, but If I'm shelling out a couple hundred and then some more monthly I want some wow. Especially since it's now available elsewhere.

On the bright side I shoudn't have any problem getting mine on the 12th.

Well, I'm eligible for my yearly upgrade on the 18th, so I'll get a Torch. It looks a little more exciting than the previous offereings - maybe it can even compete with the iPhone and Android.

Why does at&t allow more frequent upgrades for BlackBerrys? Because their build quality sucks. By the time the year rolls around, something isn't working on my phone.

I live in europe, and dying to get this phone!!!
Someone please enlighten me if it is possible to get this phone contract-free and how!

Thanks!

European markets in the next few weeks.
Wait a while.

As a long time BlackBerry enthusiast, I see RIM as having several issues. In the years prior to the launch of the Bold 9000, the model lineup contained a nice selection of form factors. Then they made the push into the consumer space with the Pearl and did well. Followed closely by the 83xx series, RIM did very well. Then they introduced the Bold 9000, followed shortly thereafter by the Storm, both of which were uncharacteristic of RIM. Bug ridden, and lacking proper support RIM's bubble began to leak. Almost as if in an act of desperation, they continued to pump out even more models of handsets than any right minded company would.*

Enter the iPhone brought to you by a shifty yet successful company that excels in marketing unlike almost any other company in the world. A company that is a veritable cash cow, based on premium pricing. Yes their products are beautifully styled and super model thin, but "Magical & Revolutionary", I don't think so.*Thus RIM found themselves up against a company that can sell millions & millions of anything with their logo on it.*

Fast forward to today, RIM has wasted so much time with their head in the sand, resting on their laurels of the past & waffling about their future direction, they've simply not kept up with changing market dynamics. Yes they _used_ to produce_ world class devices, and they still hold onto a decent share of the market, yet that too is shrinking.*

Will the 9800 do for RIM what needs to be done to spark interest in both consumer & enterprise segments of the industry? Only time will tell. I don't see it myself, I hope I'm wrong.*