[NJBlackBerry]

Friday October 3, 4:13 pm ET

By Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer

AT&T still testing delayed high-end BlackBerry to avoid iPhone-like problems, RIM says

NEW YORK (AP) -- A delayed top-of-the-line BlackBerry phone from Research in Motion Ltd. is still undergoing testing by AT&T Inc., and RIM's co-CEO implied that the carrier wants to avoid the chorus of complaints about performance that greeted the new iPhone this summer.

AT&T and RIM said in May that the BlackBerry Bold 9000 would go on sale in the U.S. this summer, but it's not available, and no date has been announced. It is on sale in some foreign markets.

RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said Thursday that the phone is still undergoing the certification process in which AT&T tests all new handsets to make sure they work well on its wireless network.

"There's great scrutiny, as you might know, on that network and a certain device. So I guess everyone wants to be sure on every last test," Lazaridis told The Associated Press.

Apple Inc.'s iPhone 3G went on sale in July, with AT&T as the sole U.S. carrier. Customers soon started complaining of slow data downloads and dropped calls on some units. AT&T and Apple have not directly acknowledged a problem, but Apple has released a software update that was supposed to improve performance. The majority of iPhones appear to be working well.

Lazaridis appeared confident that the Bold would not be subject to the iPhone's problems.

"We're very meticulous about what our product does," he said.

AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel would not confirm that the Bold was still in testing and said only that it would come out this year.

The delay of the Bold has weighed on RIM's stock. Because of the postponement, the company now will be launching several new phones at once in the coming months. Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM said last week that expenses from those rollouts would eat into short-term profits.

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry

Lazaridis appeared confident that the Bold would not be subject to the iPhone's problems.

I should hope not. Doesn't it have enough of it's own problems?

[JvKintheUSA]

The longer it takes, the less guilty I feel for buying one full price from Rogers

[holden]

Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry

Friday October 3, 4:13 pm ET

By Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer

AT&T still testing delayed high-end BlackBerry to avoid iPhone-like problems, RIM says

NEW YORK (AP) -- A delayed top-of-the-line BlackBerry phone from Research in Motion Ltd. is still undergoing testing by AT&T Inc., and RIM's co-CEO implied that the carrier wants to avoid the chorus of complaints about performance that greeted the new iPhone this summer.

AT&T and RIM said in May that the BlackBerry Bold 9000 would go on sale in the U.S. this summer, but it's not available, and no date has been announced. It is on sale in some foreign markets.

RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said Thursday that the phone is still undergoing the certification process in which AT&T tests all new handsets to make sure they work well on its wireless network.

"There's great scrutiny, as you might know, on that network and a certain device. So I guess everyone wants to be sure on every last test," Lazaridis told The Associated Press.

Apple Inc.'s iPhone 3G went on sale in July, with AT&T as the sole U.S. carrier. Customers soon started complaining of slow data downloads and dropped calls on some units. AT&T and Apple have not directly acknowledged a problem, but Apple has released a software update that was supposed to improve performance. The majority of iPhones appear to be working well.

Lazaridis appeared confident that the Bold would not be subject to the iPhone's problems.

"We're very meticulous about what our product does," he said.

AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel would not confirm that the Bold was still in testing and said only that it would come out this year.

The delay of the Bold has weighed on RIM's stock. Because of the postponement, the company now will be launching several new phones at once in the coming months. Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM said last week that expenses from those rollouts would eat into short-term profits.

Thanks for the update...!

[kaiso]

Originally Posted by JvKintheUSA

The longer it takes, the less guilty I feel for buying one full price from Rogers

Ditto my friend

[RadHaz75]

Originally Posted by John Clark

I should hope not. Doesn't it have enough of it's own problems?

at least the bold has network management. i can't remember the source, but i saw somewhere it takes 20 bolds to match the network use of 1 iphone.

and siegels shun to even the comment only further infuriates me . just freaking knowledge SOMETHING! sick of field questions about it? then give us an update instead of smoke and mirrors.

[JG in SB]

Originally Posted by RadHaz75

at least the bold has network management. i can't remember the source, but i saw somewhere it takes 20 bolds to match the network use of 1 iphone.

Might also have something to do with "user management" of the device in question. Me, sending and receiving a bunch of E-mails on my BB for work probably is not going to use near as much bandwith as the little high school girl spending all day browsing her friend's MySpace pages and doing web searches for the latest breaking news about Leonardo DiCaprio's love life while downloading the latest artist Apple is pimping on iTunes. Too bad the network doesn't have enough bandwidth to accomodate both of our "needs".

[BryanHarig]

iPhone isnt the problem here, it is using less data then AT&T anticipated ( AT&T CTO reveals iPhone 3G data usage lower than expected (Updated) ). AT&T's reluctance to invest in their network led to insufficient capacity and poor stability. IIRC they completely paused 3g investments for the entire year while transforming from Cingular to AT&T. You cant penny pinch like that and expect to roll out a quality network.

[djransom]

Some testers of the phone have stated the main culprit of the delays are the software as well as hardware. Hopefully we'll see the phone soon with the launch parties starting as soon as next Thursday.

[netPOSER]

It feels like the Bold is already old news and seems like an "older" Blackberry model and it's not even out yet. WTF?

[Sith_Apprentice]

Originally Posted by djransom

Some testers of the phone have stated the main culprit of the delays are the software as well as hardware. Hopefully we'll see the phone soon with the launch parties starting as soon as next Thursday.

Its nothing to do with the device at this point. The network cannot handle it, pure and simple. The iPhone guzzles 3G, and with the AT&T network not being as expansive/stable as other 3G networks around the world. RIM has stated time and time again the device is ready, even releasing it MONTHS before on other networks.

[justajason]

Originally Posted by Sith_Apprentice

Its nothing to do with the device at this point. The network cannot handle it, pure and simple. The iPhone guzzles 3G, and with the AT&T network not being as expansive/stable as other 3G networks around the world. RIM has stated time and time again the device is ready, even releasing it MONTHS before on other networks.

I totally aggree.. At this point, its as if they are afraid of it. I personaly am about to eay my words, and buy from someone here on the boards. Im really not so sure, I want to advertise for Att anymore by allowing them to have a logo on my phone.

Im still afraid that they are going to start charging for the "extra bandwidth".......

Does anyone else feel sheisted? Or are my anti-psychotics not working....

[Sith_Apprentice]

The plans will be the same, and will include Cellular Video. BlackBerryNews.com has the story on that.

[ifonline]

Originally Posted by Sith_Apprentice

The plans will be the same, and will include Cellular Video. BlackBerryNews.com has the story on that.

Since I am now awaiting my Rogers Bold for AT&T, I wonder how I will be able to get onto the Cellular Video bandwagon... will I need to do anything? I don't expect this will be available until AT&T actually releases the Bold, but I wonder if I will need to do anything at that point.

[lraed74]

I'm thinking a 50% discount for those who actually wait till AT&T releases it. Also you have to factor in the Storm equation, which demotes Bold to #2

[ArgonNJ]

Originally Posted by lraed74

I'm thinking a 50% discount for those who actually wait till AT&T releases it. Also you have to factor in the Storm equation, which demotes Bold to #2

The Bold is already old news. The Storm is all everyone is talking about now. AT&T will be getting last weeks catch of the day.

[Sith_Apprentice]

Originally Posted by ifonline

Since I am now awaiting my Rogers Bold for AT&T, I wonder how I will be able to get onto the Cellular Video bandwagon... will I need to do anything? I don't expect this will be available until AT&T actually releases the Bold, but I wonder if I will need to do anything at that point.

Actually it works now if you have the proper plan on the Bold. I watch my news every day on it.

[ifonline]

What's the proper plan? Besides, AT&T was supposed to offer this service free for Bold subscribers, right?

Also, just out of curiosity, what shows up on the AT&T account management page when you look at your account? Since I have the Curve right now, the Curve shows up on my account page. What happens when I add the Bold from Rogers? I assume the account management page won't know what device that is since AT&T hasn't released it yet?

[JG in SB]

Originally Posted by ifonline

Also, just out of curiosity, what shows up on the AT&T account management page when you look at your account? Since I have the Curve right now, the Curve shows up on my account page. What happens when I add the Bold from Rogers? I assume the account management page won't know what device that is since AT&T hasn't released it yet?

It will still show your Curve. The little icon won't match your phone, but all of your plan details will be correct. At least this was my experience when I switched to my current BB 8800 from my Palm Treo650. The strange thing is that I purchased the BB 8800 from AT&T, so there is no reason why they would not have been able to update my phone to show correctly. It is not like I was using some "unauthorized" handset. I called them about three times on this, and they never fixed it. Then, at some point, they did, because a few months ago, the correct BB8800 device shows up.

I suspect that when I get my Bold, it will probably still show that I am using a BB 8800 until I bother them about it. Similarly, if you go and get a Rogers Bold, unlock it, and then use it on AT&T, I suspect that after AT&T releases the Bold, you can call them and they will update your account screen to show that you are using a Bold.

[ifonline]

Good point. Certainly not a big deal, just curious what is going to happen tomorrow when I register the Bold on the network and call AT&T with the new ESN (or whatever the serial number is).