New BlackBerry Alert: BlackBerry Bold 9650, Pearl 3G

RIM‘s announcement at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium that it’s rolling out two new BlackBerrys which will be available in May, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 and the Pearl 3G, probably won’t get the same wall-to-wall coverage in the tech press as the latest bit of iPhone or Android ephemera, but for a decent chunk of the population, it’s arguably bigger news.

Let’s face it: For all the hoopla attracted by the iPhone and by every Android release under the sun, there’s a certain segment of the smartphone-wielding population that will always swear its allegiances to the BlackBerry. In some more staid locales like Washington, D.C., the BlackBerry is still king, and while it’s definitely clunkier and less app-friendly than the hipper smartphones, the keyboard, BBM, and actual multitasking have given the BlackBerry real edges that are all too often overlooked.

While the tuneups to the Bold and Pearl lines aren’t earth-shattering, they’re definitely welcome, and in light of Google’s confirmation that there will be no Nexus One for Verizon, could make it easier for some iPhone- and HTC Incredible-wary Verizon customers to pull the trigger.

A few key takeaways for each phone: The BlackBerry Bold 9650 has high-speed 3G, a full QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad (this is better than the old Bold’s rolly-ball), 512 MB Flash memory, and a 3.2 megapixel camera.

The BlackBerry Pearl 3G, for its part, is tiny and lightweight (it weighs 3.3 ounces), but it’s still got high-speed 3G, GPS, a 624 Mhz processor with 256 MB Flash memory, a 3.2 megapixel camera, an optical trackpad, and is the first BlackBerry of any kind to support 802.11n Wi-Fi.

No pricing details for either phone, and while a hard release date hasn’t been set, we’re told they’ll be coming in May.

Press releases for the Bold 9650 and Pearl 3G, respectively, with full specs:

RIM Introduces the New BlackBerry Bold 9650 Smartphone

CDMA customers get a bold new choice with powerhouse 3G smartphone that offers premium features and performance together with popular keyboard and trackpad, as well as support for Wi-Fi and high-speed 3G networks around the world

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 smartphone – the latest addition to the BlackBerry Bold portfolio of premium smartphones.  Sophisticated, powerful and feature-rich, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 is a global smartphone for CDMA customers who want to stay connected, productive and entertained.

“The new BlackBerry Bold 9650 is an extraordinary smartphone that we think customers will love,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “Whether at work or at play, the new BlackBerry Bold 9650 offers a truly impressive communications, multimedia and connectivity experience.”

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone supports 3G (EVDO) networks in North America and (HSPA/UMTS) abroad and has a full-QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad and built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g), which makes it possible to talk on the phone while browsing the web or sending and receiving email. The BlackBerry Bold 9650 also includes 512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB microSDHC cards, with a 2 GB card included.

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 fuses form and function in a striking design and, in addition to providing premium phone and multimedia features, it of course delivers the industry’s leading mobile solution for email, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking.

Other key features of the BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone include:

• Stylish design (4.4” x 2.4” x .56” and 4.8 oz.) with glossy black finish and chrome highlights
• Large (2.44”) high-resolution display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi), able to display pictures, videos and web pages with impressive contrast and detail
• 3.2 MP camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
• Advanced media player for videos, pictures and music, a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth® Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
• BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as  iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*
• Easy mobile access to Facebook®, MySpace and Flickr®, as well as popular instant messaging services including BlackBerry® Messenger
• Support for BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
• Full HTML web browser, streaming audio and video via RTSP
• Built-in GPS with support for geotagging, BlackBerry® Maps and other mapping applications
• Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.1).
• Support for high-speed EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America, as well as UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad
• Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery for 5 hours of CDMA talk time

RIM Introduces the New BlackBerry Pearl 3G Smartphone

What do you want in a mobile phone? Small? Stylish? Fast? Full-featured? How about all of the above?

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the new BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G, the smallest BlackBerry® smartphone yet. Despite its impressively compact and elegant design, this stylish new handset is a powerful 3G BlackBerry smartphone with uncompromising performance and top–of-the-line features, including all the industry-leading BlackBerry® email, messaging and social networking capabilities that so many people love.

“The BlackBerry Pearl 3G is unlike any other smartphone in the world and we expect a broad range of new and existing customers will be drawn to its powerful features and compact design,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “Considering the fast growing consumer interest in smartphones and the fact that more than three-quarters of the people in the global mobile phone market are still buying handsets with a traditional alphanumeric keypad, we think the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G addresses a substantial market opportunity. It allows consumers to upgrade their traditional mobile phone to a full-featured, easy-to-use and fashionable 3G BlackBerry smartphone that supports BlackBerry Messenger and many other apps while maintaining a handset design and layout that is familiar and comfortable.”

The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is a marvel of engineering and design excellence. It’s as powerful as it is compact. Measuring less than two inches wide (50 mm) and weighing only 3.3 ounces (93g), it still manages to pack in support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks, Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) and GPS along with a powerhouse processor that drives visually stunning images on the sharp, high-resolution display. It also features an optical trackpad for smooth navigation, dedicated volume and media keys for added convenience, a 3.2 MP camera with flash for quality pictures on the go, and support for up to 32 GB of personal content.

Key features of the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone include:

• Elegant candybar design measuring 4.25″ x 1.96″ x 0.52″ (108mm x 50 mm x 13.3 mm) and weighing only 3.3 oz (93 grams)
• 624 Mhz processor with 256 MB Flash memory
• 360×400 sharp-resolution display (238 ppi)
• Optical trackpad that makes navigation fast and smooth, plus a comfortable keyboard that enables quick and accurate typing
• Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 30 hours), plus dedicated media keys integrated along top of the handset
• 3.2 MP camera with zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording*
• Built-in GPS for location-based applications such as BlackBerry® Maps, as well as photo geotagging
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) – first BlackBerry smartphone to support ‘n’
• microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards
• Premium phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including systems that support the emerging Bluetooth Message Access Profile standard) and other Bluetooth accessories
• Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
• Support for BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone**
• BlackBerry® OS 5
• Support for tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
• Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks

The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone will be available in two models and several lustrous colors. The 9100 model features a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard and the 9105 model features a 14-key traditional phone keyboard. Both models include SureType® software that can complete words as the user types, making texting fast and accurate. The BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is expected to launch with various carriers beginning in May. Check with individual carriers for details about availability and pricing. For more information visit www.blackberry.com/pearl3G.

(via BGR.)