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The BlackBerry Bold 9900 could line UK shelves around mid- to late August, according to online retailers. That’s about one month earlier than its previously announced release date.
While the touchscreen-toting mobile was supposed to emerge on 15 September, tech site Know Your Mobile spotted Clove listing the 9900 with a ‘late August’ release date, and the Carphone Warehouse touting an ‘August 2011’ due date.
BlackBerry manufacturer RIM is stepping up its game with the 9900. A stainless steel frame envelops the slimmest BlackBerry ever devised — the 9900 measures just 10.5mm thick.
As well as the standard BlackBerry Qwerty keyboard, the 9900 packs a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen, which, powered by a 1.2GHz processor, outputs 60 glorious frames per second.
Around the back, there’s a 5-megapixel camera capable of capturing 720p video. The back cover is also made of something called ‘glass-weave’, which certainly sounds fancy.
The 9900 will introduce BlackBerry 7 OS, a new version of the BlackBerry operating system. Hopefully, this software will give the platform the devilishly charming makeover it so sorely needs.
An August release would see the 9900 emerge before the upcoming iPhone 5, which would probably prove a boon to RIM. Otherwise, the 9900 might get lost amid the iPhone frenzy.
The 9900 is expected to be available on contract from O2, Three and Vodafone.
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