We knew it was just a matter of time, but thankfully we didn’t have to wait too long for Verizon to announce that it will join Sprint in offering the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9650.
The carrier revealed Wednesday that the Wi-Fi-enabled Bold will be available for purchase online starting June 3 and in stores June 10 for $149.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate (that’s $50 less than Sprint’s model if you’re keeping track). Much like the Sprint version, it is a world phone and supports international 3G bands.
In addition, the Bold 9650 will be the first device to support Verizon’s GlobalAccess Connect service, which allows you to use the Bold as a tethered modem while abroad. Plans start at $65 per month with a 5GB data cap in the U.S. and Canada (5 cents per MB overage fee) and 100MB allowance in select countries ($5.12 per MB overage fee).
The Bold 9650 is also compatible with a number of other carrier services, including push-to-talk and VZ Navigator (both domestic and global), and features an optical trackpad, a 3.2-megapixel camera, 512MB Flash memory, and Bluetooth 2.1. Verizon will also offer a camera-less version of the smartphone.