BlackBerry enthusiasts, "CrackBerry" addicts, and gadget-heads in the United States can now officially purchase Research in Motion's latest and greatest smartphone: the BlackBerry Bold 9700. I've used many BlackBerrys in my day, but this is almost my dream smartphone -- almost.
T-Mobile became the first U.S. carrier to offer RIM's new Bold smartphone when it listed the device for sale a couple weeks ago for $199.99 with a new, qualifying two-year wireless service contract. AT&T quickly followed suit, releasing its own version of the Bold 9700 to the masses a week later for the same exact price and contract commitment -- after a mail-in rebate.
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I've been using the T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700 for a few weeks now, and I'm nothing short of infatuated with the smartphone. It has nearly everything I want in a high-end device. It's reasonably priced -- the original BlackBerry Bold, the Bold 9000, was more expensive on its release more than a year ago and still sells for $199.99 on contract. And the 9700's just plain ol' good-lookin'.
