AT&T BlackBerry users looking to upgrade handsets this holiday season will have no shortage of options. The U.S. carrier has announced two brand-new BlackBerry smartphones: the entry-level BlackBerry Curve 8520 and the high-end BlackBerry Bold 9700.
The new Curve 8520 was released by T-Mobile in August, but AT&T will be the second U.S. carrier to offer the device. T-Mobile also beat AT&T to the Bold 9700 release; the T-Mobile Bold 9700 went on sale yesterday. AT&T is reportedly shipping Bold 9700 orders to its corporate customers, but "regular folk" will have to be patient until next Sunday, Nov. 22, when AT&T is expected to widely release the BlackBerry 9700.
[ Stay up on tech news and reviews from your smartphone at infoworldmobile.com. | Get the best iPhone apps for pros with our business iPhone apps finder. | See which smartphone is right for you in our mobile "deathmatch" calculator. ]
AT&T's BlackBerry Curve 8520 will retail for $99 after a mail-in rebate and two-year qualifying service agreement. The Bold 9700's priced at $200 after rebate and new service agreement.
While not exactly "brand new," the BlackBerry Curve is notable for a number of reasons, including the fact that it is the first Research in Motion (RIM) smartphone to feature the company's new optical trackpad for navigation, instead of the common track ball found on the majority of existing BlackBerry models. (Curious why the low-end Curve was first to get the new trackpad? Find out here.)
The Curve 8520 sports eight more features not found in any other RIM smartphone that came before it, as well.
The Bold 9700 also has the new BlackBerry trackpad, and it's just AT&T's second 3G BlackBerry -- the Bold 9000 was the first. The new Bold packs all the functionality of the BlackBerry 9000 and more into a smaller, sleeker package.
For more on the BlackBerry Curve 8520, read "How to Tell if the New BlackBerry Curve 8520 is for You."
And you can check out a T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700 unboxing on CIO.com.
Visit AT&T's Web site for more information on both the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and the Bold 9700.
Don't forget to be part of the InfoWorld Mobile Patrol: Send in your tips, complaints, news, and ideas to comments@infoworldmobile.com. Thanks!
Al Sacco writes for CIO.com, an InfoWorld affiliate.