Blackberry Bold 9700 Comes to Loving Arms of AT&T, T-Mobile

A lighter, slimmer and overall improved Blackberry smartphone, the Blackberry Bold 9700, is on the way to T-Mobile and AT&T subscribers. A sequel to the Blackberry Bold 9000 that debuted last year, the 9700 is an evolutionary product that doesn’t do anything mind-blowing, but glitz isn’t Research in Motion’s style anyway. Instead, you’re most likely to notice the Bold 9700’s touch-sensitive track pad, which replaces the often frustrating and breakage-prone trackball of the previous version. PC World says the new pad almost feels like a touch screen, as you can swipe a finger across the small square to flip through photos. Measurements are 4.3-by-2.4-by-0.6-inches thick, and the smartphone weighs in at 4.2 ounces. The keyboard is somewhat narrower than its predecessor, and now sports metal dividers to improve your grip on the right keys.

Now for some gritty details: The Bold 9700 has a 624 MHz processor — same as before — along with Wi-Fi and GPS. T-Mobile’s version lets you place calls over Wi-Fi, but no such luck with AT&T. You’d think AT&T would want all the help for its 3G network it can get, but whatever. Both phones support 3G, making this the first T-Mobile Blackberry to do so. Pricing and availability? No word on T-Mobile’s end, but AT&T’s version, available “in the coming weeks,” will cost $200 under contract after a $100 mail-in rebate. [via AT&T and PC World]