Not only did we get a glimpse of a new device this week, but we saw it in many different forms. You know it’s not a major device when we get initial pictures, video, and more sets of pictures in the same week. Still, it’s something up RIM’s sleeve. We have that, plus what should amount to some big news about the 9800.
RIM working on the Bold 9780 w/ OS 6
That’s the first image we saw of the BlackBerry Bold 9780, courtesy of Salomondrin, who has been on a roll lately. We heard about this device a few months ago, and as expected it looks like a Bold 9700 refresh. The reason? The Bold 9700 has just 256MB of RAM, meaning it can’t run OS 6. As you can see from the home screen in this picture, the 9780 runs OS 6.
Later in the week Driphter came in with more pics. But it wasn’t until later in the week that they hit us with some additional excellence. They found some nice, full-body shots of the 9780, plus a video.
We haven’t heard when the Bold 9780 will drop, but I can’t imagine it’s too far behind the 9800.
Tip of the week: Speed up your BlackBerry browser. Because no one wants to deal with the load bar crawling along.
Signs point to 9800 announcement on August 3
When you get one of these in your email, you tend to get quite excited.
AT&T and RIM? Can it be anything other than the 9800? Sure, I guess it could be. But considering all the hype we’ve consumed over the last couple of months, and with the hints RIM itself has already dropped, it seems like a fair enough bet. We’ll be there, city rats that we are, and will try to get information out as it is announced. Given the number of places I’ve seen this invitation posted, I imagine it will be quite a crowded scene.
Want another sign that the 9800 is close? As BBLeaks reports, developers have been given the green light to submit their 9800 apps for App World. We’ve heard that there are plenty of 9800 demo units floating around to developers, so this makes plenty of sense.
The OS 6 home screen
There is plenty new going on in OS 6, but thankfully we have people on the inside bringing us that information. At Inside BlackBerry, Douglas Soltys talks to director of UX research Joey Benedek, who discusses, at length, the OS 6 home screen. It’s definitely worth the read — it reveals so much.
To me, the best part comes at the end when Benedek mentions that the Notification Dropdown is his favorite aspect of the new home screen. I love the notification dropdown on my Nexus One. It’s one of the best features of the Android platform. I’m going to love having that on my BlackBerry, too.
And if you’re a 9650 fan, you can check out some screenshots of OS 6 on a non-touch device.
Roundup
- Check out our review of Calendar Pro. It’s a performance enhancer for your native calendar and tasks apps. We’re giving away 15 licenses, so make sure to leave a comment there.
- Is RIM working on a landscape slider? Maybe. BBLeaks has the patent information, though this is not the first time we’ve seen file a patent for a landscape slider.
- BlackBerry a threat to national security? I guess it depends on what country we’re talking about.
- Virtual Vault stores your BIS email. Good for backingup emails without taking up device memory.
- Apparently RIM bought BlackPad.com. This has everyone thinking that’s the upcoming tablet’s name. Maybe it is. But I don’t think domain registration is definitive enough an indicator.
