Posts tagged RIM Rumors
Bold 9700a Codenamed Onyx Delta?
Jun 5th
LouiV over at BBleaks wrote an article about a possible BlackBerry Onyx Delta. This supposed device is said to include 512MB memory and a 5 Megapixel camera. CrackBerry has also heard a rumor that this device will come with an updated processor that can support OpenGL. BerryReview posted the link to the 9700a UAProf doc that LouiV was referring to. When the document was originally discovered in April, it was thought to be a possible BlackBerry slider because of the listed screen resolution. Soon after, it was somewhat forgotten about when all the 9800 slider news came about.
Now it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see RIM release an updated Onyx device after seeing Verizon update the Tour 9630 to the Tour 9650 Bold 9650 in less than a years time. BlackBerry 6 does run on the 9700, but is it possible that carriers will not be releasing it for the 9700 so RIM can push a newer device on consumers?
Now, there are a couple of strange things about this document which keep it in the very shaky rumor category:
1. RIM has never released 2 devices with different specs under the same model #. If the document showed something like 9710, it would make much more sense.
2. The resolution is showing 360×480 which would suggest the screen would sit in the portrait position as opposed to the current 9700’s 480×360 landscape positioned screen. This would result in a different form factor. As far as RIM’s device models go, a different form factor would mean the model would not be a 97xx.
If an updated Onyx device turns out to be coming in the near future, many Bold 9700 users will soon be in the same boat Tour 9630 users are now in. How would you feel about this if you recently purchased a Bold 9700 under contract? In addition, if this turns out to be the case, where does that leave the Storm 2? Hmmm….
Now we’re not jumping the gun yet. There’s really not enough solid information to say the 9700a will be the sequel to the Bold 9700 and how soon it will be released if ever. This will all have to sit in the rumor category for the time being. Stay tuned to see if any more info unfolds.
Sources: BBLeaks, CrackBerry, BerryReview
Bye Bye Storm?
Feb 23rd
Ever read a news story and, without any inside knowledge, think “that’s never going to happen”? Well I just did, after reading an article about the discontinuation of the Storm by RIM.
I mean, we can play the tabloid game (you know like when a “newspaper” says something like “Batchild Born” and the story is about Adam West – he played the best Batman ever- and his wife giving birth to a baby boy) and read too much into this. Maybe they’re discontinuing the 9530/9500 Storm. Or maybe they’re going to pull a “the Tour2 is actually the Bold 9650” word game switcheroo. It’s even possible that the Storm 3 is such a revamp that it barely resembles the current Storm phones.
I’m willing to accept that I don’t know what RIM is planning – mostly because I truly don’t – but it’s going to take some good reasoning to convince me that they’re doing away with the Storm line. For RIM to truly compete in the consumer market, they NEED to have a touchscreen device. Otherwise, people are going to run to Android and the iPhone like extras in a Godzilla movie.
I just think it would be RIM-arkably (sorry, too tempting) stupid to do away with the Storm line, unless you’ve got something better to replace it.
To be fair, it’s all just rumors (and we all know how much those change – and how quickly) but this could get really interesting over the next few months.
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