Blackberry Bold About to be Released

[Magnus]

After being announced some months ago, the Blackberry Bold seems set to be released any day now. Canada July 29, UK August 1, Germany August 4, and more to follow, says the latest reports.

Blackberry Bold is expected to be an important competitor to iPhone 3G.

Some stores have it available for pre-order with a price tag around $700 and expected shipping middle of August.

[gajanan]

Sweet ! Since morning i am hunting for info on blackberry but i think i am running a blind chase. I have no knowledge of how this system works (in UAE) and elsewhere. But the thing is with the Blackberry Thunder / Storm / 9500 coming after bold is it sense to wait for the 9500 than to just go for the 9000 ?

When does etisalat usually release new phones by blackberry in the UAE market ? Another blunder would be me having a du number, and du does not provide blackberry service yet i imagine. Are there any services from du that i am unaware of ? Plus, what if i get the blackberry from etisalat can i use it with any other sim (like instance du, if they come up with blackberry) or is it locked to etisalat network.

Too many questions and alot of excitement to see how this baby runs in the market before i get it.

[fangpyre]

Does an unlocked Blackberry work with Etisalat's BB service?
Or do you have to buy it from them?

Du has started offering BB.
But would you want to?
The whole idea of having a BB is constant connection.
By definition that contradicts Du.

My friend was visiting Dubai for 7-10 days.
He got a Du, then gave up on it and got Etisalat.
Can you take that for years?
Can you business survive that if you need a constant connection?

BTW, Panda Hypermarket is selling an unlocked Blackberry.
I don't know which one or for how much.
But it had the "no return, no warranty, no exchange" clause on it.

[gajanan]

Hmm interesting. Well the reason i want to go for a BB is for say constant connectivity, and nothing more. I don't own a business and i don't have much need to check emails. I am happy being a web programmer (saves me all the tension ). But the geek within me cant stay quite for long.

True that du has a bad reputation in the initial teething stages of a new provider setup, but i see its all resolved now. The customer service is as always the same old story like any other in dubai. Going hunting on the web i found that du announced BB plans in May start, still i see no plans / pages / prices on their website, so this is something that could rise up questions about being better or at least competent with etisalat.

Then again, thinking about "needing du as a BB provider" is also a priority as i really don't want to have one existing number from du for my office and friends and another one just for blackberry from etisalat.

If as a corporate person i decide to go for BB, then it would surely be etisalat. I wouldn't want to miss out on emails on the go. What models do they have at hyperpanda tho ? Will go and have a look in the weekend. But "no return, no warranty, no exchange" is something i would stay away from.

[Magnus]

Does an unlocked Blackberry work with Etisalat's BB service?
Or do you have to buy it from them?

Unlock Berry works just fine. My first Berry with Etisalat was one bought on eBay, it was on AT&T but unlocked. Since then I've used two other Berries bought from Etisalat.

[Magnus]

Apparently Tiger Direct has it for preorder for $650, delivery September. Considering it's almost August, that's not too bad. Unlocked and everything of course, so should work fine on Etisalat.

[gajanan]

Is it ok to trust this site magnus ? Have you pre ordered.

Plus what if i use my "normal" pay as you go du sim with the blackberry ? it would still act as a normal mobile rite ? unless i specify a mailbox etc ? Will it blindly start making internet data connections or can i control it ?

[Magnus]

Is it ok to trust this site magnus ? Have you pre ordered.

Plus what if i use my "normal" pay as you go du sim with the blackberry ? it would still act as a normal mobile rite ? unless i specify a mailbox etc ? Will it blindly start making internet data connections or can i control it ?

I've used Tiger Direct before and haven't had any problems. Yes, if you use a non-Berry SIM you have to have a regular data plan and will be charged accordingly. How it connects (how often etc) I'm not exactly sure though.

I have not preordered but I am very tempted. Will probably wait at least until it's out somewhere in the world so we can start seeing some reviews.

[baarlaar]

So Magnus you confirm that all unlocked BB from outside are working with Etisalat BES?


If that is the case then i will buy a Bold from the internet aswell.

I have given up hope on a data plan for iPhone. Haram, because it was a nice piece of toy.

Thanks already for your reply

[Magnus]

So Magnus you confirm that all unlocked BB from outside are working with Etisalat BES?

No unfortunately I can't confirm that 100% but it's my understanding that's how it is (at least with BIS, not sure about BES). As I mentioned before I bought an unlocked Berry from the US (it was labeled AT&T) and it worked fine on Etisalat. Just enabled Berry service for the SIM, registered the Berry's PIN, and that was it.