RIM announces availability of BlackBerry Bold 9900 in Asia
(Credit: RIM)
However, reports soon surfaced in June that the Bold 9900 would be delayed till September. This looks to be true, as today, RIM announced that the smartphone will be available in stores from September 1 in Singapore, having previously made a global announcement of five new BlackBerry 7 OS devices.
Over in Indonesia, RIM has announced that it will be available late September for 5,999,000 Rupiah (S$846). The phone is expected to do well there and the slightly later launch should not affect the popularity of the handset. According to Gregory Wade, RIM's East Asia regional managing director, Indonesia has "50 million middle class individuals" and the company is anticipating "150 million people in the middle class by 2014".
RIM claims a number one position there due to this support (based on GfK data), and ideally the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 will help further cement this spot. IDC data based on smartphone shipments at the end of 2010 also indicate a similar position, with RIM showing an impressive 82.5% market share then.
The company hasn't revealed availability for Malaysia and Thailand but we have word that an announcement will be made next week. Also, we understand that there will be two more BlackBerry smartphones for a total of seven new devices (to fit the BlackBerry 7 OS theme, of course).
BlackBerry 7 OS preview
The upcoming BlackBerry Torch 9860 and 9810 running BlackBerry 7 OS.
(Credit: Jacqueline Seng/CNET Asia)
Other tweaks include "Liquid Graphics" technology for a more responsive touch interface and better graphical performance. The Social Feeds app gets an update that also lets it pull media and podcasts into a single view. The Facebook app will also feature BBM integration.
Business users will find that Documents To Go is now a free bundled app, while BlackBerry Balance, an app that lets you separate your work and personal data on the smartphone, has been integrated into the OS. The universal search will also support voice controls.
We'll bring you an in-depth article once we get our hands on the Bold 9900, so stay tuned.
Additional reporting by Jacqueline Seng.
About the author
Aloysius Low is a Senior Writer at CNET Asia and covers all things mobile. A former World of Warcraft addict, he now dabbles in social media to stave off the withdrawal symptoms. As a lover of all things furry, he's also the unfortunate slave/minion of two adorable cats.
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