RIM’s Blackberry Bold - cleaner and crisper

RIM has unveiled the new Blackberry Bold, with a few tweaks and updates to help stave off the smartphone challenge.

The screen is an impressive 480 x 320 display, which on a device this size looks nice and large. The Bold may be a little longer than similar devices, such as the AD830, but makes up for that with some decent build quality.

One of the big talking points of the new release is the inclusion of UMTS / HSDPA 3G support worldwide, signalling the faster networks are finally being taken seriously. Wi-Fi is also included to 802.11 a/b/g standard for those 3G-deniers.

The OS has been rehashed to provide a cleaner, easier-to-use interface, and comes with a variety of themes for the teenage-minded businessperson to use alongside their crazy Spice Girls ringtone.

Geotagging

Speaking of audio (spuriously, in the case of the SG) the media player has lovely stereo speakers that certainly bang out some sound, though they do have a touch of the ‘bee in a baked bean tin’ feel to their sound quality.

But it’s not so much of a problem given the Bold is unlikely to be used at the back of a bus to annoy the rest of the passengers.

The phone also comes with GPS, and allows for geotagging of photos, which is soon to be a big part of social networking / Big Brother movement stalking (delete as appropriate). The camera and the video recording are decent without setting the world alight, which is nicely par for the course for this business-minded phone.

Dates and prices for release are not yet available, though the word from the underground hints at a summer release.