OPTUS first with the New Blackberry handsets

And not about time!

As a long time Blackberry addict, I’ve recently been drawn away from the team – with the lure of Android drawing me ever closer to the man smartphones on the market that don’t carry that famous Blackberry name.

So, what’s taken so long? Who knows! One thing I do know is that the device I called for over 3 years ago – the Touch Screen + Keyboard Blackberry is finally coming.   Yes, the Torch had that with the slider model, however it just wasn’t right.  So, now comes the Bold V3, otherwise known as the 9900.

Optus has announced it will hit the Australian market in Early September, the 9900 along with the new full touchscreen Torch 9860.

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Pricing is not yet known, all we do know is Optus is first, the devices are coming and it’s going to be great to see them here.  I for one will be keen to see how the Bold+touch ranks – having recently loved the HTC ChaCha, I’m confident the combination will impress.

Here’s the full annoucement from Optus:

Optus first Australian carrier to offer new range of BlackBerry smartphones
Optus today announced it will be the first Australian operator to offer two new BlackBerry smartphones – the BlackBerry®
Torch™ 9860 and BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900. Both smartphones go on sale through Optus retail, online and other sales
channels from early September.

Optus customers will be among the first globally to experience the all-new BlackBerry Torch 9860 – announced by Research
In Motion (RIM) yesterday – re-igniting the full-touch smartphone market.

Austin R Bryan, Director, Optus Digital Media said, “We’re excited that Optus customers will be among the first in the world
to get their hands on these fantastic BlackBerry smartphones featuring the new BlackBerry 7 Operating System. This is yet
another example of Optus bringing leading digital devices to its customers before any other carrier.”

The BlackBerry Torch 9860 and BlackBerry Bold 9900 signal a remarkable evolution in the BlackBerry line up. While
maintaining the hallmark professional-grade security and communications abilities associated with BlackBerry, the two
smartphones also allow users to strike the perfect balance between their work and personal lives by packing in a host of
practical apps and entertainment features.

Built on the BlackBerry® 7 Operating System (OS) and driven by a powerful 1.2 GHz processor, both new smartphones
deliver an uncompromised user experience, as content comes to life through a smooth interface powered by Liquid
Graphics™.

“The enhancements in the BlackBerry 7 OS, as well as the impressive level of social networking integration across both
smartphones, allow Optus BlackBerry users to strike the ideal balance between work and play. The Optus Open Network™
supports these features perfectly, providing Optus customers with the performance they need to unlock the potential of
their Blackberry smartphone.” Mr Bryan said.

BlackBerry Torch 9860
For those who love to touch and feel their way around their smartphones, the newest BlackBerry Torch is the ultimate
entertainment device. The all-touch smartphone can be seamlessly synchronised with your PC or Mac with a single click,
granting access to your favourite music playlist, latest video or random mix with ease.

The newest addition to the BlackBerry Torch family also fuses its multimedia capabilities with a number of social
networking apps such as BlackBerry Messenger and integrated Facebook chat so you’re always connected to your friends
and family in real time. The BlackBerry Torch 9860 gives you the ability to work hard all day and break free in your
downtime, revelling in the power of BlackBerry paired with a multitude of apps for your entertainment.

BlackBerry Bold 9900
The highly anticipated evolution of the BlackBerry Bold is a sleeker, slimmer take of the iconic design, paired with the
BlackBerry standard of best-in-class security, communications and business applications. Retaining the market-leading
keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 also now includes a high resolution touch screen that gives users the ideal medium for
both typing emails and browsing the internet. A modern brushed-steel frame encases a toughened-glass body, which slims
the Bold 9900 down to just 10.5mm, keeps up in the fashion stakes while maintaining a compact size for on-the-go use.

The new devices come loaded with BlackBerry® Messenger 6 (BBM 6) which provides support for ‘BBM connected’ apps to
integrate the popular functionality of the BBM service and offer users the ability to interact with their friends from within the
apps themselves. For example, with a BBM connected game app, users can invite their BBM friends to join them in a game
and chat with one another in the middle of the game – without ever leaving the game app, all in real time.

Both smartphones enjoy the added protection of BlackBerry® Protect, allowing users to lock, locate and wipe their device
from wherever they are to ensure work and personal information is guarded at all times.

Representing next-stage innovations in RIM’s well-established BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry Bold series, both
smartphones will be available to Optus personal, small business and enterprise customers from early September on a range
of pricing plans to be announced closer to launch.

To pre-register and for more information on the devices, visit www.optus.com.au/blackberry.