If you watched in agony as the very-cool MoGo Talk Bluetooth iPhone headset was announced and given away here on CrunchGear while your BlackBerry sat idly on your desk, take heart. The BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Javelin versions are coming and we’re giving 50 of the Curve models away.

Newton Peripherals has developed a flat-folding Bluetooth headset that’s just five millimeters thick and rests in a tiny charging slot integrated into an included replacement BlackBerry battery cover. So your headset’s with you at all times and you can split off your phone’s charging cord to power the micro-USB port that charges the headset.

The MoGo Talk will also be available for the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Tour in the future, and Newton is toying around with the idea of integrating the actual headset charging directly into the handsets so that your phone itself could recharge the headset while it’s docked.

According to Stuart Nixdorff, President of Newton Peripherals:

“We designed these MoGo Talk models specifically for BlackBerry users who value the integration of phone, email and a Bluetooth headset on a single device. Our ultimate goal is to integrate MoGo Talk units with all mobile phones; in the case of RIM, these new MoGO Talk models charge and store on the back of BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Javelin models, with Bold and Tour models to follow. We are exploring further integrations with RIM devices that would enable MoGo Talk to charge directly with a BlackBerry unit from a single power cord.”

Giveaway: To register to win the one of 50 MoGo Talk headsets for the BlackBerry Curve just hit this link, enter your name and e-mail address, and 50 winners will be selected at random on Friday, August 14th at 4:00 Eastern.

Both the $99 Curve and $129 Javelin models cost $129 and are available for pre-order and should begin shipping in about a month or so. And lucky you! CrunchGear readers get 30% off of anything in the MoGo Store over $24.99 by using promo code crunchgear at checkout. Enjoy!

Links: MoGo Talk for BlackBerry Curve | MoGo Talk for BlackBerry Javelin

After over 6 months of rumbling around the rumor mill, the T-Mobile-branded BlackBerry 8900 is almost upon us. We’ve got purported release dates (January 19th for corporate users, February 11th for the general public) and we’ve had the specs for ages, so there was really only one thing left: the pricing. ‘Till now, of course.

According to BlackBerryRocks, the 8900 will be priced accordingly:

• No Contract: $499
• 2-year contract: $199.99 (After $300 instant rebate)
• 1-year contract: $249.99 (After $250 instant rebate)

While these prices are said to only reflect pricing for corporate customers, they should be pretty dead-on for the general public outside though the 1-year contract option might not be offered.

[Via BerryReporter]

Rumors have been floating for weeks now and we knew the 8900 would be coming sometime in early ‘09 and tonight T-Mobile has made it official. However, the 8900 aka Curve II aka Javelin will not be hitting store shelves on the 11th or 18th according to the press release. T-Mobile is being coy and saying it’s coming sometime this month. It could happen on those dates, but T-Mobile isn’t confirming anything today. No word on price either. Official specs after the jump:

QWERTY-keyboard bar phone, available in titanium, with a thinner and lighter design than other full-QWERTY BlackBerry phone.

Built-in GPS and location-based services including BlackBerry Maps.

Wi-Fi-enabled for data and voice and support for T-Mobile Unlimited HotSpot Calling service.

3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus, 5x digital zoom and flash as well as video camera.

Advanced media and video player with full-screen video capture and playback, stereo Bluetooth 2.0 support and a 3.5mm stereo headset jack with headset included in the box.

Fast 512 MHz processor and 256MB of internal memory and hot-swappable microSD/SDHC card slot with support for up to 16GB with a 256MB memory card included.

T-Mobile’s myFaves capability to stay in touch with those who matter most, with quick, one-click access for instant message, e-mailing, texting or calling to your Fave 5SM from the home screen.

Improved Web browser delivers a more desktop-like experience, including HTML e-mail, attachment download and document editing.

BlackBerry E-mail enables virtually real-time access to up to 10 e-mail accounts such as
Yahoo!®, Windows Live™ Hotmail®, AOL®, Gmail™, corporate accounts and more.

Access to six popular instant messaging clients including AOL® Instant Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ , Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and BlackBerry Messenger.

BlackBerry Device Software 4.6

Dimensions: 4.29” x 2.36” x 0.53”; 3.9 ounce

High-resolution (more than HVGA), 2.44 inch, 480 x 360 pixels, 65K display.

Talk time: up to 5.5 hours; Standby time: up to 14 days.

Quad-band world phone: (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)

GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi

If this screenshot from TmoNews is legit, which I’m inclined to believe it is then (even though they originally said it would be the 18th as well as BGR) the 8900 will be in my nerdy paws a few days before the expected February 11th launch. I don’t see a whole lot else that we didn’t already know about the Curve II. I just wish it were 3G. *sigh*

After some many months in the works, the BlackBerry 8900 (otherwise known as “Javelin”) has finally made its way out of the labs and onto a shelf near you. Well, by “a shelf near you” we mean “on a shelf at Rogers locations in Canada”. Not, say, the shelf in your bathroom.

Essentially a BlackBerry Bold Lite, the Javelin’s missing 3G, and has a slightly smaller keyboard, slower processor, and a bit less boom in the speaker department. It’s not all a downgrade, however; the screen is slightly higher-res (480×360 vs 480×320), and the camera has been bumped from 2-megapixels to 3.2. If you’re looking to pinch some pennies (though only about $20 bucks worth) on a Bold and don’t mind being stuck with GSM/EDGE, the Javelin should do you well. Expect to walk out the door with one for $179.99 on a 3-year contract.

Do I switch to AT&T to get the 3G Bold or suck it up and wait for the EDGE Curve II?

How can I put into words how I feel about the BlackBerry Bold? In short: I love it and never ever want to let it go, ever. For any BlackBerry user/fan the Bold is everything you’ve wanted and expected from RIM. Sure, it took a little longer than we all expected, but it’s definitely worth the wait. It’s far superior in every respect from anything that RIM has put out on the market. Of course, those of you with a hankering for a touch-screen need not apply. The Bold is for the hardcore CrackBerry addict or is it?

Let’s begin.

Hardware

The Bold sits in between the Curve and 8800 series from all around perspective. In terms of size it’s much closer to that of the 8800 series and is more or less a step-up from that series. However, it takes a handful of features from the Curve and melds them together to make a Super BlackBerry.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the 8800 series keyboard since I’d been using the Curve since its launch, but I quickly adapted and I can now type faster on the Bold than I ever could on the Curve. The overall quality trumps the Curve. In fact, the word cheap comes to mind when I switch from the Bold to the Curve.

The half-VGA screen is…gorgeous. It does come at a cost, though. Previous BlackBerries had a protective piece of plastic covering the screen, but the Bold has a thin and rather flimsy screen this go around. You’ll want to invest in some sort of protective cover for it.

Is that microSD slot on the exterior of the phone? Yes it is! Oh, and the 1GB of internal storage is straight fire (good).

The addition of the 2-megapixel camera will surely make those with an 8800 series giddy or jealous, but Curve owners won’t be too impressed. The camera is par for the course, but it does capture video.

Because the Bold is only available through AT&T you’ll be privy to GPS, but this time you also get Wi-Fi. There is one caveat, however. The BlackBerry Maps app is blocked in favor of AT&T’s Navigator. That’s great for people who drive, but it sucks for city dwellers like myself because I don’t need all that extraneous crap that the app comes with. But the GPS finds me within seconds of loading the app, so I can’t complain too much. You’ll want to download Google Maps. Unfortunately the “My Location” function doesn’t work with the Bold at the moment.

I was never able to connect to my home network using the Curve, but I can now with the Bold. I can’t tell you why that is now, but I don’t question it. It also takes a few extra seconds to connect compared to other devices I have around the home.

This qualm is more of a network issue than it is hardware one, but you can’t utlizie Wi-Fi on the Bold to make calls or send BB IMs over UMA like you can with the Curve on T-Mobile. That’s basically what I did while overseas to save money.

Battery life was thought to be an issue on the Bold by many, but it lasted three days before I decided to juice it up. There is no option to switch from 3G to EDGE, which I think is a travesty because every other 3G smartphone on the market (mainly the iPhone and G1) has the ability to do so. But it lasted three days and that’s fine by me. This will depend on the user, though.

Overall, the hardware is a perfect blend between the 8800 series and Curve series devices. It may be a bit too wide for some folks, but I’m okay with it. It’s roughly the same width as an 8800 series. The keyboard takes some getting used to if you’re moving from any device other than an 8800, but it’s silky smooth. The camera is as good as you’re going to get out of a 2-megapixel sensor, but it does have an LED flash and captures video, so that’s good for something. On top of said camera, the Bold is the first BlackBerry to have GPS and Wi-Fi. I believe it’s the first BB to have Wi-Fi on the AT&T network as well.

Software

OS 4.6 takes a bit of time to get used to because the icons are kind of funky and maybe it’s the AT&T version of the BlackBerry OS that throws me off, but I hate all the folders and what’s allocated into each. But, actually having folders is a nice addition once you organize things the way you want.

Oh yeah, HTML e-mail is FINALLY here.

A ton of games are also included: BrickBreaker, Word Mole, Texas Hold’Em King 2, Sudoku, and Klondike.

DataViz provides a suite of applications for the business folks to view Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. They work well, but I rarely have to view preadsheets or PPT presentations.

RIM has finally done something right with their Web browser. It’s nothing to write home about thanks to Apple, but it’s way better than previous versions. I probably won’t even install Opera if that tells you anything.

The apps are also nothing to fawn over, but I’ve never associated the BlackBerry with applications. Perhaps that’s my downfall in this review, but finding applications is nowhere near as easy as it is on the iPhone or G1. We’ll just have to wait and see till the official BlackBerry App Store opens next year.

Google apps are either not supported are just don’t work at all. When trying to fire up Gmail I’m presented with errors and have yet to run it successfully. The Google Mobile App and Sync are also incompatible with the Bold, which sucks a lot because I rely on Sync to, well, sync my Google calendar with my BlackBerry calendar. Hopefully Google patches these issues or you’re going to have a lot of angry folks like myself.

Network

The BlackBerry excels in the 3G arena where the iPhone 3G falls short. The Bold stays connected where the iPhone would revert to EDGE and stay there for all eternity.

The End Result

The Bold is unequivocally the best piece of hardware that RIM has ever put out. The Curve and Pearl series drew the attention of the masses while the 8800 series was the device of choice for the suits, but the Bold clearly appeals to both. It’s a more polished and refined BlackBerry than we’re used to. Is it perfect? No. If you’re looking for an app experience comparably to Android or even the iPhone then you’re going to want to wait until next year. But if you just want the latest BlackBerry then this is the one to get.

Sorry, T-Mobile users, but you’re going to have to settle for the Javelin aka Curve 2 or fork over the $550 to get one with no commitment and have it unlocked.

The Bold is available now for $300 with a 2-year contract and MIR.

Research in Motion has a couple of more handsets that aren’t out just yet. CrackBerry got their hands on the upcoming Curve 2 – formally known as the Javelin. Think of the phone as a toned down Bold, notibly lacking 3G wireless and featuring a smaller bezel.

Quad-band radios: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (no 3G)
Wi-Fi b/g with UMA + GPS in one
OS 4.6.1, featuring Safe Mode start up
480 by 360 high-res HVGA+ display
512 MHz Processor
256 MB onboard flash memory (more room for apps)
Hot-swappable microSD slot – located under the battery door
3.2MP camera, includes auto-focus
Glass cover – one piece glass cover will house the camera and flash, providing a very polished look and feel
Micro USB charging/syncing port, w/ high speed data
Dedicated Lock Button – will allow easy access to lock / hold the device when not using a holster
“Sweet Spot” narrow keypad
Battery Cover features a new easy to use, latch mechanism

Follow the jump for better uses of $17k than spending it on a BlackBerry.

• Make a $17k sandwich
• Pay rent
• Two gallons of HP black ink
• Buy a really nice used car
• Buy a really crappy new car
• Donate to my son’s college fund
• Make your baby momma a proper woman with a one-carat diamond ring and still have money left over for a Pioneer Kuro plasma for you.

I miss anything?

By the end of the year, T-Mobile plans to launch two new BlackBerry devices and three more Pearl colors. They also plan to do a big marketing blitz, to try and stop customers from going to AT&T for the iPhone 3G.

Here is what you can expect to see in the coming months:
- The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 will relased in three new colors, Tahitian Green, Indigo and Light Blue.
- In September or October, expect to see the BlackBerry 8220, which is a possible update to the Pearl.
- The Javelin, a 2.5G BlackBerry, is expected in late November. It will feature a small body and large high-resolution display.
- T-Mobile will also be making the move to OS. 4.5 for its devices.

We will give you more information as it comes available. In the meantime check out the T-Mobile BlackBerry Roadmap that BlackBerry News put together.

If you like the BlackBerry Curve – who doesn’t? – then you’ll love the Javelin. This update to RIM’s signature smartphone looks pretty sassy complete with full keyboard, roller ball, and, umm, a removable back plate?

As we recall, the Javelin has:

* QWERTY keyboard
* 480×360 LCD
* Quad-band GSM/EDGE
* GPS
* Wi-Fi
* 3.2 megapixel camera
* 4.6 OS platform
* BES 5.0 support as well
* ArgonV processor

It’s similar to the BlackBerry Bold in size and shape but it’s definitely aimed at the Curve crowd. No carrier, pricing, or availability yet.

Niagara Specs

* “Large screen family”
* QWERTY keyboard
* 480×360 LCD
* EV-DO Rev. A
* aGPS
* 3.2 megapixel camera
* 4.7 OS platform
* BES 5.0 support (HTML email, etc)
* Qualcomm MSM7600 processor

Javelin Specs

* QWERTY keyboard
* 480×360 LCD
* Quad-band GSM/EDGE
* GPS
* Wi-Fi
* 3.2 megapixel camera
* 4.6 OS platform
* BES 5.0 support as well
* ArgonV processor