Oh my God, call the president! Howard Stern, who was given a private, sneak peak of the Palm Pre, has instead decided to go with the BlackBerry Bold. (As if the man can only afford one phone, or won’t decide to buy a Pre when it comes out, whenever that is.) He broke the news today.

Yup, apparently Mr. Stern, who’s a Palm fan, was impressed with the Pre, save for one feature, or lack thereof: compatibility with Lotus Notes. Seems like Stern needs his Notes, and without it he’ll have to skip the Pre for now. Instead, he’s chosen to go with the BlackBerry Bold, which isn’t a bad device in its own right.

Please keep in mind that Stern does not hate the Pre, does not wish ill upon Palm, but, for now, it’s BlackBerry Bold time.

Presumably Stern won’t be buying any phones from Ted’s Cellphone Emporium.

Looks like the deal’s good for new AT&T customers today only.

FREE BlackBerry Bold(TM) Refurb Package [AT&T via BGR]

I’ve never purchased a phone from an online retailer before, so I’m a bit skeptical of this screaming deal over at Letstalk, but if $300 is too steep a price to pay for the Bold (review) then you’d be out of your mind not to scoop this up. The starting price on Letstalk is $100 cheaper than AT&T and they’re even offering free shipping.

With any MIR, you have to abide by the specific rules or you get screwed, but like I said, you’re still paying a $100 less than you would if you purchased through AT&T. You won’t actually see the $200 rebate for 8 to 10 weeks assuming you don’t break your contract of sticking with AT&T for two years. This offer is only valid for new lines and your monthly plan has to be more than $60.

They’re even offering the Bold as an upgrade for $150 with a contract extension or for $250 without the contract extension.

Anyway, here’s the terms and conditions for the $200 MIR.

$199.99 LetsTalk mail-in rebate
Purchase select AT&T phones from LetsTalk.com or any of our affiliated partners and retailers online or through our customer service department and receive a $199.99 mail-in rebate when you activate new AT&T service on a service plan of $59.99 per month or more. Offer Qualifications and Restrictions: This mail-in rebate is exclusive to LetsTalk.com and LetsTalk’s affiliated online retailers and partners and is not available in any stores or carrier websites. This mail-in rebate applies only to individual plans or line 1 of a family plan This mail-in rebate requires a new 2 year service agreement. Certain other rate plans may not apply. Failure to maintain the minimum qualifying service plan for 181 days will invalidate the rebate. Rebate form will be made available for customer to download after order completion and fulfillment.

Requirements
1. Print & submit a copy of the rebate form. A customized version of your rebate form is available for download via our Rebate Center. There is a unique form for each phone purchased. Please double check to make sure you have all the right forms. Also, if you changed your cell phone number, please be sure to indicate your new cell phone number on the rebate form. Without these numbers, we will not be able to complete your rebate!
2. Submit a copy of your Proof of Purchase Receipt. You have a few options for your proof of purchase; you can use the Packing Slip that was included with your shipment or print a copy of the Receipt via our Rebate Center.
3. Attach a copy of the GREY LetsTalk.com barcode sticker (located on the bottom of your equipment box) to the space provided on the rebate form.
4. Submit a copy of your 4th month carrier bill. The bill must show that you have made payment and that “all outstanding balance” has been paid in full (Please circle this section on the bill).
5. Ensure that you have everything and make copies for your records. Then mail the required paperwork to the address indicated on the rebate form. USE SEPARATE ENVELOPES IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING MULTIPLE REBATES.

NOTE: Your rebate submission must be postmarked between 120 days and 180 days or we will be unable to process your rebate request

Terms & Conditions
Please allow 8-10 weeks after submission for check processing. Equipment serial and cell phone numbers will be verified as active on our system prior to rebate being fulfilled.

Enjoy Now!

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.

It’s been a long time coming and while the rest of the world has had the Bold for months, those of us crackberry heads will finally get it on the 4th of November. We were lucky enough to snag one early and I’m giddy like a 4-year-old with a mountain of tooth-decaying candy on my bed. It’s fast, powerful and oh-so-sexy. I present to you, dear reader, the BlackBerry Bold for AT&T.

I wonder how much RIM actually profits per handset. Comparatively, the iPhone 3G costs roughly $4 more to manufacture than the Bold.

via Digi Times

RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis made it known today that AT&T is still testing the Bold to ensure that it’s sub-par 3G network can support it and those of us waiting for it to come out won’t go ape shit like we did when the iP3G came out. In all fairness, it was more or less Apple’s fault and not AT&T’s, but I’m grumpy and just want this damn phone to come out.

“There’s great scrutiny, as you might know, on that network and a certain device. So I guess everyone wants to be sure on every last test,” Lazaridis told The Associated Press.

I don’t see the Bold having any issues and neither does Lazaridis.

“We’re very meticulous about what our product does,” he said.

AT&T flack Mark Siegel said the Bold would be coming out this year, but declined to comment on whether or not it was still being tested.

Maybe we should just ask John Meyer whether or not the damn thing works.

Will the madness ever end? BBNews is stating that inside sources have informed them that AT&T will begin training reps on the Bold beginning the 16th with a launch on the 20th. Apparently the delay was due to AT&T employees not signing up for training. Huh? Oh, and the Bold launching with AT&T is said to have a white keyboard, which is complete BS. Just you wait, I know I’m right about that. I don’t care whose damn fault it is, I want my damn Bold and I want it now!

[Update]: Wait a second. I saw a Bold with T-Mobile branding last month when visiting with Slacker and this doesn’t necessarily mean the aforementioned rumor is debunked, but you never know. It does make me wonder why RIM didn’t provide the Slacker guys with an AT&T branded one instead of what could be construed as a European T-Mo Bold. Hmm.

Drum roll! Or not!

Presenting the commercial for the BlackBerry Bold, which aired during the season premiere of Heroes on Monday night, a show I can honestly say I’ve never seen.

We don’t know what’s the hold up, either.

Not satisfied with The Boy Genuis Report’s exhaustive BlackBerry Bold review? Lucky you, BGR has given another walk through, this time just on the handset’s browser.

Highlights: though many pages still loaded wonky and sites that have special BlackBerry views had trouble loading, the “Bold does a pretty decent job at banging sites.” Tested sites includ: surprise, The Boy Genius Report, loaded OK, still with some spacing and text rendering issues; eBay, not so hot, lots of missing content; The New York Times, one of those special BlackBerry sites that once you clicked through a headline was unreadable; and CNET, again missing and misaligned content.

Check out the full review for screen shots and an iPhone comparison.

We didn’t say anything about ‘July’ or ‘August.’ It will become available in August. So we’re still on track for [availability] this summer,

Well, there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth.

Sure, you’re basically dealing with the same hardware but I’m glad to see that RIM has fixed most of the minor problems I’ve had with BBs so far – wonky browsers, unintuitive UI, and the rest – and come away with something quite nice. This is one BB I’m looking forward to.

While everyone else is frothing over the iPhone 3G, I’m patiently waiting for the Bold to hit the streets. AT&T now has it up on their site, so jump on over and check it out. Nothing new, though. The specs we’ve all been expecting and heard about are still there.