Blackberry Phones

Otterbox today introduces the Commuter series case for the BlackBerry Style 9670. “BlackBerry smartphone enthusiasts are looking for cases that function flawlessly with their device,” OtterBox founder and CEO Curt Richardson said. “Our engineers have done a full evaluation of this smartphone to understand how it operates and the OtterBox Commuter Series for the BlackBerry Style provides users full interaction with a precision fit.”

The OtterBox Commuter Series provides multilayered protection. First, a silicone jacket with inner coring hugs the smartphone to dissipate shock. Next, a polycarbonate shell snaps around both halves of the smartphone and finally a self-adhering screen protector keeps the display scratch-free. Silicone plugs keep all ports free of dust and dirt while still allowing full functionality of all features.

If you’ve avoided loading up the previously leaked OS 6.0.0.407  onto your BlackBerry Style no need to worry about that now. Sprint, has made the OS an official release and is available for all to download. Hit the link and get your update on as soon as you can. Of course, if you have the leak already installed you can just ignore this and be on your way.

Been holding out for the other large CDMA carrier in Canada to get the BlackBerry Style? If so, you can now head on over to the Bell Mobility website and pick up the all new BlackBerry Style for only $49.95 on a new 3-year contract. of course, if you’re not looking to lock yourself in like that you can opt for the 2-year at 349.95 or 1-year at $374.95. And finally, you avoid that whole contract mess by ouright purchasing the device for #399.95. Don’t forget, we gave the BlackBerry Style a pretty good run through in an earlier review so be sure to have a look at that before hitting up the Bell site.

Click Here To View The BlackBerry Style 9670 On The Bell Mobility Website

TELUS was quick to confirm they’d also be releasing the BlackBerry Style 9670  shortly after the initial Sprint announcement but no official date was actually set at that time. But, given that the dummy unit devices are now showing up at retail locations launch surely cannot be far off. There is a suggested price of $399.99 outright being put out there but of course, that’s all subject to change at any point. Be sure to check out our full BlackBerry Style break down for specs, videos and pics. Anyone on TELUS going to be grabbing one up once released?

BlackBerry Style owners are coming off good when it comes to leaked OS’ this time around, OS 6.0.0.329 has been made available for download if you dig testing OS’ out. As with all leaks, be sure to back up your data first folks.

*OS Disclaimer – Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you’re comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base – do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). *

The BlackBerry Style 9670  is the latest addition to RIMs extensive lineup and here we have the official commercial for your viewing pleasure. Not much is shown off that we don’t already know, but it’s still cool to get a look all around the device if you haven’t played with one first hand. The Style is the first CDMA device to release with BlackBerry 6 as well as the first full QWERTY flip for RIM. We have a full review on the way, but if you are a Style fan and want some more goodies, check Kevin’s initial impressions and Kerri’s Style 9670 review.

Just in case all the talk of the BlackBerry Bold 9780 releasing in Canada was driving you crazy because what you really want is red BlackBerry Torch or BlackBerry Style  then this news may be more to your liking. It seems as though both the red Torch and BlackBerry Style will be shipped off to Bell locations across Canada starting on November 15th with device purchasing going live on November 23rd.

The red Torch is suggested to cost $179.99 with a 3-year contract while the BlackBerry Style retail price is said to be $399.99. The contract pricing for the Style at this point was not available. Which would drop the cost to something a little more realistic with contract terms but I’m sure that will pop up soon enough.

Research In Motion has been pushing the “Love What You Do” commercials to make BlackBerrys be the device that connects people. In their latest TV commercial they showcase the BlackBerry Style 9670. While it is debatable whether or not the Style 9670 is stylish, RIM does it justice in this commercial. Hit the break for the video.

We’ll be following up shortly with our full BlackBerry Style 9670 review, but in the meantime figured we’d throw up our initial hands-on video impressions to ease the wait for all the flip phone lovers out there. The BlackBerry Style will be available from Sprint starting this halloween, October 31st for $99.99 on a 2 year contract (see announcement). It’s an attractive price for what really is a solid little BlackBerry. If you’re a fan of flip phones, you’ll definitely want to head into a Sprint store and put yours hands on one. I’m not sure photos or even video quite do the Style justice.

To be honest, my expectations for the BlackBerry Style were set pretty low. The pre-release photos that leaked out onto the net didn’t show off the 9670 in the best of light, and heck, we even ran a poll  on CrackBerry here asking readers whether the Style was Hot or Not, and a full 81% of respondents said Not and that RIM should just skip the 9670 and move on to the next device. Ouch. Painful. But after using the Style I can definitely see why Sprint wanted this phone and why RIM built it. With 512MB flash memory, BlackBerry 6, 5 megapixel camera and a decently sized screen, the Style has solid specs and serves up pretty snappy performance. There is a big user base of people out there who simply love the flip phone form factor and who want a full physical keyboard. The BlackBerry Style fills that void. Check out the video above to see the Royal Purple BlackBerry Style in action, and stay tuned for the full review!

A lot of folks were surprised to see the BlackBerry Style  arrive. While the device is not evolutionary it certainly carries well, it’s own Style. Some folks love the device while others, simply do not like the design at all. The good folks over at the Inside BlackBerry blog though, have taken the time to interview Randy Carson. Randy, is the product manager for the BlackBerry Style and lets us know some of the finer details about the device and how it all came together. One take away from the article that I found interesting:

What do you think will stand out when people first use it?

One thing I hear all the time is the difference between seeing photos and descriptions of the device and actually holding it in your hands. When you see and hold the BlackBerry Style you will immediately notice the elegant, premium design. Once the people start to use the BlackBerry Style smartphone, they will be amazed with the browser and other features of BlackBerry 6 – it’s familiar to longtime BlackBerry smartphone users, but also easy for those who are using a smartphone device for the first time

That question holds a lot of weight for me. I’ve never been too impressed with the overall look of the device and while it’s now starting to look better, I’m still holding my final take on the device for when I actually get to hold one. What do you all think now? Has the look of the device grown a little on you or are you still in the “I need to see the device and hold it” phase, like I am? I know some of you all out there already pre ordered.