BlackBerry Bold to hit shops this weekend

Mobile operator Orange has confirmed that this weekend it will start selling the high-end BlackBerry Bold, the first of its kind to offer HSDPA high-speed data access, while retailer The Carphone Warehouse also expects to have the devices in store as early as 16 August.

An Orange spokesperson told vnunet.com that the device "will be in Orange channels on Saturday". He was unable to confirm that the Bold would definitely be available in stores for customers to purchase this weekend, as the operator will only be taking delivery of the devices a few days before, but he added that the BlackBerrys would be available for online ordering as of Saturday and "should also be in store".

Orange will not be charging a standalone fee for the Bold device but customers will have to sign up for a £40 per month contract.

The Carphone Warehouse gave 21 August as its official launch date for the Bold. However, a spokesperson added that it could have the models on sale "as soon as 16 August" on an Orange contract, also at £40 per month.

T-Mobile will not have the devices in store until September, although it was the first UK operator to announce a launch date for the device. A spokesperson for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) said it was unaware of any official release date from Orange and instead pointed customers towards the September T-Mobile launch date.

The BlackBerry Bold is the first model from RIM to offer HSDPA high-speed network access. It has the look and feel of the Apple iPhone but stops short of offering a touch-screen capability.

Our initial tests found that the Bold is easy to navigate around and offers speedy mobile web browsing compared to older BlackBerry models.