RIM introduces new BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 and 9930 phones with BlackBerry 7 OS

RIM announced two new phones yesterday – the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900, and BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930, both of which run RIM’s latest mobile operating system – BlackBerry 7 OS. RIM has not given a clear release date for them however, apart from sometime in the American summer, and, so far, no pricing information is available either.

The only differences between the two devices is that the Touch 9900 (formerly known as Dakota) is a quad-band GSM device with tri-band HSPA support, while the Touch 9930 (formerly known as Montana) is a dual-band CDMA phone with support for quad-band GSM and dual-band HSPA global roaming.

While you can check out the full specifications below, it is important to note that RIM has not shied away from introducing some rather heavy duty specs for the new devices, such as a 1.2GHz Scorpion processor, part of the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset, which also includes an Adreno 205. The chipset on the CDMA-based Touch 9930 is slightly different, featuring Qualcomm’s integrated radios in the MSM8655 chipset. Both phones run on 768MB RAM.

[RELATED_ARTICLE]RIM is also following the recent trend of high-resolution displays, squeezing in a VGA resolution (640×480) into the 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen – translating to more than 280 pixels per inch. The new phones also feature 5MP cameras that are capable of 720p HD recording, a must in today’s smartphone era. In terms of connectivity, it is worth noting is that RIM intends to support Near Field Communications with the devices, squeezing in a NFC chip inside. Also onboard is support for the latest Wi-Fi standards – with a dual-band chipset capable of 802.11 b/g/n@2.4 GHz and 802.11 a/n@5 GHz.

The new BlackBerry OS also supports the latest web standards with its native browser, namely HTML5. Read our coverage of the new operating system for more details.

Lastly, the new devices are being called the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones till date, with a width of just 10.5 mm. Check out complete specifications below, after the image:

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Specifications

• 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm, approximately 130 g
• 2.8″ capacitive touch screen display – VGA (640×480), 287 dpi resolution
• Ultra-easy QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad
• 1.2 GHz Processor, 768 MB RAM
• 8 GB on-board memory, plus microSD slot supporting up to 32 GB cards
• NFC technology
• 5.0 MP camera, supports 720p HD video recording
• Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), Digital Compass (Magnetometer), Proximity Sensor
• Built-in GPS / aGPS
• Dual-Band Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n at 2.4 GHz and 802.11 a/n at 5 GHz
• Bluetooth 2.1 EDR support
• Wireless Network support:
• 9900: Tri-Band HSPA , Quad-Band GSM/EDGE
• 9930: Dual-Band CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A, Dual-Band HSPA , Quad-Band GSM/EDGE
• 1230 mAh removable, rechargeable battery
• BlackBerry 7 OS

* Features OpenGL 2.0 support for developers.