It seems that Blackberry fans continue to wonder about the future release of the new BlackBerry models. There is a lot to get excited about, with much faster processors and much more RAM, along with the updated OS, which a lot of us have been craving.
According to our sources, the next BlackBerry out of the gate will be the BlackBerry Bold Touch (or the codename Dakota) which is the GSM version, and codename Montana, which is the CDMA version. The big draw, of course, is the 1.2 GHz processor. Although RIM has shown it, this is the one to get excited about, because it is the next one that will be released. It shares many of the stylings of the Bold 900 version that was the first in the Bold product family. 9900 (Dakota) and 9930 (Montana) should be out soon. We are expecting a mid-summer release, according to our friends.
Next is going to be the new revision of the Curve. The new Curve will carry a highly revised version of the OS software, but it will not be version 7. It will most likely be version 6.0 plus. It will have less version 7 stuff, but it will be OS 6-like. Look for the Apollo, which is the GSM version. and the Sedona which is the CDMA version, to arrive by late summer. Both Apollo and Sedona will get an 800MHz CPU, which is an improvement over the 625 MHz version that has been in previous versions of the curve.
The next full screen addition of the BlackBerry will be the new Storm replacement, or the Full Touch Screen model. The GSM version is going by the codename Monza, while the CDMA version can be found under the codename Monaco. The new full touchscreen model will likely run some enhanced flavor of OS 6, but rumors suggest that it is on track for a fall release and it will sport the 1.2 GHz processor. We are told that with its specs it is likely that it will be fully upgradeable to version 7 after it is released.
A revised Torch slider is coming, but right now we only know of a GSM version, which we believe is codenamed Talladega 2. The Torch 2 will address the biggest shortcoming of the first Torch, which is the need for a faster processor, by using a 1.2GHz processor. It will sport plenty of flash memory, which is believed to be either 512MB or 768MB of memory. It will also add tri-band support. It should be upgradable to OS 7 when released. We expect it to be released in late summer, but it might get pushed out to early fall.
Rumors are confirmed by our sources of an entry level touch screen model that will be CDMA only, which goes under the codename of Malibu. When it is released, we expect it to be called the BlackBerry Curve Touch; it will be the first offering that tries to bridge the BlackBerry gap between the lower end models and the higher end models. Look for this one to arrive before the holiday season and quickly become the new corporate standard for many Enterprise IT organizations.
RIM is losing ground fast and needs to hit it out of the park with these releases in order to build up confidence that RIM can continue to produce BlackBerry units that are feature competitive with Android, Windows Phone 7, and Apple iOS offerings. They do appear, however, to have some solid offerings; and by that time we are hopeful that we will see RIM back into the game.
