Kevin from CrackBerry.com got his hands on the upcoming BlackBerry Kickstart.
Blackberry 8820
Wi-Fi BlackBerry 8820 Coming On T-Mobile……Yet Again
For those of you (whoever you are) waiting with baited breath for the launch of the BlackBerry 8820 for use with T-Mobile’s Hotspot@Home Wi-Fi service, the wait is finally over….almost….we think! The Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry 8820 was supposed to be available through T-Mobile last month, however a release date of March 24 in the retail channels appears to now be on the proverbial cards.
If you’re more fussed about a BlackBerry that sports some high speed local wireless access than you are about a camera, here’s where to put your money.
Use Your Wi-Fi Enabled BlackBerry On JetBlue Starting Next Week
JetBlue, the coolest discount airline that I’ve ever flown on, has partnered with Research in Motion and Yahoo to bring you in-flight access to email and instant messaging while in flight.
BetaBlue, which will make its inaugural flight next Tuesday from JFK to San Francisco, will allow passengers who bring their laptops to access lightweight versions of Yahoo email and instant messaging services, however, Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry users (8820 and 8320) and will be able to access their corporate (BES) and personal (BIS) email via their handhelds.
There is no way to request the first Wi-Fi enabled plane, however, there will be no charge to use the service if you happen to get lucky.
[Source]
AT&T BlackBerry 8820 Now Available… For Real This Time
The BlackBerry 8820, the first device from with both GSM and Wi-Fi, is now available from AT&T.
We know we said it was sort of available in stores a couple of weeks ago and even on Amazon.com which really didn’t pan out either, however, we are pretty sure that the AT&T BlackBerry 8820 is now available especially since the official press release is up on RIM’s site.
BlackBerry 8820 Available On Amazon
Amazon has the AT&T BlackBerry 8820 on sale for $199 when purchased with a new service plan. You will, however, have to wait a couple of weeks or more to get your hands on one.
BlackBerry 8820 Now Available
AT&T Pays Attention To The Blogosphere
You’ve got to give it to BlackBerry Cool… When they leaked rumors that AT&T was going to lock down GPS in the BlackBerry 8820 internet collectively got ticked off and it would appear that AT&T has changed their tune.
Right now RIM and AT&T are in the process of renegotiating the GPS status of the BlackBerry 8820. We’re not sure if the deal has been finalized yet, but if the AT&T documents are correct, it seems at least all but a done deal.
I am glad that AT&T decided to renegotiate based on user feed sentiment. One Verizon is more than enough.
BlackBerry 8820 To Launch The Day After Labor Day
Rumor has it that AT&T will launch the Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry 8820, next Tuesday, September 4th. That’s about a week and a half before the first launch date that we heard.
Additionally, there is no indication that the GPS functionality in the BlackBerry 8820 will be locked down like previously thought.
Will Crippling BlackBerry Features Cripple BlackBerry Sales?
It seems like the whole internet, or, at least the BlackBerry blog reading part of it, is up in arms over a rumor that AT&T will lock down features in the BlackBerry 8820 so that it doesn’t steal any of the iPhone’s thunder. If this rumor turns out to be reality, how do you think that it will affect sales?
AT&T often is the first U.S. based carrier to release the newest BlackBerry devices. Those BlackBerrys, when released, usually have all the features that RIM builds standard into them enabled. How will the market react if new BlackBerrys start coming feature locked and the perception of why they are doing so is because they are more committed to and don’t want to create competition for the iPhone, a device the just about every BlackBerry user would tell you is not a competitor at all of the Blackberry.
I know that most of earth uses GSM, however, 60% of BlackBerry users live in the U.S. and, depending on which report your read, the majority of U.S. based wireless customers use CDMA networks.
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AT&T BlackBerry 8820 Will Be Locked Down Tightly
Those of you anxiously awaiting the release of the BlackBerry 8820 on AT&T may not be getting everything that you expected. BlackBerry Cool is reporting that although the BlackBerry 8820 will have GPS, AT&T has been successful in locking it down so that it only works with TeleNav… at an additional cost of course.
This news comes just after a BGR tipster rumored that the Wi-Fi would be locked down unless you buy a data plan.
Why is AT&T trying to lock down the 8820 tighter that Verizon locks up everything? “The carrier didn’t’ want to launch a device that would seem superior (or be competitive) to the iPhone.”
Research in Motion is not happy at all with the decision but backed down when AT&T threatened not to purchase the 8820 or any future BlackBerry devices if their demands weren’t met.
[Source]