The upcoming T-Mobile BlackBerry with a built-in digital camera, according to BlackBerry Forums member Dawg who actually got to play with the yet to be officially announced device, says that the new BlackBerry, or CameraBerry as it affectionately known as, looks a lot like the BlackBerry Stealth, but, with a full QWERTY keyboard.
There had been some speculation that the CameraBerry that Dawg talks about and the BlackBerry Stealth actually might be the same device, however, Dawg makes it clear that although the CameraBerry and the Stealth look alike, the CameraBerry has a full QWERTY keyboard, unlike the SureType keyboard found on the Stealth.
Ah…the fun of parsing every word of every rumor…aren’t rumors grand?
I do think it’s likely that this cameraberry phone would have a form factor similar to the Stealth model…
One, I can’t see T-mo being given priority over Cingular in the pecking order from RIM. There are so many more customers to gain with Cingular, and Cingular has more resources to pump into a marketing campaign.
Two, RIM can only shrink the form factor so much before it becomes impractical. I mean, we are talking about an device known for its email, and after a while, smaller means less, not more. You need a certain size screen for email readability, and need a certain size factor for a usable keyboard.
We do know that the Stealth model is an entirely credible rumor; the source, BoyGenius, is unimpeachable. I still have my doubts about some of the details of the cameraberry rumor, though. No insult to the source, Dawg, but I still think some elements of his description seem rather off. I still keep going back to his comparing the device to an iPod nano in size. We know that was a mistake. Yet the iPod nano is a very unique and known size, and I can’t see many gadget people mistaking a noticably larger device for that form factor. In short , that’s a rather huge error. And that error calls into question other details of the rumor.
Robb: did you notice on that same message board that BoyGenius did indeed confirm the existence of a BB with camera:
Here’s what he wrote:
“8702 for sprint nextel, 8703 for Verizon, and CAMERA BLACKBERRY FOR GSM BABY”
Here’s the link
So if BoyGenius confirms it, then you can take that to the bank.
You know, I read that comment but didn’t even think to post about it. I guess I was too upset at the fact that there does not appear to be a CameraBerry in the works for Sprint and Verizon.
There will be new 870x models for the CDMA carriers, however,the rumors allude to the CameraBerry being GSM only.
I understand that there CDMA is big here in the US and GSM is big everywhere else, but how is it that Verizon can come out first with everything but new BlackBerry devices?
Robb: I share your pain regarding the lagging release dates for CDMA BB’s vs. GSM.
You are correct: lately, Verizon has been coming out with everything first, and apparently that will continue with the release of new ultrathin Moto models, as well as the LG “Chocolate” phone, for instance.
So how come RIM cannot or does not follow suit?
Here are some of my theories:
With regards to every other brand of smartphone…in particular the Treo and the Q…the manufacturers had to release on CDMA first because right now only those networks offer 3G service in the US. And a major plus in any smartphone is having 3G service, to surf the web, download large attachments, send large attachments, etc. So the availability of 3G networks really forced their hand.
With regards to the really huge manufactures like Moto and LG, I think they have the resources to release whatever version they want when and where they want, depending on what they consider to be their best strategy. Again, it seems that Verizon is favored here in the US due to its superior network and 3G functionality.
I think that RIM goes the GSM route first, because, one, they don’t have the scale of these other companies, and so they must allocate their resources in a more careful manner…and two, because for them 3G is not as much of a consideration. I am sure that RIM would love to utilize 3G networks, but it’s not as much of an imperative. They’ve always designed their service for low bandwidth, and let’s face it, probably the great majority of text based emails don’t need higher bandwidth to adequately transmit.
So, a manufacturer like Moto, for instance, can easily develop CDMA and GSM versions simultaneously, and release them whenever the respective networks are ready. I am sure if Cingular had its act together and were not running so far behind in 3G rollout, then in many cases it might scoop Verizon in terms of release date. With RIM, it seems that they can really only develop a phone for one system or another, and the economics almost always favor GSM first.
Anyway, just my two cents.