BlackBerry Bold Showcased by Rogers

Although the exact release date of the BlackBerry Bold smartphone is still unknown, as it was announced neither by RIM nor by any of the carriers who will offer it, the new handset is surely getting closer to those who are waiting for it.

Canada, RIM's home country, where the Bold will be exclusively sold by Rogers Wireless, is the first country to see the smartphone presented in an official way. During the Rogers Cup Men's Tennis tournament (which debuted last weekend and will end the next one), the Canadian carrier is showcasing the BlackBerry Bold in public, so that anyone can have a glimpse of what it can offer.

Thanks to CrackBerry, several live pictures with the Bold have made it to the Web. Also, new details about the handset's battery life can be spotted in the smartphone's presentation sheet from Rogers. It seems that the battery is capable of providing only up to 4 hours of talk-time, and not 5 hours, as initially announced by RIM. While this is not such a bad thing, it's not great either, especially if we think about the fact that the Bold is targeting business consumers who need to rely on a handset with a powerful battery. Anyway, talk-time aside, Bold's battery should last up to 17 hours of continuous music playback, or up to 15 days in stand-by.

For the moment, the Canadian launch date of BlackBerry Bold is rumored to be somewhere between July 25 and August 25, with possible delays until September. The US, where the handset will be offered by AT&T, is in the same situation.

Apparently, the Bold won't be available too soon in Europe either. T-Mobile Germany said the new RIM smartphone was scheduled for a release at the end of July, but now, on the carrier's website "July" is replaced with "August".

Until an official launch date is announced, you can enjoy the live images with the Bold: