14 DAY TRIAL // RIM (Research In Motion) just announced the launch of the white version of BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone in Hong Kong. The white smartphone is expected to start shipping around 6 August. Fans of the brand can get it from authorized retail channels at a recommended retail price of HK$5,188 (aprox. $670 USD).
The good news is that Blackberry users will be able to buy the smartphone from a wide range of retail outlets throughout Hong Kong, and they won't have to get a paid service contract.
“Today marks a significant step in growing the presence of BlackBerry smartphones in Hong Kong with expanded retail distribution,” said Norm Lo, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Research In Motion. “The white BlackBerry Bold 9700 offers an extensive array of high-end communications and multimedia features in a compact and stylish design. It is a perfect tool for customers who want to easily manage both their personal and business needs.”
The white BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone is a medium sized device, which measures 109 x 60 x 14 mm and weighs 122g (including battery). It is powered by a 624 MHz processor and runs on a Blackberry 5.0 platform. Bold 9700 comes with a 2.44-inch TFT, 65K colors (480x360 pixels resolution) display, full QWERTY keyboard, touch-sensitive optical trackpad, 256MB storage and 256 MB RAM, microSD slot for memory card (up to 16GB, 2GB included), HSDPA 3.6 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UMA, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support, 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus, and built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support.
The smartphone also features a long battery (Li-ion 1500 mAh) life, 408h in standbay mode, 6h in talk time mode, as well as 38h of music playback.
The White BlackBerry Bold 9700 has been previously launched in North America through T-mobile (U.S.) and Rogers (Canada) carriers, but also in Thailand, in May 2010.