Available from Telstra Shops and online

Nov 24, 2009 12:01 GMT  ·  By

Wireless carrier Telstra announced today that Australian mobile phone users have now yet another high-end handset to enjoy on its airwaves, namely the BlackBerry Bold 9700 (Bold 2). The new device comes with support for Telstra's Next G network, the company announced, adding that its customers are expected to find the device very appealing in an attractive package.

Telstra Product Management Executive Director, Ross Fielding, commented: “Lighter and more powerful, the new Blackberry 9700 has a full keyboard and push email service which will help customers stay connected to their email, office calendar and the mobile internet. Teamed with Telstra's Next G network it provides outstanding smartphone performance in more places.”

Fielding also said that the company expected for the new Bold 9700 to prove a very successful handset, based on the great performance the first BlackBerry Bold has showed on the carrier's airwaves. “A premium finish and a high build quality are carried across to the new model. Battery life continues to be outstanding giving customers the range they need to stay connected on longer trips,” he said.

What the new BlackBerry Bold is able to deliver to users includes a 3.2-megapixel photo snapper that sports auto focus and flash, a new touch-sensitive trackpad, a 624 MHz processor inside, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, support for 32GB microSD memory cards, a QWERTY keyboard, as well as support for a wide range of multimedia features, services and a multitude of applications that are available for the BlackBerry operating system.

The original BlackBerry Bold will remain in Telstra's offering, due to the fact that it has been recently updated to Blue Tick coverage performance and that it can deliver great coverage in regional and rural coverage areas. The carrier also noted that the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 would connect to a network that offered more than twice the coverage of the next largest 3G network in Australia.

“Consumers are demonstrating a real appetite for smartphones and we think the BlackBerry Bold 9700 will be popular with these customers. BlackBerry's seamless email on-the-go experience and the ability to personalise each phone by downloading and running a range of social media applications like Facebook and Uber Twitter are amongst the features we expect will appeal most to consumers,” Mr Fielding mentioned.