Today, AT&T released BlackBerry 6 to the Bold 9700 and Curve 3G handsets. The update brings both the Bold and Curve up to Research In Motion’s latest operating system — which sports an overhauled user interface and improved performance. Those interested in getting the latest and greatest code on their AT&T device can visit AT&T’s BlackBerry software update page to download the latest bits. Enjoy.

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While official word has yet to come from T-Mobile’s camp, we’ve heard from multiple sources that the carrier has finally released BlackBerry OS 6 for its BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone. The update isn’t yet live on the website, but 9700 owners who connect to BlackBerry Desktop on their PCs should be able to install the update. The release build is version 6.0.0.448, as has been known for quite some time, and this is the first version of OS 6 made available to Bold users by T-Mobile.

Thanks, John and Walter!

AmazonWireless announced Thursday that all AT&T phones on its website are now on sale. The popular online retailer is offering smartphones and feature phones from AT&T for as little as 1¢. The sale even includes just-released Windows Phone 7-powered smartphones from AT&T, like the HTC Surround. Here are some highlights:

•BlackBerry Torch: 1¢
•HTC Surround: 1¢
•LG Quantum: 1¢
•Motorola BACKFLIP: 1¢
•Motorola BRAVO: 1¢
•Motorola CHARM: 1¢
•Motorola FLIPOUT: 1¢
•Motorola FLIPSIDE: 1¢
•Palm Pixi Plus: 1¢
•Palm Pre Plus: 1¢
•Samsung Captivate: 1¢

The sale will run from Thursday through Monday, November 15th, and sale prices require two-year agreements. During the sale period, Amazon Prime members will also have their activations fees waived.

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We normally don’t cover BlackBerry operating system leaks, but we figured we’d make an exception. Why? Well, since we showed the world BlackBerry 6 on our 9700, people have been begging, emailing, and stalking us for it. The OS that just leaked is newer than the one we have been running on our Bold, and we have not yet downloaded and installed it, but this time, you can let us know what you think of it, and we’ll be the ones on the sidelines waiting. Sound good?

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Our friendly FedEx guy just dropped off a present for us — the BlackBerry Bold 9780, replacing the Bold 9700 sometime in the next month or so. As far as the physical changes, well, the device features a glossy jet black bezel, with everything else outside staying the same. We leaked an internal document highlighting the changes in the Bold 9780, and we can confirm that the device seems to be using an updated CPU, even if the clock speed is around 624MHz. The phone boots up very fast, even faster than our regular 9700 with OS 6. The 512MB of RAM in the handset leaves around 300MB free at device start up, and like we said before, OS 6 really works great on a non-touch device overall. We have a boot up comparison video of the current BlackBerry Bold 9700 with the upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9780 side by side as well as photos if you want to get your viewing on. It’s all past the break, folks!

Click on over to our BlackBerry Bold 9780 hands on gallery!

We have been working this one for a while, and we finally got BlackBerry OS 6 for our BlackBerry 9700. Here’s a short walkthrough video we put together. Comparing BlackBerry 6 on the 9700 to BlackBerry 6 on the 9800, we feel that the 9700 runs it better. It is less complicated to use, more functional (at least for us), and above all, faster. It even boots up in around a minute. For some reason, even though this build is not a final build, the phone feels snappy and doesn’t seem to get bogged down like our BlackBerry Torch did. All the great features of BlackBerry 6 are obviously here — WebKit browser, Universal Search, and more — and it’s nice to be able to pamper your beloved aging 9700 sometimes, isn’t it?

BlackBerry 6, RIM’s latest smartphone operating system, was first announced back in April of this year at WES (BlackBerry’s annual conference). This week, we finally got to see BB 6 running on real live hardware with the announcement of the BlackBerry Torch 9800. And now, we have images of the new OS running on some already released hardware, the BlackBerry Bold 9650. BBLeaks has received images BlackBerry running on the Verizon variant of the Bold 9650. RIM announced that it would make BlackBerry 6 available carriers who sold the Bold 9700, Bold 9650, and Pearl 3G handsets. BBLeaks reports that this preliminary build is a bit “sluggish” on the 9650, even with 512 MB of RAM. Definitely cause for concern for Bold 9700 and Pearl 3G owners who only pack half that amount of memory. We’ve got a couple more images ready for you after the break.

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Via a press release, RIM has announced that BlackBerry 6, which will debut on the BlackBerry Torch 9800, will also be available for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and 9650, as well as the BlackBerry Pearl 3G. Great news for all you Bold owners out there (sorry 9000 owners)! Here is the official verbiage from the release:

BlackBerry 6 will debut on the new BlackBerry® Torch™ smartphone (announced today) available from AT&T on August 12 and it is also designed to run on select BlackBerry smartphones already in market. Subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead, the new OS is expected to be available for the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700, BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 and BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G, as well as future BlackBerry smartphones.

The OS will be available, pending carrier approval, in the coming months. Hit the jump to view the full release.

RIM Unleashes BlackBerry 6

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Aug. 3, 2010) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced BlackBerry® 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry® smartphones that retains the trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh, approachable and engaging experience that is both powerful and easy to use. BlackBerry 6 features a redesigned interface that seamlessly works with a touch screen and trackpad, expanded messaging capabilities that simplify managing social media and RSS feeds, an advanced multimedia experience that rivals the best in the industry, a convenient new Universal Search tool, and a new and efficient WebKit-based browser that renders web pages quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience.

“BlackBerry 6 is the outcome of RIM’s ongoing passion to deliver a powerful, simplified and optimized user experience for both touch screen and keyboard fans,” said Mike Lazaridis, president and co-ceo, Research In Motion. “Following extensive research and development to address consumer needs and wants, we are delivering a communications, browsing and multimedia experience that we think users will love, and we are thrilled to debut BlackBerry 6 on the amazing new BlackBerry Torch smartphone.”

Visual, Fluid Interface
BlackBerry 6 has been redesigned making it easier and more intuitive, with clean, sleek visuals and natural, fluid navigation. Designed to be both fresh and familiar, the new interface enables a productive, fun and highly satisfying user experience whether using a touch screen or trackpad and keyboard.

BlackBerry 6 offers multiple views that help users better organize their applications and content. Icons are arranged on the Home Screen in 5 customizable views (All, Favorites, Media, Downloads and Frequent) that are navigable with simple swipes. Users can organize where they want their icons to appear, and can add contacts or web page shortcuts directly to the Home Screen.

Also new to BlackBerry 6 are visually-rich, context-sensitive Action Menus. Within a given application, by clicking and holding the trackpad or through an extended touch of the display, users can bring the most common actions or tasks of an application to the surface. In addition, users can seamlessly multitask by holding down the Menu key, which pops up a visual grid of all the applications currently running, so users can instantly switch between applications.

A powerful Universal Search tool is also accessible from the Home Screen. By simply clicking or tapping the Universal Search icon, users can search for any content on their handset, the web or in the new BlackBerry App World™, which is also integral to BlackBerry 6.

Fast Rich Web Browsing
BlackBerry 6 integrates a new and efficient WebKit-based browser that renders web pages (as well as email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. It features tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, an auto-wrap text zoom feature that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements, and pinch to zoom.

Social Feeds and Text Messaging
The new Social Feeds application simplifies the management of social networking and RSS feeds and provides integrated access to the native BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™, AOL® Instant Messenger™, Google Talk™, Windows Live™ Messenger and Yahoo!® Messenger applications for BlackBerry smartphones. Social Feeds streamlines the user experience, provides an integrated view of friends’ activities across multiple social networks, and lets users post updates across multiple networks simultaneously. Users can also easily add their favorite RSS Feeds from the Social Feeds application or directly from a website while browsing.

RIM’s new Text Messages application also adds exciting new features for users who communicate mostly via SMS and MMS, including the ability for users to now view a conversation in one threaded ‘chat’ as well as share photos, videos and other rich content.

Engaging Multimedia Experience
The multimedia experience in BlackBerry 6 is designed to give users a more engaging and streamlined experience with album art everywhere in the new music and video players. The new BlackBerry® Desktop Software 6 integrates media sync for easily syncing photos and videos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*. It also includes Wi-Fi Music Sync, a unique feature that allows users to view their entire iTunes® or Windows Media® Player music libraries from their BlackBerry smartphone, create and edit playlists, as well as select music for download. When in range of their home Wi-Fi network (or via USB), the changes are synced with iTunes® or Windows Media® Player and the songs are automatically downloaded to the smartphone. BlackBerry 6 also gives users access to a range of camera modes that can help them capture better images. Editing, organizing and sharing shots is amazingly simple, with intuitive options for grouping pictures.

The new Podcasts application makes it easy for users to find and manage audio and video podcasts. Users can view all the podcasts saved on their smartphone, browse a catalogue of podcasts available for download, subscribe to them, and wirelessly download the content directly onto their smartphone. There is also a dedicated YouTube® application, so viewing and sharing videos is easier than ever and users can also easily search for videos using the new Universal Search tool in BlackBerry 6.

Compatibility with Existing BlackBerry Smartphones
BlackBerry 6 will debut on the new BlackBerry® Torch™ smartphone (announced today) available from AT&T on August 12 and it is also designed to run on select BlackBerry smartphones already in market. Subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead, the new OS is expected to be available for the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700, BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 and BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G, as well as future BlackBerry smartphones.

Leaked signage from a Roger’s source suggests that the BlackBerry Bold 9700 has literally hit rock bottom. According to the placard, the Bold 9700 will be on sale for $0 with a three year customer agreement. It remains to be seen whether this price drop is a temporary sale or a more permanent means to move inventory in anticipation of a bigger and better Bold on the way. Regardless of the reason, customers eying the original Bold as a backup phone or an introductory phone for a BlackBerry virgin would be wise to snag one when the price hits zero.

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T-Mobile just officially announced what we’ve all heard for a pretty long while — they’re going to be adding some summer colors to their BlackBerry lineup starting today. First up is the BlackBerry Curve 8520 in Fuchsia Red. It hits T-Mobile’s retail stores and online today and will retail for $49.99 with a two year service agreement. In terms of the big boy toys, T-Mobile is rolling that luxurious-looking BlackBerry Bold 9700 in “Flash White”. That device will start to become available on May 26th for the same price as the current 9700, $129.99 with a two year agreement. Lastly, T-Mobile’s BlackBerry 9700 OS upgrade that just became available will be pre-loaded on the new Casper Bolds out of the box. We’re not complaining.

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Torontonians looking to save some money on their wireless bill should take note that a new carrier will be up and running as of tomorrow morning. Formerly known as DAVE Wireless, Mobilicity is looking to crack the local market provider business with plans that are far more competitive than its closest competition, WIND Mobile. We’ve got all the details about the company — and a little more thanks to our chat with Mobilicity’s Dave Dobbin — so hit the jump for all the deets.

The cheapest plan offered by Mobilicity is $15. It offers unlimited texts to North America and free in-network calling. Moving up to more suitable plans for anyone but text-crazy teens, an unlimited local talk plan is available for $25 per month with a unlimited local texts being another $10. If you want unlimited everything — data included — then you’ll definitely want the $65 plan is what you’ll need. It offers unlimited North American calls and texts calls, unlimited data in addition to voicemail, call forwarding, 3-way calling and call waiting.

Just in case you haven’t clued in, Mobilicity is not pretending to be a national carrier. It has its own AWS 3G towers in the markets it serves, and roaming agreements with a “national GSM provider” in the markets it doesn’t. Yes, if you leave your home service area you’ll have to pay 20¢ per minute for voice calls, 10¢ per text and $5 per megabyte of data, but Mobilicity isn’t phased (we should add at this point that you pre-pay a set amount of your choice prior to roaming in order to prevent “bill shock”). According to Dobbin, “Mobilicity is for people that live, work, and play” in one city. In fact, he even went to far as to say that anyone with a penchant for travel should really stick with either Bell, Rogers or TELUS. But just because your roots are firmly implanted in your home city doens’t mean you can’t connect with people who live elsewhere.

Sure to please much of Toronto’s diverse population, Mobilicity has monthly calling plans for East Asian and South Asia. Both priced at $20, one offers unlimited calls to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, while the other is good for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you have family elsewhere, calls to landlines in countries like England, Italy, Germany and France are 10¢ per minute. We asked how Mobilicity will be able to profit from these plans and why other carriers aren’t doing something similar, but all we were told is that it would be impolite to comment on the affairs of other carriers. Moving on…

Mobilicity will offer a data stick for $99.99 and hook you up to all of the 3G data you can consume for $40 per month. We were curious to see if this plan has a hidden cap or will be throttled past a certain point. Dobbin was up front and said the only thing that is throttled are P2P connections, which, in fact, are completely blocked.

Speaking of hardware sales, Mobilicty’s line-up will include the BlackBerry Bold 9700 ($499.99), HTC Snap ($199.99). Nokia 5230 ($169.99), Sony Ericsson TM506 ($99.99) and more. If you’re not down with that selection, any device you bring to the network can be hooked up so long as it supports AWS 3G.

Mobilcity officially launches tomorrow in Toronto, with service for Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa scheduled to kick off “later this year. Let’s hope it delivers.

Been dying to get your hands on a white BlackBerry Bold 9700? Live in Canada? Okay with having a Rogers-branded device? Then you’re rockin’, son, because according to their latest flyers, the white Hot 97 is now available above the 49th parallel from Best Buy and Future Shop. Going for $549.99 outright and $149.99 on contract, we suggest you call ahead before scurrying on over to your local big box retailer — we imagine this thing will sell fast.

Read [Best Buy] Read [Future Shop]

It certainly can not be long now, folks. HowardForums staple and Rogers dealer “Treatz” has taken delivery of dummy models of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 in white and Pearl 9100 in red. No word yet on when Rogers (or any other carrier, for that matter) plan on launching the pair, but with WES kicking off in just 5 days — yes, the BGR crew will once again be in attendance — we’re dead confident that we’ll be able to nail down a release date. But for now we’re keen on knowing what you guys think of the two. The general consensus here at BGR is that white 9700 is hot as hell. The red 9100? Not so much. Hit the jump for one more pic.

UPDATE: One of our Rogers connects sent us in two additional shots of the BlackBerry 9100. You know where to find ‘em…

Thanks, Treatz!

Looks like the Europeans and Southeast Asians won’t be the only ones getting in on the white BlackBerry Bold 9700 action, as the device has popped up in T-Mobile’s internal systems. Available from May 5th onwards, official pricing has not yet been disseminated down the chain of command, although we can’t imagine it will be priced any differently than its black counterpart’s $129.99. So far we’ve not heard anything about this device heading to AT&T, but we’re willing to wager it won’t want to miss out on the Second Coming of the Diddy White Bold.

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For those BlackBerry users who refuse to sport black after Memorial Day, salvation is on the way. A white BlackBerry 9700, complete with a black track-button-nose, is currently visible on RIM’s Thai website. The addition of white to the Bold 9700 family is no surprise, as RIM debuted a pale version of the Bold 9000 several months after launch. Here at BGR, we are huge fans of Cheetos®, and for that reason alone, a white anything is out of the question. How about you? Does a white 9700 with a black nose pique anyone’s interests?

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