AT&T getting it’s first Touch Screen BlackBerry by end of June? Could iPhone be a factor?
With so many BlackBerry users on AT&T, it just seemed unfair that the only touch screen BlackBerry available on the market was for Verizon Wireless. Well, If you are an AT&T BlackBerry user, your wait just might be over. BGR reported that RIM’s latest flagship device, the BlackBerry 9800 Touch Screen Slider, just might be coming to AT&T by the end of June. This news surprised me and a lot of other BlackBerry writers because according to RIM, we are not supposed to see the latest version of the BlackBerry OS (Version 6.0) until the end of the 3rd Qtr. If this is true, then this also could also be one of the first of the next gen BlackBerry devices to support AT&T’s new upgraded HSDPA 7.5Mb network. This offers great news for laptop users, since you can use this device as a broadband modem for your laptop. If you didn’t already know, currently all 3G BlackBerry devices can be used as a modem with products like the BlackBerry app Tether. iPhone users will need to wait until this summer when the next iPhone OS becomes available.
Now let’s get the 800 pound gorilla out of the room. Could this be a ploy by AT&T to finally have a touch screen BlackBerry to shore up it’s BlackBerry fan base against Verizon Wireless? Maybe so, since all of Verizon’s BlackBerry devices are 3G and AT&T currently only has two 3G BlackBerrys and neither are touch screen. Next, is this device supposed to compete with the iPhone 4G? I say no, and in my book it shouldn’t. BlackBerry is for the powerbroker, dealmaker, and communication junkie. BlackBerry was built as a highly productive and sometimes addictive messaging platform and should stick to that core function. Currently BlackBerry is still the number #1 selling smartphone in the United States, and the reason it sells so well is because when all is said and done. No matter how many apps you put on a device, people still love to just basically communicate, and BlackBerry make it easy. Also even though small business users have no problem using iPhone. Many enterprise customers still feel that iPhone is still not a platform they comfortable with deploying. With rumors of AT&T ordering this new BlackBerry by the boat loads, I expect that the business sector will be buying this thing like hotcakes. Also considering the new 9800 will come with the new BlackBerry OS 6 operating system, more power, great memory, support for 3D graphics, iTunes and Windows Media Sync, a newly designed multi -touch touch screen and a whole lot more. I think you will find many Blackberry users will stick with their beloved BlackBerry. If you missed it, be sure to see our post on what’s coming in the new BlackBerry 6 software, and take a quick peek at the promo video.
Source: BGR
