RIM's New iPhone Killer BlackBerry Arriving Next Week?
The invitations don't say much, but BlackBerry 6 and the Bold 9800 seem likely. RIM teased BlackBerry 6 earlier this month, showing off Android-like widget features and a reworked home screen, along with social networking integration and other touch features like pinch-to-zoom on its browser.
RIM hasn't confirmed any details about the BlacKBerry Bold 9800 -- also variously known during months of speculation as the Blackberry Torch 9800 -- but rumors suggest it will have a physical, slide-out keyboard and a touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera, and 4 GB of internal storage, as well as be the first BlackBerry to run BlackBerry 6.
A flashy new BlackBerry would be a win for RIM, which has seen its smartphone strength erode and has yet to release a device to contend with 2010's thus-far coolest and most high profile smartphones. It would also provide a boost for AT&T, no doubt looking to circle its wagons amid ongoing speculation that it will lose U.S. carrier exclusivity for Apple's iPhone by the end of the year.
In a research note to clients, Morgan Stanley analyst Ehud Geblum said he expects AT&T to put a lot of muscle behind the phone.
"We expect the new RIM slider to receive 'hero' treatment from AT&T and for the carrier to promote the product aggressively," Geblum wrote.
The BlackBerry speculation may have had some effect on RIM's stock. Shares of RIM gained 2.4 percent in early trading Wedneday, going as high as $54.49 on the New York Stock Exchange.