RIM Launches Blackberry Bold Touch 9900

Canadian handset manufacturer Research In Motion has announced two new handsets, the Blackberry Bold Touch 9900 and the 9930, the only difference between the two is that the first is aimed at the GSM market while the other will be sold for CDMA networks.

As its name implies, the Bold Touch 9900 has a capacitive touchscreen, in this case, a 2.8-inch VGA one that RIM calls "Liquid Graphics", which has up to four times more pixels than the previous generation.

The handset is powered by a 1.2GHz single core System on Chip, with 768MB RAM, Wi-Fi, Near Field Communications, a five megapixel camera with AF, flash and HD video recording capabilities, 8GB onboard storage and a microSD slot.

A new Blackberry OS, version 7, will drive the handset, which not only supports NFC natively but also allows custom options for the homescreen, as well as voice activated searches and a new feature called Balance which allows users to manage personal and business data separately.

At 130g and 10.5mm thick, the new Bold Touch 9900 is both slimmer and lighter than the last Touch but still manages to keep its signature keyboard layout and the five proprietary front buttons.

No UK mobile phone operators have announced yet when or whether they will stock the new Bold Touch 9900 and at what price; however given that it will be the top of the range model from RIM, one can expect it to sell on £35 monthly contracts or higher.