Is it just hype or does it live up to its name? Everything is crisp and lifelike, with the color just popping out at you from the display. The newly designed screen is amazing. It appears to actually BE the panel, rather than underneath it somewhere. Picture clarity and viewing angle are excellent.

The menu is also aesthetically pleasing - and the updated look has been designed for the BlackBerry Bold with new icons. Looking at the images you can see the BlackBerry Bold is also more elegant and sleek on the outside just screaming STYLE. Curvy edges and bright chrome trim offsets the black casing in a very striking way.

There are many features, both in terms of design and function. It is just a bit larger and heavier, yet slightly slimmer than its cousin, the BlackBerry Curve at 4.5"x2.6"x.55" and just a little under 5 ounces. Compared to the 8800 the keyboard is more comfortable and easier to use due to more spacing between rows.

The BlackBerry Bold supports all of the latest wireless communications technologies such as HSDPA support. This is the first BlackBerry made to use this standard and it has been something anticipated for some time - but RIM wanted to ensure that battery life could still live up to their standards while at the same time offering users this new 3.5G technology. Wi-FI (802.11a/b/g) is included as is Bluetooth 2.0 support. Also built in is GPS!

The BlackBerry Bold comes with a processor which doubles the computing power of previous models. A 624 MHz Intel PXA270 processor ensure fast, smooth performance for users. There is 128MB of flash memory and a full gigabyte of onboard storage, with a microSD/SDHC expansion slot supporting cards up to 16GB.

The updated web browser included with the Bold is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessors and allows web pages to be viewed in either mobile versions of full HTML, and the trackball can now emulate a mouse, including zoom functions. This is GREAT news for many BlackBerry users!

As for multimedia, the smartphone has you covered. A 2 megapixel camera has built in flash, 5x zoom and video recording capabilities. There is media player software included which can play MP3, WMA, AAC, DivX4 and WMV3 files. The phone also has a headphone/external speaker jack. The built in speakers are no slouch either - they have full, rich stereo sound. This is quite a contrast to previous models.

The 9000 is expected to come out first for AT&T users, with the first featuring AT&T friendly HSDPA capabilities. Other versions will be out before you know it, says Lazaridis.

The BlackBerry 9000 will be available by summer of 2008, with pricing expected to be around 4-5 hundred.