Mobile

RIM launches BlackBerry Bold 9700 in PH

Abe Olandres January 7, 2010 · 1 min read

Listen to article

Lenovo announces ThinkStation P4 desktop workstation Xbox and Discord offer new benefits for Game Pass and Nitro members Google announces Pause Point feature OPPO A6s 5G Review ASUS Zenbook S16 (UM5606GA) Review

RIM today announced the launching of their new BlackBerry Bold 9700 in the Philippines. Both Globe and Smart will carry the handsets and offer them to customers by end of the January.

blackberry bold 9700

BlackBerry Bold 9700
2.44′” screen @ 480×360 pixels
Full QWERTY keyboard
Touch-sensitive optical trackpad
256MB storage, 128 MB RAM
up to 16GB on microSD card
3G/HSDPA 3.6 Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
3.15MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
624 MHz processor
Blackberry OS 5.0
GPS with A-GPS support
Li-Ion 1500 mAh

Notice the old trackball has been ditched in favor of the the optical trackpad. The same one we saw and reviewed on the BB Curve 8520:

RIM did not indicate the retail price as the units will be sold thru local carriers, Globe and Smart, which will be announced by the end of this month. However, based on existing Blackberry plans of both telcos, expect it to be very close to the pricing for Blackberry Bold 9000. That means up to Php29k with the lowest subscription plan and free for Plan 5000 and higher.

React to this article:

BlackBerry 9700 User Experience blackberry bold 9700 BlackBerry Bold 9700 Features BlackBerry Bold 9700 Price PH BlackBerry Bold Review BlackBerry Launch PH Latest Blackberry Phone RIM New Release rim philippines Smartphone Release Philippines

Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

7,991 Articles

View all posts by Abe Olandres →

76 Comments

kosy jean tabangcura · 14 years ago

pls. give me a tabalet blackberry because i like tablet blackberry pls.

marlon · 16 years ago

mas mura d2 sa ksa ung mga blackberry mike walng problema sa internet connection moh mahirap tlga mag conecct pero try mulang ako ok na

michael · 16 years ago

i have a technical problem in wifi connection.. i cannot use the blackberry9700 to wifi internet, even in yahoo messenger.. is the internet only available by connecting to 3G or GPRS network?, why not possible in wifi. or is it blocked by globe?

AJ Sanchez babao · 16 years ago

Storm 2 or the 9550 is also a good investment. it’s cheaper than the bold 9700 but run on the same OS OS 5.0. this is purely a touch phone. the wow factor or weirdness factor is the surepress technology. imagine a keypad tapping and typing experience without having the keys at all on the screen. doon sa mahilig sa games ala force feedback ang dating niya. it’s not like nokias vibrate as you press the touchpad. it goes further than that. feels like there is a keypad…..pero wala. quite an ingenous tech.

you will also loose some multimedia playing capability with DivX. wala siyang support. unlike the Bold 9700 out of the box okay siya.

but all in all pare pareho sakit ng blackberry. yung browser mejo crude.

warpath · 16 years ago

if you’re on postpaid:
your msf + Php1200 = unlimited BIS

if you’re on prepaid:
Daily Personal BlackBerry: Php50
5-Day Personal BlackBerry: Php220
Monthly Personal BlackBerry: Php1200

otel · 16 years ago

@warpath
for how much the data plan (BIS)?
Tenx..

ron · 16 years ago

i’m using the BB 9700 for a week now, and based on it’s performance i can give it 8 out of 10.. the applications (3rd party) aren’t available in the country yet.. so if RIM’s gonna give it to the PI then it’ll add up some points.. and one thing more, do you guys know where i can buy good case(leather, crystal or candy type)? :) thanks..

anyway, i got it this phone from globe.. this one has a better function than my e71.. :)

cheers,
Ron

warpath · 16 years ago

regardless if postpaid or prepaid, apps will not run if you don’t subscribe to data plan (BIS). globe is offering BIS for prepaid though.

otel · 16 years ago

Is it true na if you are a prepaid user of BB phones, you cannot use some of the applications? Please confirm if this is true,, gee thanks sa sasagot. my dad kasi brought BB 4 me and im a prepaid user lang.

sam · 16 years ago

why can’t globe and smart offer similar deals like they do stateside e.g. $199 for the phone with a basic plan plus rebates etc…

dobi · 16 years ago

Blackberry Bold 9700 is already available in Globe Business Center. I saw the poster last week at Alabang Town Center. Price is 28,995 for the prepaid kit with Free one month Super Surf and Free na yung unit if you get the Unlimited Blackberry plan.

AJ Sanchez babao · 16 years ago

those heavily relying on email,Yahoo messenger,Windows live as well as facebook will surely love this phone as it flawlessly connects to a wide variety of popular applications found in the internet. The phone is also a hidden killer media player able to play popular video formats such as DivX,Windows media, youtube, Mpeg4’s not to mention a variety of poular audio formats as well such as Mp3,AAC Windows media audio and who knows what else. The processor is Zippy thansk to it’s triple core. yes triple core.. one core handles applications, the other internet or communications and the rest are left to the OS. Camera is rated at 3.2 megapixels but it’s one of the sharpest capturing devices in the mobile phone category rivaling nokia’s carl Zeiss and sony-ericsson’s cybershot. very pocketable, non slip leather textured battery back plate. This phone is a keeper in the long haul.

keysi · 16 years ago

i got this one. medyo crappy lang ung camera nia.
but all in all, its the best phone ever. second to iphone :D

r4i karte · 16 years ago

The RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 features a sleeker design than its predecessor and adds a 3.5mm headphone jack, a responsive optical trackpad, and an extra-sharp display. The smartphone is fast and offers the full range of wireless options and robust messaging capabilities.

xtian1986 · 16 years ago

gusto kung magtry ng BB kaso di ako maka decide between Storm2 and Bold2 >.<

natsumeh · 16 years ago

Worth it ba mag upgrade from 9000 to 9700?

sakura · 16 years ago

may nang-ookray pa rin ng bb dito?

bb is a great smartphone and i love their apps, pati specs nila in general ranks with the other better smartphones.

the design is cute too, with the original qwerty keyboard. di naman siguro gagayahin ng e series yan kung di maganda diba? personally mas gusto ko ang keypad ng bb, mas madaling gamitin.

anyway, i can’t wait for the bb 9700 to come out!

rlug2 · 16 years ago

I’ve been wanting to try the optical trackpad ever since i saw it in the 8520. I had gone from the trackwheel (7290, 7100g, 7130g) to the trackball (8100, 8820, 8310). Now i wanna shift to a blackberry with the trackpad. cleaning the ball is tedious, though i enjoy it.. hehehe..

This new blackberry has got all the good stuff in it..

daddy joey · 16 years ago

with those features, 29k is a good price, compared to other brands

Pusang Kulog · 16 years ago

29k petot… love that! He he he… Humor can really lighten things up…

goosebumps · 16 years ago

ebuystore is selling it at 29K petot

Miguel · 16 years ago

The new unlimited BB packages now make it more attractive.

For the hardware specs (CPU, memory) – I think they are at par with other smartphones.

jehzlau · 16 years ago

Geeez.. yung inorder ko na BB 9700 from SG, 2 weeks na sa customs. Mukhang hihintayin nila ang pag release ng globe at smart bago ibigay sa akin yun.. Tsk tsk tsk… Waaaah!

Andew Mercado · 16 years ago

Execs and Celebs prefer BB obviously due to productivity features like push email, IM, etc. and also prefer by others due to full qwerty keyboard & don’t want to adapt touch tech. However, despites BB being so expensive other hardware specs are way below the standard of competitive smartphone.

yogurt · 16 years ago

I can’t wait to get my hands on the new 9700. I currently have the 8900 and I’m loving the BB service. Yes, the trackball does suck for most people but I haven’t experienced any problems with mine (having had it for 5 months now). BlackBerry may not be as fancy as the iPhone (with all the apps and everything), but it’s perfect for people who want to stay connected to their e-mails, IM’s and even Twitter 24/7. Indeed, we pay for the extra Blackberry Internet Service (BIS), but it’s worth it. I value my BBMessenger because it allows me to send messages to my relatives abroad (with BB phones) for free*.

On an end note, if you want a phone that won’t bore you, get an iPhone. The App store is unparalleled. If you want a phone that’s keen on organization and push functions, get a BlackBerry.

At the end of the day, it boils down to what you really need.

Dan The Beast · 16 years ago

IMO, the BB is a breakthrough hardware because of the many advantages it caters to it’s users like the IM and push email. I got a BB 9000 which is provided by my company but the trackball sucks big time! I wouldn’t recommend the BB for personal use. I used a different model before (Pearl 8120) and there are a lot of pain in the ass glitches on both. Hayaan nyo na sina Kris, Ai Ai, Ruffa, etc sa BB, mukha lang syang classy. :)

nicol · 16 years ago

Even business man prefer this

Francis · 16 years ago

re BB IM charges, i think sir Yuga refers to the showbiz people of the USA so the charges are of the US networks not our local telcos’

Andre Marcelo-Tanner · 16 years ago

oh i dunno about specs not being good but its got wifi, 3g, hsdpa, qwerty keyboard, gps, push email, almost everything you could ask for. Sure its not for high performance games, get an iphone for that

Kinny · 16 years ago

For some reason I prefer the appearance of the BB Bold 9000. It looks way cooler. But I guess yeah the trackball is a pain!

BungeeJump · 16 years ago

Google Nexus One still.

chris · 16 years ago

Even some business man/woman prefer BB..

Andre Marcelo-Tanner · 16 years ago

BB IM is free really? i thought it still carries data charges of GPRS rates .25 per kb
gotta love that new trackpad, the ball is really bad, i had to unscrew and disassemble my blackberry, lcd and all just to clean the ball because it stopped moving down and right.

the downside of BB IM is the other person needs a blackberry IM too. AFAIK Yahoo, AIM, MSN IM are all charged BB internet rates. If only it was 10 pesos per 30 mins….

BB pang business, IPhone pang fun :)

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 16 years ago

@jerb – it’s got the BB IM which showbiz people love because it’s free/unlimited and they can chat all the time thru it. Saves up on SMS and internet charges.

jerb · 16 years ago

What makes bb phones so expensive even though the specs are not good? And why do stars love this brand? Sorry but i dont see anything special to this one.