The highly anticipated BlackBerry Bold 9700, codenamed Onyx, has been confirmed for release by the Optus, Vodafone and 3 networks but dates and pricing have yet to be confirmed.
The phone is a 3G-enabled successor to the highly popular BlackBerry Bold 9000, which has helped its maker, Research in Motion, maintain strong sales figures despite tough competition from Apple’s iPhone.
Crazy Johns will also release the Bold 2 under Vodafone contracts throughout its stores, but a Virgin spokesperson said it could not support and would not release BlackBerry devices.
The industry has been abuzz with rumours that Telstra will also release the product, but a spokesperson from the telco would not confirm or deny any involvement with the device.
“The addition of any new device to our range is announced simultaneously to our customers, staff and the media,” the spokesperson said.
A RIM spokesperson was also unable to confirm release details, but said there were no exclusive release contracts for the BlackBerry Bold 2 between the vendor and Australian carriers.
