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The above video is Neville Ray, SVP of Engineering and Operations, T-Mobile USA, discussing their strategy with respect to rolling out HSPA / HSPA+ networks and services in the USA. This demonstrates that several major carriers, now Rogers included, will be rolling out these networks in the near future.

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Rogers have just announced the debut of their HSPA+ network in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). This is incredible news for mobile Internet users, as they can now get access to speeds roughly equivalent to 3.75G with a mobile Internet stick.

From a BlackBerry perspective, this isn’t immediately pressing news. Back when Rogers announced their 3G network, called HSDPA and announced April 2nd, 2007, it took RIM around a year and a half to release a BlackBerry that was capable of taking advantage of the network: the BlackBerry Bold.

From the Press Release: “Rogers has begun the Canada-wide deployment of the 21 Megabits per second (Mbps) high-speed HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access Plus) wireless network, following the successful expansion and doubling of speed of its high-speed network to 7.2 Mbps last year. Starting in August, Rogers will progressively increase wireless network download speeds up to 21 Mbps in the Greater Toronto Area, and expand quickly over the coming months to other cities across the country.”

The question is: will RIM even bother to make a device that utilizes the HSPA+ network? Currently, 3G seems to satisfy the needs of the market. We know that RIM has plans to make LTE compatible BlackBerry devices, which could mean we’ll skip HSPA all together.

What applications do we envision with an HSPA+ enabled device?

[Special thanks goes out to RogersDude69]

© Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2009

There’s some good news for the folks in Australia. Firstly, it seems that Vodafone Australia have finally upgraded their GPRS network to EDGE. Although EDGE isn’t necessarily blazing fast, it’s a huge improvement and Vodafone customers.

Another piece of good news for Australian BlackBerry users is that Telstra have announced that the BlackBerry Bold has been accredited with Telstra’s Blue Tick, which recommends devices for handheld use in metro, rural and regional areas. Users can upgrade their existing Bold devices, while new users will get Tick-ready devices out of the box.

[Special thanks goes to Brendan for the tip]

© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2009

Every now and then we come across a spec sheet put together by a fairly unknown source. Today, we’re seeing the possible specs for the BlackBerry Pluto and the BlackBerry Magnum.

The BlackBerry Pluto hasn’t shown it’s face in the blogosphere yet but there are rumors of it being touchscreen QWERTY hybrid. According to these specs, it’s closer to the Onyx, and it’s a Bold replacement. The specs are a little off but that is to be expected with prerelease devices. For example, the optical trackpad isn’t listed but that is usually the last thing to be put into the device before release. The Magnum is listed as having the Bold as a predecessor, and rumors suggest the Magnum is basically an 8900 with 3G.

I’ve posted the rumored specs for both, but I’m personally really skeptical. For now, lets just use the specs as a launching pad for discussions about the upcoming devices.

What do you think about the specs as they’re presented? The expected release dates for both devices is September 2009, which is doable but really soon.

RIM BlackBerry Bold 9900 (RIM Pluto) Specs
Expected Release Date: September, 2009

Project Codename: RIM Pluto
Predecessor Model: RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000

Embedded Operating System: RIM BlackBerry OS 4.7
RAM;capacity: 128 MiB
ROM;capacity: 128 MiB
Secondary ROM capacity: 1 GiB

Display Type: color transmissive TFT, 65536 scales
Display Diagonal: 2.6 ”
Display;Resolution: 480 x 360

Microphone(s): mono
Loudspeaker(s): mono
Audio:Output: 3.5mm

Cellular Networks: GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS850, UMTS1900, UMTS2100
Cellular Data: CSD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA

Call Alert: 32 -chord melody
Vibrating+Alert: Supported
Speakerphone: Supported

Positioning Device: Touchscreen & TrackBall
Primary Keyboard: Built-in QWERTY-type keyboard
Directional Pad: Not supported
Scroll-Wheel: Not supported

Expansion Slots: microSD, microSDHC, TransFlash
USB: USB 2.0 client, 480Mbit/s, mini-USB
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

LAN: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g
Infrared_Gate: Not supported

Analog Radio Receiver: Not supported
Broadcast-Tuner: Not supported

GPS module: Supported
Complementary GPS Services: Assisted GPS, Geotagging

Main Camera: 3.1 MP
Autofocus (AF): Supported
Flash: mobile light (LED)

Battery: removable

RIM BlackBerry Bold 9220 (RIM Magnum) Specs
Expected Release Date: September, 2009

Project Codename: RIM Magnum

Predecessor Model: RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000

Embedded Operating System: RIM BlackBerry OS 4.6

CPU Clock: 624 MHz
CPU: Marvell PXA930

RAM capacity: 128 MiB
ROM capacity: 128 MiB
Secondary ROM capacity: 1 GiB

Display Type: color transmissive TFT , 65536 scales
Display Diagonal: 2.4 ”
Display_Resolution: 480 x 360

Microphone(s): mono
Loudspeaker(s): mono
Audio Output: 3.5mm

Cellular Networks: GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS850, UMTS1900, UMTS2100
Cellular Data Links: CSD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA
Call Alert: 32 -chord melody
Vibrating Alert: Supported
Speakerphone: Supported

Positioning Device: TrackBall
Primary Keyboard: Built-in QWERTY-type keyboard
Directional Pad: Not supported
Scroll Wheel: Not supported

Expansion Slots: microSD, microSDHC, TransFlash
USB: USB 2.0 client, 480Mbit/s, micro-USB
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
LAN: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g
Infrared Gate: Not supported

Analog Radio Receiver: Not supported
Broadcast Tuner: Not supported

Built-in GPS module: Supported
Complementary GPS Services: Assisted GPS, Geotagging

Main Camera: 3.1 MP
Autofocus (AF): Supported
Built-in Flash: mobile light (LED)

Battery: removable

© Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2009

While RIM releases device after device that combines form factors, we’re still waiting for them to include new features in the hardware and software. Adding these components will add to the price, but they also unlock a plethora of possibilities for developers. Lets look at some basic hardware and software features that will make the BlackBerry experience better.

Video Out: There are several smartphones on the market that support video out and it has great potential for the device. Not only can you attach peripherals to the video out such as a projector and television, but you can also have the video output interact with an application. An app that combines your device’s camera with a projector, could have Project Natal potential on a smaller scale.

Compass: The iPhone 3GS compass is a seemingly minor upgrade to the device, but again, it’s great for developers. Augmented Reality is the future of how we interact with the real world using our device and the compass makes these apps much easier to make.

Dual Touchscreen/QWERTY: A Bold-like device with a touchscreen has been rumored to be in development but we haven’t seen any proof. A dual touchscreen/QWERTY device has huge implications for the end user in terms of experience, but it also has big implications for developers. Being able to develop an application with a smooth touchscreen interface and QWERTY input is the best of both worlds.

I leave it to you BlackBerry Nation. What features would you like to see RIM implement?

© Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2009

The Fugazi theme is a simple and clean theme. There isn’t much here but I know a lot of BlackBerry users want just that. Simple 2D icons and easy to read text. If you’re looking for a theme without bells and whistles, and just simplicity, this theme is for you.

Purchase the Fugazi theme for $3.50.

© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2009