The BlackBerry Bold 9650 smart phone is officially available through Verizon Wireless’ Web site – it’ll be available in stores June 10.
The Bold 9650 will enable subscribers to tether their BlackBerry devices to notebooks or netbooks and use the phones as modems for wireless Internet in more than 200 countries, according to Verizon Wireless (never mind that most authorities agree on only 193 countries or so). Verizon Wireless calls the new service “GlobalAccess Connect.”
The new phone is available for $149.99 after a $100 rebate with a new two-year agreement. A non-camera version also will be available.
You’ll need a Verizon Wireless voice and data plan, plus a GlobalAccess Connect plan.
The low-end GlobalAccess Connect plan gets you 5 GB of data in the United States and Canada for $65 monthly (plus 5 cents per megabyte for overages). The plan also includes a 100-MB allowance in select countries (but watch out for the $5.12 you’ll pay per megabyte for overage charges).
There is also a $155 monthly access option that offers a 5-GB allowance in the United States and Canada and a 200-MB allowance in select countries, with the same overage rates as the $65 monthly option.
The BlackBerry Bold 9650 uses EV-DO Rev. A cellular data networks in North America as well as single-band UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad.
The phone also features built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) and built-in GPS with support for location-based applications and services, as well as geotagging. The device is push-to-talk capable but enabling that feature costs an additional $5 per month per line.
