BlackBerry 9630 Niagara Revealed

The blogosphere has been hot with the release of a few leaked photos and even a video of the next likely release from BlackBerry, code named Niagara and sporting model number 9630. Now for the disclaimer: it's highly unlikely that the device will actually be called Niagara once released and even the model number isn't a sure thing until RIM says so. More pics and video below.



Still, piecing available information together in advance can be interesting and much of it typically even turns out to be accurate once official details become available. The leaked photos show the device with a protective plastic cover stuck to the reverse which indicates a Qualcomm 3G CDMA processor. So far, so good. That meshes nicely with the 9630 model number since 30 as the second pair of digits represents a CDMA device. That also goes along with the widely held belief that the new phone will, in large measure, be a CDMA version of the flagship Bold 9000.

Indications are that the 9630 will be released in a late-spring early-summer timeframe in the United States by both CDMA carriers, Verizon Wireless and Sprint, as well as Canada's Bell Mobility. It will operate on the EVDO Rev A data network for great high speed data transfer. That's fortunate because it appears that, inexplicably, the device will lack Wi-Fi connectivity. On a positive note, this should be a genuine world phone like the







Its keys are a step between the completely separated ones that are characteristic of the entire Curve series and the sculptured, nearly touching keys of the Bold. The combination should make for an exceptional mobile typing experience.

We look for the Niagara to feature a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recorder, GPS and the same standout 480 x 360 resolution display screen that's now available on the Curve 8900.

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