High Speed Internet Access (HSIA): Mobile Broadband

All the mobile broadband carriers in Australia will soon be offering the new BlackBerry Bold 9700. Telstra got in first and have the Next G Bold 9700 with the Telstra logo and pre-loaded with links to Telstra’s services.  In the next few days Vodafone, 3 Mobile and Optus will follow suit.

The Bold 9700 has been described as “the best Blackberry ever”. It’s smaller in size than it’s predecessor, the Bold 9000 with a better spec meaning more and improved features. These improved features include:

• Support for both dual-band 2100 MHz and 900 MHz 3G network (Optus and nVodafone) as well as 2100 MHz and 850 MHz   (Telstra Next G and 3 Mobile roaming on Next G). The Bold 9700 comes in 2 different models one for each. It’s the first Blackberry to support 3G HSDPA on the 900 MHz band.
• An upgraded camera with 3.2 megapixels and autofocus
• A faster web browser
• The new BlackBerry OS 5.0
• Support for Mac OS X
• An optical trackpad similar to the trackpad on a laptop.
• The smaller size does mean a smaller screen however the screen resolution is better, 480 x 360 instead of 480 x 320.

The Blackberry Bold 9000 is still available and selling well according to RIM who say they are providing a choice for their customers with the Bold 9700.

Vodafone have the best deals with their new unlimited $99 plan with the Bold 9700. It will include unlimited calls and texts and either unlimited Blackberry email and web or 1.5GB of data with the Bold 9700 able to be tethered to a laptop and used as a modem. 2nd December is the date that the plan will be available.

Vodafone will also offer the Bold 9700 with their $79 plan including $550 of calls and text, unlimited BlackBerry email and Web and 50MB of data.

Telstra have an $85 plan with $85 worth of calls and texts and 600MB of data. You can also buy the Bold 9700 up front from Telstra for $999.

Optus have the Bold 9700 on a $79 plan with $300 worth of calls and text, and unlimited Blackberry email and internet.

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