The next-generation BlackBerry Bold smartphone is coming to Canada next month through Rogers, Bell, and Telus illustrating just how increasingly competitive the wireless industry could get as all carriers move to operating on the same HSPA network standards.

Called the 9700, the new Bold incorporates all of the popular features of the previous-generation model, but with some improvements, most notably a touch-sensitive trackpad in place of the functional, but often mal-functional, trackball. Anyone who's owned a new BlackBerry will know that the trackball is likely to stick, often requiring either replacement or some gentle massaging, to get it going again. It looks like RIM has solved this issue with the trackpad design that will likely be found across all new devices going forward.

The new Bold incorporates additional step-ups, like a 3.2 MP resolution instead of 2 MP camera, a slightly higher resolution screen at 480 x 360 (compared to 480 x 320), and Bluetooth 2.1 with support for simple pairing that eliminates the need for entering that four digit passcode to sync a device. It's also smaller and thinner, losing about 5mm in height, 6mm in width, and a millimeter in depth; and lighter by 14 grams.

The Bold will come with the new BlackBerry OS 5.0, which affords enhanced e-mail and calendar management, as well as faster JavaScript and CSS processing while Web browsing. Talk and standby time have also been improved to a rated six hours and 17 days, respectively when in 3G mode, compared to 4.5 hours and 13 days with the previous model.

While Bell and Telus have not confirmed anticipated pricing for the device, Rogers says it will sell for $299.99 on a three-year voice and data plan that's more than $45/month. With all three carriers, it will come with a 2 GB microSD card, but will offer support for up to 32 GB cards once they become available.

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