BlackBerry…delaying the launch of their 3G 8900 handset…because of the imminent arrival of the 3G HSDPA iPhone? Sounds strange, but that’s what the ‘sources’ have told Fortune magazine.
Of course, the official reason behind the possible delay is due to ‘call quality concerns’, but it does seem fairly obvious that pushing the launch back from June to August will help RIM determine how much of a threat the 3G iPhone will be, and also avoid having the same launch date as the Apple handset. After all, no-one likes discovering at a party they’re wearing the same outfit as their worst enemy.
Little else is known about the 8900 (earlier reports had it down as being called the 9000), except that it is codenamed ‘Meteor’, and that in addition to the HSDPA internet connectivity, it has a 480 x 320 screen, 2.0-megapixel camera and GPS.
By Katherine Hannaford | April 25th, 2008