In the world of technology there is a war raging. The
battlefield is newspaper and blog headlines. The weapons of choice are rumours,
leaks, adverts, and an aversion to preventing them. We`ve already given some
headlines to Palm`s much anticipated Pre (which hits retail June 5th)
and this, in turn, has caused Cupertino to let slid a few hints as to a new
iPhone as early as mid-July. And so it`s only logical that in the Smartphone
Wars that the superpower that is BlackBerry prepares for a counter-offensive.
And if pre-release reviews are anything to go by, it`s going to one heck of a
summer showdown.
The folks over at CrackBerry.com have managed to get their
hands on a pre-release version of the BlackBerry known only by its codename ‘Onyx.’
For those of you who want to know whether to get hyped up or not the short
answer is a solid ‘yes.’ With hands-on examination of the early build,
CrackBerry quickly note that the Onyx “IS the traditional (no touchscreen)
BlackBerry smartphone so many of us have been waiting for.” So, what have many
RIM aficionados been waiting for?
Well, if I was to paraphrase early impression of the Onyx I
would conclude that it is the Swiss army knife of BlackBerries. Packing a 3.2
megapixel camera, 3G, WiFi, and GPS, the Onyx is at long last bringing together
the most coveted hardware in a smartphone’s arsenal. Too often technophiles
have felt jilted by RIM, a company that has developed somewhat of a penchant
for sacrificing hardware specs that some might consider essential; be it
megapixels, Wi-Fi, 3G functionality, lack of memory; RIM has been guilty of
exclusion on some of its most otherwise desirable handsets .
BlackBerry Onyx’s specs:
- 3G capable
- 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera
- 480×360 screen
- AWS 1700MHz + 2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA
- GPS
- QWERTY keyboard
- Wi-Fi
And so it’s understandable if BlackBerry addicts are
salivating over the latest smartphone to come out of Waterloo. When stacked up
with the Bold, the Onyx has a sleeker physical form (leaning towards the Curve)
while substantially out-performing it on the spec sheet. The early renditions
of the Onyx feature a trackball, though an optical trackpad is still an option
before its official release. As for the battery, the Onyx mimics the Bold as
for as specs go, but the performance is still TBA until a more final version is
available.
Ultimately, the Onyx has the makings of a potent BlackBerry.
And though it may be too early to tell, the folks over at CrackBerry.com are
confident enough to proclaim the Onyx “the next must-have BlackBerry.” Well
know soon enough when it retails later this summer.
