After a long wait, T-Mobile releases BlackBerry Bold 9900

Google and Motorola Mobility's impending nuptials may be grabbing a huge amount of newsprint this week, but Research In Motion is doing everything it can to assert its presence in the mobile world as well. First it released the first BlackBerry OS 7 devices with Verizon's BlackBerry Bold 9930, AT&T's BlackBerry Torch 9810, and Sprint's BlackBerry Torch 9850, and tonight T-Mobile finally got around to spilling the release details for its BlackBerry Bold 9900.

Of course, the news is no surprise given that T-Mobile first said that it would carry the device last May at BlackBerry World. Rumors of a delay persisted, which became more believable as the summer droned on, so it's likely that the carrier was jolted into action by the announcements from its rivals. AT&T has committed to the Bold 9900, as well ,and Sprint will join Verizon in offering the CDMA version, the Bold 9930.

Billed as T-Mobile's "first 4G BlackBerry smartphone," the Bold 9900 supports the carrier's HSPA+ network in a trim design. It has the usual enterprise features plus all the benefits of OS 7, including a new Quick Access area, the Liquid Graphics interface, a revamped browser, 720p HD video recording, and support for augmented reality applications (see our Torch 9810 review for a full analysis of the update). You'll also find the latest version of BlackBerry Messenger, an updated Social Feeds app, a 5-megapixel camera, 8GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS.

T=Mobile's Bold 9900 will be available for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $50 mail-in-rebate. Business customers can get it beginning tomorrow, with general availability following on August 31.