I've been reading online about blackberries as I've recently been thinking about switching from pay as you go to a plan, however I've seen online that they are about to release some new blackberries. More specifically:

- Blackberry Dakota: new upgraded version of Bold
- Blackberry Striker: new upgraded version of Pearl
- Blackberry Talladega: new upgraded version of Storm
- Blackberry Essex: new upgraded version of Tour


My questions for those of you who may be more tech savvy than me is this:

Do you think these new released versions, once released in the US will soon be released in Canada? There has been some speculation with the Essex (since I'm considering purchasing the Tour now) that it should be released very soon (July if anything, as far as I've read). Will most Canadian carriers pick up these new models do you think? Or will each phone be limited to one carrier like some versions of the BB are?


Also, do you think they will eventually develop an app for wi-fi? The only real upgrade from the Tour to the Essex (the only one I really read deeply into because its my main interest) is that it will no longer have the trackball, and will be wi-fi capable. I don't think the trackball is that big of an issue, but wi-fi would be GREAT. Which makes me wonder if they will soon develop an app for wi-fi, or if thats impossible as its hardware included in the phone?


LASTLY, what does unlocking a blackberry do? Sorry if that may seem like a *stupid* question. I've never owned a blackberry and know you can buy used ones off ebay for relatively cheaper than you would from a carrier (assuming not on contract), and some are advertised as unlocked. What does this mean?


Any ideas?

Most Blackberry models are likely to hit Canadian markets at relatively the same time as the US. It's very common for a model to spend a few months as an exclusive with one of the big networks, since RIM makes a lot of money doing that.

Wi-fi requires an extra piece of hardware, so it's almost 100% guaranteed that you will not be able to get an app for a non-wi-fi phone that allows it to connect to wi-fi networks. I say almost 100% because there are many instances of companies producing several different models of whatever product they are making with exactly the same chipset and hardware, and using software to control which features are available. I haven't heard of RIM doing this yet though.

As for the trackball, trust me, the trackpad is 1000 times better. My trackball is the sole reason I am going to upgrade to a new BB. It drives me up the wall.

Unlocking a Blackberry means it can be used on any carrier (with the same network technology). When you buy a phone from, say, Rogers, it is locked to the Rogers network. But other carriers (such as Fido) use the same network technology, so by unlocking the phone, you can now pop a Fido SIM Card into your newly unlocked Rogers phone, and use it on the Fido network. There are a few exceptions, like Bell, because it uses a CDMA network. I'm pretty sure you can't unlock a Rogers phone to work on the Bell network, and vice versa. Telus just released a new network which uses SIM cards, but my understanding is it is a slightly different network technology, so you need to check the specific phone on Telus's website to see if an "unlocked" version from another carrier will work with their network.

There's something about the Tour thats aesthetically alluring me, but I mean... wi-fi is an added BONUS... It's definitely going to be a tough decision to make between the two, because once the Tour 2 comes out (Essex) I'm going to want it! I tried to find out online when its being released but there were so many different dates speculated.

The only turn off with the Bold for me, is that with Telus (my carrier).. the Tour doesn't come with a SIM card, and the Bold does.. Telus was my favourite because of no SIM cards, thus a stolen phone is deemed useless. The whole SIM card thing is holding me back!