RIM launches BlackBerry Bold Touch

RIM has unveiled the BlackBerry Bold 9900, a touchscreen candybar handset replete with BlackBerry's trademark QWERTY keyboard. The new smartphone is also known as the BlackBerry Bold Touch as per the many leaks of the past months. It offers what RIM is calling a "lustrous exterior", thanks to a brushed stainless steel frame and a glass-weave back panel. Under the hood, we're looking at a 1.2Ghz processor (although it's not dual-core like the Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation are), built-in NFC connectivity, compass and 720p video playback. Slim jimRIM is also honing in on the slim-set with its boast that the Bold 9900 is just 10.5mm thick – it's the slimmest BlackBerry yet, but doesn't quite compete with the iPhone 4's 9.3mm.The handset is also launching with BlackBerry OS 7.0, which boasts improved browsing, voice-activated universal handset search and support for HTML5 when browsing the web. RIM's co-CEO Mike Lazaridis is pretty pleased with the Bold Touch. He said, "The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones and BlackBerry 7 OS are inspired by millions of customers around the world who want the ultimate combination of performance, functionality and style. "These fully-loaded and beautifully crafted smartphones offer a highly refined user experience with blazingly fast performance, a brilliant touchscreen and an outstanding typing experience." "We think we've built the ultimate hybrid here," said a RIM spokesperson at BlackBerry World, where the company also unveiled a CDMA version of the handset, known as the BlackBerry Bold 9930.While the BlackBerry Bold Touch UK release date is set for some point this summer, pricing is TBC. While you're waiting for that, let's get a bit more in depth with out our hands on BlackBerry Bold Touch review. Related StoriesHTC Rider and HTC Kingdom: Fairytale HTC handset pics leakSamsung Galaxy S2 earns best mobile phone titleTechRadar Phone Awards: Vote for your favourite mobile phone appBlackBerry OS 7 is not coming to older handsetsHands on: BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 review