Blackberry Bold 9700 picture gallery and hands-on

This week Blackberry welcomed a new addition into the fold - the Bold 9700 - which according to a Blackberry representative is "one of the best phones they've produced". You'd be forgiven for thinking the successor to the Bold 9000 was part of the Curve family, but make no mistake about it the 9700 is a Bold. It's not quite supermodel thin, but a much slimmer physique means the 9700 is both lighter and thinner than its predecessor and noticeably smaller (for exact specs scroll down). One of the biggest changes has to be the replacement of the trackball with the trackpad, which we have already seen on the Curve 8520. But the Bold 9700 still retains some of the first Bold's attributes - such as the leatherette back panel and fretted keyboard, but has decided to lose the metal framing on the side by replacing it with a rubber one. There are minimal changes to the layout, but packing the new 5.0 OS (as seen on the Storm) means the 9700 is a lot snappier than it's big brother. You'll also find the same tech specs as the Bold 9000 - WiFi, 3G/HSDPA, Bluetooth, 64MHz processor, 256MB Flash Memory and A-GPS. Blackberry Messenger has been given a tweak too. Each phone will come with a barcode unique to the handset. Using the scan mode with your camera, you scan your potential contact's barcode and just like that you become Blackberry Messenger pals - no PIN input necessary. This software is available now across the entire Blackberry range, so you don't just need a 9700 to join the instant messenger party. So the 9700 looks considerably different - but how do the specs measure up? Bold 9700                                                                                                                           Dimensions: 109mm x 60mm x 14.1mm                                                                          Screen Size: 2.44-inches                                                                                                    Weight: 122g                                                                                                                  Screen resolution: 480 x 360                                                                                            Expandable memory: Up to 16GB (32GB when available)                                        Talk time: 6 hours                                                                                                            Camera: 3.2 megapixels                                                                                                 

Bold 9000                                                                                                                   Dimensions: 114mm x 66mm x 14mm Screen Size: 2.6-inches Weight: 133g Screen resolution: 480 x 320 Expandable memory: Up to 8GB Talk time: 5 hours Camera: 2 megapixels

There's no word on what network will gets its hands on it but the Bold 9700 will be available as of the beginning of November. And just for fun, here's an interesting Blackberry Bold 9700 fact: During testing the Blackberry Bold 9700 was dropped more than 123,000 times from different heights (30cm to 2cm) and angles, to ensure the best possible quality standard is achieved. Told you it was fun. Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Do you have a favourite Bold handset? What do you think of Blackberry's decision to slim the new Bold down? Whatever your opinion, be sure to let us know. Or why not watch our hands on video.