New BlackBerry expected within month in North America

TORONTO -- The new BlackBerry model should be coming to North America within a month now that Research In Motion Ltd. has started selling it in Germany and Chile.

The BlackBerry Bold is a high-end BlackBerry that has twice the screen resolution of current models made by RIM. The Bold, or 9000, matches the resolution, but not the size, of the screen on Apple Inc.'s iPhone, which has emerged as a potent competitor in the smart-phone category.

AT&T Inc. says it will be the exclusive U.S. carrier for the Bold, as it is for the iPhone. An AT&T spokesman declined to say Thursday when the company will release it.

But Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams, said he expects AT&T to start selling it on Sept. 15 and Rogers Communications in Canada to release it on Aug. 18.

Some stores in Canada have already unveiled a store model and fliers.

Genuity Capital Markets analyst Deepak Chopra also expects it will be released in the United States in mid-September.

RIM has begun to roll out the BlackBerry Bold in some markets through partnerships with wireless carriers there. RIM unveiled the Bold in Chile on July 22 and in Germany on Aug. 6.

RIM had no comment about specific plans in North America.

Misek said the Bold will cost about $200 in the United States depending on the contract.