Succinctly, it’s the new BlackBerry to buy if you’re on T-Mobile or AT&T. Doubly so on T-Mo, since it’s their first 3G BlackBerry.

It’s not very much like the original Bold at all, which was the Escalade of BlackBerrys: big, obnoxious, but seriously comfortable to drive because it gave you tons of room to spread your legs (err, thumbs). If you’re used to that, at first the 9700—which is even smaller and lighter than the Tour on Sprint and Verizon—feels like you’ve been shoved inside of a clown car because the keyboard and screen, while retaining the same shape and resolution, respectively, have been shrink-rayed. (Note: In the gallery, the T-Mobile one is the Bold 9700, the AT&T phone is the original Bold.)

But, then you realise you’re not typing any slower, or less precisely. The 9700’s keyboard isn’t as flat out comfortable as the original Bold—purely a matter of physics—but it’s a minor marvel of ergonomics that RIM has recession-sized the keyboard this effectively. They’re simply brilliant at building keyboards. The screen has the same resolution as the Bold’s, but in a smaller size, meaning it has a higher pixel density. Despite that extra clarity, I felt a bit constrained by it, especially browsing the web.

It’s the second BlackBerry to ditch all-too-easily-slain-by-lint trackball for an optical trackpad, and the first that’s not built for Walmart. You’ll miss the trackball for about 15 seconds. Like I said before, the trackpad’s 90 percent as good as the ball. You might miss the physical feedback, and it sometimes doesn’t totally accurately interpret a diagonal swipe that you know wouldn’t be a problem with the ball but it’s good enough, and by far the most accurate and responsive trackpad I’ve used on a phone.

It’s running BlackBerry OS 5.0 which isn’t tons different than the OS that shipped on the original Bold or Curve 8900, but it’s definitely springier and it has a few brushstrokes of added polish here and there. One place you notice is the browser—while not as fast as the iPhone 3GS or Android, it has some extra zip to it, and it even sped past the Storm 2 loading pages, despite racing on T-Mobile’s 3G network vs. Verizon’s.

Basically, barring any major bugs that pop up over the next couple of days, this is the BlackBerry you probably wanna bug your corporate overlords to handcuff to your pants if you’re on AT&T or T-Mobile, since it’ll slide into them easier than any BlackBerry yet. I just hope you enjoy the feel of faux leather. [BlackBerry]

We knew it was coming, so this is just some concrete confirmation. The RIM rep told me it’ll be out on the 18th only online and in “select stores”, which look restricted to LA and Phoenix, for some reason. One more shot of that snow white leather back:

• The four big carriers, the four best smartphone platforms, the best information your going to get on the subject anywhere: Smartphone Buyer’s Guide: The Best of the Best

• Got a few smartphones already in mind? We probably reviewed them:
Palm Pre (WebOS)
iPhone 3GS
BlackBerry Bold
BlackBerry Storm
T-Mobile G1 (Android)
T-Mobile myTouch 3G (Android)
Samsung Omnia (WinMo)
Note: There’s no Nokia Symbian smartphone on this list because at the moment in the US, there’s no handset we feel confident to recommend.

• Since surfing the web is one of the biggest reasons to choose a smartphone—and one of the biggest differentiators between smartphones—it’s worth it to glance over the Mobile Browser Battlemodo, and its little sister, the Windows Mobile Browser Battlemodo.

• If you’ve already whittled it down to Palm Pre vs. iPhone 3GS, check out our roundup of reviews and news stories for each: Pre vs. 3GS: How To Make the Right Decision. Or you could just skip to this sweet flowchart.

• OK, OK, so you’re set on that durned iPhone, but which one? The $US99 3G? Or $US199 step-up 3GS? $US100 is a lot to think about (even if it amounts to less than two months of actual service): 3GS vs 3G Feature Chart Comparison

In any case, Shay’s got a clip over at Midnight Update of the store in action, which looks nice enough, but not overly compelling. Check it out for yourself if you’re interested, then work out a way the rest of us can get on there.

[Midnight Update]

That rumoured BlackBerry Bold with a touchscreen was just a whisper before, but now we’ve got a shot of the packaging to prove its existence. Let’s see what we know about this new hybrid.

We’d known it as the Pluto, but now it’s been given a traditional RIM numeric identification as the 99xx series. It’s got just about the same form factor as the Bold, including the QWERTY keyboard, but with one notable addition and one notable feature missing: It’s got a touchscreen in place of the trackball.

This blurry shot shows a Rogers-branded 99xx (a major Canadian carrier), and the 3G device is allegedly due for a late 3rd quarter release up north. “Late 3rd quarter release” is code for “don’t bank on this until the 4th quarter”, but we’re excited nonetheless. We’ll continue with updates as we get more info. [CrackBerry]

Hit the jump to see if your entry was selected:

Nick, whose subtle jibe at advertising was a cracker;

Which year did Alexander Graham Bell invent the telephone? – 1876
Contestants need to find a ticket hidden inside one of 50 McDonalds cheeseburgers. Advertising makes people rich!

Wyatt, who opted for a cruel but unusual challenge;

The last clue to the first memory card (at the service station) was what year did Alexander Bell invent the telephone?
Challenge – Dress up as a clown and entertain 30 kids who have had nothing but red cordial and lollies.

A catty but oh so true comment helped Shaun score;

The Pin code to the EFTPOS card is the year Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
I would have a clue put inside the brain of the girl who was competing last night – because she didn’t have a clue!

While Hayden’s twisted thinking made perfect sense to us;

The final clue to the first memory card was the year Alexander Bell invented the telephone (1876).
As the Clue Master I’d set the contestants the twisted challenge of discovering the next clue using absolutely no modern technology, except the phone.

Congrats, guys and thanks to everyone who took the time to enter. And props to FOX8 for coughing up the loot.

[The Phone]

As mentioned in the previous article, this update is featured in the AT&T 4.6.0.219 OS install, but an official roll out date has not been determined. However, BGR is hearing that it might come sooner than we might think…for some customers at least. Hit the link for more images. [BGR]

• What is the final clue to the first memory card (hint: you’ll find it at the petrol station), and
• Using the comments field below, tell us in 25 words or less what challenge you would make the contestants face if you were the ‘Clue Master’.

Entries close January 21st at 5pm. Just a word of warning, though; the comp is also running on our sister sites Kotaku and Defamer. So to beat all those game and gossip-heads and win the high speed smartphone, with LCD screen, you’ll need to be extra creative…

The Phone premieres 8.30pm tonight, on FOX8.

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[The Phone]