32GB, 64MB cache, and read and write speeds of 25MB/s and 70MB/s aren’t terribly exciting when it comes to a solid state drive, but the OCZ Onyx still caught our eye because it’s among the first SSDs to slip below $100. [ Hot Hardware via CrunchGear ] More

Say it ain’t so! OCZ Technology — a mainstay in the storage realm but an outfit that tends to serve the performance (read: affluent) market first and foremost — has just dove headfirst into the value-priced SSD segment. Debuting today, the Onyx SATA II 2.5-inch SSD is the company’s most affordable MLC-based solid state storage solution to date; it packs 64MB of onboard cache, up to 125MB/sec read speeds, write rates of 70MB/sec and an MSRP of under $100 for a 32GB version. You know that hasty boot drive you’ve been looking for? Look up. OCZ breaks into bargain market with ’sub-$100′ 32GB Onyx SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:15:00 EST

Properly replacing one of the most popular, recognizable BlackBerrys ever made is no easy task for RIM, but it looks like they’ve done a respectable job in officially announcing the Bold 9700, a device we’ve seen rumored as the “Onyx” through much of 2009. The new model gently massages the original Bold’s time-tested formula by moving the camera up to 3.2 megapixels, giving the screen another 40 lines of vertical resolution (480 x 360, up from 480 x 320), and shipping with the brand new BlackBerry OS 5.0 out of the gate. Also notable is that the 9700 replaces the trackball with an optical trackpad –continuing a trend started by the Curve 8520 — and will ship in both 900 / 1700 / 2100 and 800 / 850 / 1900 / 2100MHz 3G varieties, making the phone a perfect fit for AT&T, T-Mobile, and a multitude of networks in Canada and Europe. RIM isn’t announcing specific carrier availability, but they’re teasing that it’ll be coming on “carriers around the world” starting in November. Follow the break for a quick teaser video from the boys and girls up in Waterloo

Perhaps the worst kept secret till now — outside of Walt Mossberg’s embargo slipups — was that T-Mobile and the latest BlackBerry flagship device were set for a November marriage . Hell, there were even invitations to the party . So, whether you call it the Bold 2 , the 9700 , or the Onyx , come next month you’ll be able to lovingly place its 480 x 360 display, WiFi antennae and all that other hotness in a Curve -sized space inside your pocket. We can expect this first official confirmation to be followed by similar appearances in the US and across Europe as the 9700 begins its ascension to the throne of the BlackBerry kingdom.

We’re not sure whether we’ll see official PR before then , but it seems that T-Mobile is quietly slipping lucky individuals invites to “executive briefing” events for the upcoming Onyx / 9700 / Bold 2 to be held early next month. Boy Genius Report so far seems to have the inside line on a November 3 date in LA followed by November 5 in the Big Apple, and like pretty much everything else BlackBerry-related, “business casual” attire is suggested. Certainly seems to match up nicely with a November 11 retail launch , doesn’t it? Filed under: Cellphones , Handhelds T-Mobile sending out early November event invites for Bold 2 launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

The word on the street is that the BlackBerry Bold 2 (aka 9700, aka Onyx) will be heading to T-Mobile — and, subsequently, into the hands and hearts of the eager American public — on November 11. This would seem to jibe with talk of AT&T and T-Mobile coming out parties slated for October 21, although we’ll have to wait for an official announcement. On the other hand, we have seen enough of this device over the months that it would be a shock if its debut was anything less than imminent. Ms. Yuki must be ecstatic.

We have it on good authority that T-Mobile and AT&T both currently plan on announcing the Bold 2 — also known as the Onyx — on October 21. As a refresher, this would be the touchpad-driven piece with model number 9700 that’s been making the rounds on the leak circuit the past few months, a fitting successor to a device that virtually every celebrity this side of Merle Haggard has been photographed carrying at once point or another. What we don’t know is pricing or retail launch date, but at least this gives us a pretty hard target for when we can expect details — so start cleaning out that Bold trackball, because you’re going to have something to eBay here pretty shortly. [Thanks, Cody] Filed under: Cellphones , Handhelds BlackBerry Bold 2 to be announced October 21 for T-Mobile, AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

We’re not expecting the BlackBerry Onyx to hit before November , but at least a few units have hit the wild , and these are the first in-depth photos we’ve seen. These shots don’t reveal much about the new-look Bold with the optical trackball, but it sure is pretty, ain’t it? Now if it only had a useful browser and IMAP support, we’d actually care. [Thanks, Zero] Filed under: Cellphones BlackBerry Onyx poses for the camera originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Here’s the first official shot of the 9700 (codenamed Onyx), T-Mobile’s first 3G BlackBerry, which could arrive as early as November. T-Mobile says it’ll support UMA Wi-Fi calling (as part of the carrier’s HotSpot@Home service), visual voicemail, and corporate email. T-Mobile also confirmed that it will have TeleNav GPS Navigator and Amazon MP3 store pre-installed. The Bold 9700 still hasn’t been made official by RIM, and T-Mobile didn’t preview much more info. However, the assumed specs of the much-leaked device are listed below. [ CIO ] • New Trackpad • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE • UMTS/HSDPA • 480×360 resolution screen • Wi-Fi (802.11g) • OS 5.0 • QWERTY keyboard • 3.2 megapixel AF camera • Bluetooth

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser. The leaked-to-all-hell BlackBerry Onyx may have undergone one last change before heading to manufacture: judging by this shot nabbed by BlackBerry Underground , it’ll have a Curve 8520-esque optical trackpad —not a trackball. This feature has been a persistent rumor since the original Onyx shots hit the web , though the fact that it contradicted the actual photos of the device didn’t bode well for its credibility. In the context of early reactions to the Onyx leak, this apparent late change makes a lot of sense: the handset was characterized as a best-of-all-worlds device, keeping all the best features of non-touch BlackBerrys without sacrificing compactness. Grabbing the optical trackpad from the 8520, then, is an obvious move. [ BlackBerry Underground via BGR ]