Battery Life Issues Delaying Launch Of BlackBerry Bold

Last month Research In Motion announced the new Bold smartphone with much fanfare. The device was supposed to be available on AT&T's network starting in July. It looks like that ain't gonna happen. AT&T has yet to certify the device, which is suffering from battery life problems, as well as overheating. Um, oops.According to The Boy Genius' informative minions, high-level sources at Research In Motion have confirmed that the delay is real. AT&T and its customers won't get their collective mitts on the BlackBerry Bold until at least mid-August. This delay is about a month behind the original time frame for the release date of the device.

Product delays happen for all sorts of reasons, but the issues facing the BlackBerry Bold don't sound so good. BGR's sources indicate that the device is still being tested by AT&T and RIM, and that software issues have yet to be resolved, battery life is sub-par, and the Bold is overheating.

These three issues combined could point to problems with the device's 3G radio. Phones that have 3G capabilities tend to burn through batteries fairly quickly. Case in point, the Nokia N95 I have will last for days at a time when I turn off its 3G radio. With the 3G radio on, the battery typically dies in just one day. It could be that software controlling the Bold's 3G radio is failing to maximize battery life. But that's just speculation on my part.

As always, RIM remained mum on the subject.