BlackBerry Bold Has Launched

Research In Motion's highly anticipated BlackBerry Bold has officially gone on sale. Where can you get the company's new flagship phone? It's currently only available in Chile.Earlier this week, Chile's Movistar proudly offered the Bold with a tag reading "Primero en el mundo," or "First in the world." The powerhouse device is on sale for about $587 with a two-year contract, and the mobile operator managed to get this device out before rival carrier Claro could release the iPhone.

While the Bold is definitely coming out in multiple markets, one has to wonder why Chile was chosen as the first country to launch in. Of course, I could just be bitter/envious that they get this handset first.

Originally slated to come out near the time of the iPhone 3G's launch, the Bold has been constantly delayed. It's a shame, too, as the handset has been getting rave reviews from those who've had a chance to play with it.

The Bold will be packing Wi-Fi, 3G capabilities, all the e-mail goodness you'd expect from a RIM device, a sleek design, a beautiful screen, and more. The phone's still expected to launch soon in the United States (been hearing an Aug. 14 drop date), and the Bold even has public stock figure Jim Cramer bullish on RIM.

Are you looking forward to the Bold? There was a lot of buzz when the device was originally announced earlier this year. But since then, there have been a spate of enterprise class handsets announced or released. Is the Bold alluring enough to keep you away from an HTC Touch, Nokia's E series, or one of Apple's snazzy phones?