If someone you love has visions of BlackBerry ® smartphones dancing in their head, I’d like to help you make their dream a reality. As you may know, next Friday November 23rd is “Black Friday” in the United States, and it’s usually the biggest shopping day of the year! We want to be sure you make the best of it, so we’re giving away a new BlackBerry ® Bold ™ 9900 or BlackBerry® Bold™ 9930 smartphone to one lucky winner to celebrate Black Friday!

To enter, simply answer this question in the comments below between today, November 14, 2012 and Friday, November 16, 2012 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET: Why should you be the one to give the gift of a BlackBerry Bold smartphone this year? The reason could be anything: You gave the person a terrible gift last year; you spent all year bragging about your BlackBerry devices; your friend or family member would LOVE a BlackBerry Bold; or simply because you’re an all-around great gift-giver.

Entries will be judged on style, relevance and overall impression between November 26th, 2012 and November 28th, 2012.

Good luck and happy BlackBerry Black Friday!

*No purchase necessary. Contest open to residents of US and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are age of majority. One (1) prize avail to be won. ARV: $500US. Odds depend on the number of eligible entries received and the likelihood of receiving the highest score based on the Judges decision. Skill testing question applies for Canadian residents. Contest sponsored by Research In Motion Limited. See Official Contest Rules for complete details.

On New Year’s Eve, we’ll be coming at Team BlackBerry from Times Square. And we want you and your resolutions to join us. It’s as easy as answering one simple question: How will you #BeBold in 2012?

Each year, we look to accomplish something that’s just beyond reach, or we look to get something done that just has to be done. Where to begin? You imagine it. You decide. You write it down. You commit. You take action. And you often enlist the help of others: your family, your friends, your coworkers – even strangers – if that’s what it takes to build momentum and rise to the challenge. So we’re asking you, Team BlackBerry, to take that first step and answer the question: How will you #BeBold in 2012?

1. Send your resolution to @BlackBerry on Twitter® using the #BeBold hashtag or submit it to the comments below.
2. Your #BeBold resolution just might make it onto a Times Square billboard and be broadcast on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

To get some inspiration, check out the #BeBold conversation that’s already underway on Twitter and see these resolutions from our colleagues here at Research In Motion®:

Don’t forget to follow @BlackBerry to see New Year’s Eve pictures, product updates and to get details on our #JanuBerry giveaway information. Have a safe and happy New Year, and #BeBold!

By posting a comment below you acknowledge that you have read and accept these terms and conditions and that any ideas you post will be the property of RIM in accordance with the terms and conditions.

Stay tuned here, on Facebook® and on Twitter to get more details in the coming days, but to help you get into the #BeBold spirit, check out this video:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

PS: Don’t forget that we will have plenty of goodies to give away between January 16th and January 27th in our #JanuBerry contest on Twitter.

*By posting a comment below you acknowledge that you have read and accept these terms and conditions and that any ideas you post will be the property of RIM in accordance with the terms and conditions.

In the meantime, this is the perfect opportunity for you to catch up on some of the cool posts you may have missed throughout the year. To get you started, I pulled some of my personal favorites:

6 of the best BBM-Connected Apps to share with your friends
My buddy Alex highlighted his top 6 picks for BBM™ Connected apps. Have you tested out any of these apps yet? If so, let us know your favorite!

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930: 5 things you should know
A great last minute gift idea for your loved ones – the new BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and 9930 smartphones. Get the scoop on why these devices should be on the top of your wish list – read reviews from fans and check out some awesome videos highlighting the coolest features of these smartphones.

Inside BlackBerry Interview: Andy Toy, the (foursquare) Mayor of Waterloo
This interview with Research In Motion® (RIM®) employee Andy Toy is pretty awesome. Not going to lie, the only mayorship I can brag about is the coffee shop near my house, so I give props to Andy who basically owns all of Kitchener-Waterloo, based on his foursquare rankings.

Top 5 Travel Apps from #TeamBlackBerry
We love nothing more than to hear from you, #TeamBlackBerry, and this post is all about your favorite travel apps. For those of you who are travelling over the holidays – consider downloading these apps and travel safe!

15 BlackBerry PlayBook Reviews From #TeamBlackBerry
I have to admit the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet launch was one of the highlights of my year. I got the chance to meet #TeamBlackBerry in person and travel to some really cool places. Check out some of the initial reactions and reviews from fans across North America.

To continue the celebration while we’re away, don’t forget to check out the free holiday wallpapers for your mobile device by visiting mobile.blackberry.com on your BlackBerry® Browser. And finally, if you haven’t already downloaded the new ugly holiday sweater expansion pack for Avatar Builder – you should really check it out. I change my sweater every day and this is my latest look:

Our friends at @BlackBerryHelp will be available if you have any questions and we will be back in action on January 3rd, 2012.

Have a safe and happy holiday.

See you in 2012!

#TeamBlackBerry, rejoice: The newest member of the BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphone family is coming this month! The BlackBerry® Bold™ 9790 is the latest addition to the Bold series taking its place alongside the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and 9930 smartphones running the new BlackBerry® 7 OS.

We wanted to get the inside scoop on the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone, so we tapped product manager Miko to talk about what this new device has to offer. Check it out and get excited!

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone delivers an elegant design in a compact size

BlackBerry Bold smartphones have always been known for their impeccable design, and the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone continues this tradition with its instantly recognizable form factor. Constructed of quality materials and crafted with precision detailing, the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone is proof that form and function can co-exist harmoniously. The iconic BlackBerry keyboard, brilliant display and streamlined silhouette come together to provide users with a compact yet powerful smartphone.

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone is an ultimate productivity tool for both professional and personal use

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone delivers the high performance that users have come to expect from a BlackBerry Bold, allowing you to be more efficient in both your work and personal life.

The high-res touch screen complements the iconic QWERTY keyboard beautifully, delivering what I like to call “a true productivity machine”. The QWERTY keyboard makes typing emails, using BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) and social networking updates much easier and quicker, and the fluid touch screen provides a truly responsive, refined touch experience so you can enjoy the web, media or photos with a swift swipe, zoom, pinch or pan.

What I think makes the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone a compelling choice is how it’s equally well-suited for both professional and personal use. It has the power to support today’s busy professional with great tools like voice-activated Universal Search and Documents to Go® for mobile collaboration, yet it can also transition to social networking. Plus, its compact form factor makes it easier for users to take it along wherever they go.

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 is a powerful, feature-packed smartphone

Under the hood, this smartphone sports a powerful 1 GHz processor, a whopping 8 GB of memory and a 5 MP auto-focus camera. Another cool technology in the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone is Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC technology allows you to read smart tags on signs and posters, and connect with other NFC enabled devices – all with a simple tap.

I’m sure you’ll agree the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone is a very worthy addition to our lineup of new BlackBerry 7 smartphones! This handset will be available from carriers around the world starting later this month. For more information on pricing and availability, please contact your local carrier, and check out our BlackBerry Bold 9790 Where to Buy page for updates in the meantime.

Let us know what you think of this great new addition in the comments below.

The BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and BlackBerry® Bold™ 9930 smartphones have gotten great buzz since we first announced the two BlackBerry® 7 smartphones with a BlackBerry Bold touch at the BlackBerry World™ conference in May. Members of the media and #TeamBlackBerry certainly enjoyed test-driving them at our #BB7FanNight event in Toronto. (FYI: We’ve gathered many BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 reviews from across the web for your quick reference.) Now that the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are making their way to your local carriers and retail locations, we thought it would be a good time for the BlackBerry Bold Product Managers Michael and Jason to share five things you need to know about the new BlackBerry Bold touch smartphones.

1. The new touch BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones combine design style with substance

Our design goal for the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones was to deliver a stunning design that integrates the BlackBerry Bold family’s iconic QWERTY keypad with a brilliant, high resolution capacitive touch screen. Great care, time and precision went into designing and creating the keypad on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones; it was meticulously refined, sculpted and positioned to deliver the utmost in precision functionality to make typing accurate, simple and fast. In fact, even though the keypad on these two smartphones may look similar to that of the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9000 smartphone, it actually has 5% more surface area. Achieving such an improved typing experience – on the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones yet – is something we know BlackBerry customers will appreciate (and is a testament to our design team’s commitment to delivering continuous improvements to what matters most to our customers).

In terms of the overall design, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones were built in the tradition of the BlackBerry Bold line of smartphones, with purposeful detailing plus premium materials and finish. When you first hold the device in your hand, we think you will quickly realize how great it feels. We’ve highlighted some of our favorite design elements below:

• Brushed stainless steel frame: the elegantly brushed stainless steel frame extending around the exterior adds to the visual appeal of both Blackberry Bold smartphones, giving them what we feel is a timeless and classic look. Beyond aesthetics, the stainless steel frame adds reliable durability while seamlessly integrating important functions like the convenience and volume keys.
• “Aerospace composite” battery door: distinct to the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, the “aerospace composite” battery door is incredibly lightweight and durable. It’s made of the same composite material that’s used to construct next-generation airplanes, racecars, and high-tech sports equipment. The cool factor is high to be sure, but more importantly, this composite construction actually helps optimize antennas, radios, and other device technology for highly reliable connectivity.
• Ultra-thin design: When we looked at the amount of time people have a device in hand, it became a priority for us to make the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones ever at 10.5mm. For BlackBerry smartphone users, this means a lightweight, sleek & slim device that fits comfortably in the palm of their hand, while maintaining uncompromised performance.

2. The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930: The most powerful guts ever in a BlackBerry smartphone

We wanted to match the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones’ distinctive design with powerful hardware to deliver a best-in-class BlackBerry Bold smartphone experience. With a 1.2 GHz processor, 8GB of onboard memory with the option to expand (using up to a 32GB media card), and high-speed CDMA or HSPA+ world phone connectivity, these models have the most powerful ‘guts’ ever in a BlackBerry smartphone, helping you get more things done even faster. Here are a few features we’d like to speak to in more detail.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are the first BlackBerry smartphones to feature brilliant 2.8” 640×480 high-resolution touch screens, which deliver crisp, clear images and text at 287 pixels per inch, in full 24-bit color. Powered by the BlackBerry 7 OS and Liquid Graphics™ technology, these screens provide a truly responsive and versatile touch experience, so you can browse the web, interact on social sites, read and respond to emails, and view high resolution videos and photos. If you’d like to learn more about the evolution of the touch experience in BlackBerry 7, check out Sangita and Troy’s post, which tackles the subject in more detail.

In addition to hi-speed CDMA or HSPA+ cellular connectivity, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones also feature dual-band Wi-Fi® connectivity (2.4GHz and 5GHz). Reliable Wi-Fi connectivity is important for pulling down large amounts of data quickly without a hit to your data plan, and Dual band Wi-Fi connectivity means better connectivity and faster performance at the office, coffee shop, airport, or at home.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are the first BlackBerry smartphones to feature Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. NFC is a technology that allows BlackBerry smartphone users to just tap to connect, get information, and link up with other supported NFC devices or authentic BlackBerry accessories. For more information about what NFC means for BlackBerry smartphone users, please watch this interview with Andrew Bocking, VP of Handheld Software Product Management.

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

3. The new BlackBerry 7 OS delivers better performance, usability and voice-activated Universal search

The powerful hardware in the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones have been paired with the new and powerful BlackBerry 7 OS, which offers a variety of performance and usability enhancements, such as Liquid Graphics and the next generation BlackBerry web browser. While BlackBerry 7 Product Manager Annu is planning on providing a detailed blog post on BlackBerry 7, we thought we’d share one of our favorite features: voice-activated Universal Search.

With voice-activated Universal Search, the powerful on-device search functionality that premiered in the BlackBerry 6® OS has gone hands free. Using advanced speech-to-text translation, you can now search for files, emails, contacts, music, and more—all without typing a thing. Voice-activated Universal Search also combs the web and BlackBerry applications for the information you need. For example, I often use Universal Search to find an address, which automatically brings up the BlackBerry® Maps location information. Very cool!

4. The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones improve social collaboration

As we said before, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones’ full QWERTY keypad offer an efficient and speedy typing experience, but it’s not just for emails. The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones feature the latest versions of our social media applications, including Social Feeds, Twitter® for BlackBerry smartphones, Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones, and the new BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) 6. This suite of apps makes it easy for BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphone owners to quickly connect with friends, family, and co-workers.

We’re most excited about the potential of BBM 6 for BlackBerry Bold smartphone users, because of “BBM-connected” apps. BBM 6 allows for 3rd-party applications to incorporate your favorite aspects of BBM into their apps, from status updates and sharing to BBM chats. The video below shows how popular social application Foursquare takes advantage of BBM 6, but that doesn’t mean that social on the new BlackBerry Bold smartphones is only about fun and games. Don’t believe me? Check out this post on how to use BlackBerry Messenger 6 for business.

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

5. The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones “Balance” the needs of enterprise and end users

In addition a full QWERTY keypad, dual-band Wi-Fi and BBM 6, the new BlackBerry Bold smartphones offer a variety of features that reinforce the BlackBerry Bold family’s heritage as the ultimate enterprise device for business people on the go. Two of our favorites are BlackBerry® Balance™ technology and the Documents To Go® Premium app.

BlackBerry Balance is a new technology in BlackBerry 7 that ensures your work life and private life never mix—so you can enjoy the fullest mobile experience on just one device. When you’re at work, BlackBerry Balance technology allows you to focus on getting tasks done while securely accessing business information, but it also makes it possible to stay connected via apps like Facebook, Twitter or personal email accounts. This is because BlackBerry Balance technology is designed to works behind the scenes to safeguard against accidentally compromising the security of company content while simultaneously protecting the privacy of your personal content. To learn more about this new technology, check out the BlackBerry Balance product page.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones also come with the full premium version of the Documents To Go app, which is a vital tool for mobile productivity. Documents To Go is a mobile document suite that is designed to allow you to create and edit Microsoft® Word®, Microsoft® Excel®, and Microsoft® PowerPoint® docs, and view PDF docs anywhere, anytime. As someone that travels regularly for work, I can attest that the ability to easily review or edit important work documents has been a lifesaver many times over.

We’re incredibly excited that the next generation of BlackBerry Bold smartphones is now available for BlackBerry smartphone users. For more information on pricing and availability, please contact your local carrier or visit our BlackBerry Bold where to buy page. Make sure to post a comment below and let us know what you think!

Do you know what London and Toronto have in common? Yesterday, both cities hosted BlackBerry® 7 OS launch events, welcoming the BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810, 9850 and 9860 smartphones to the BlackBerry® family! Among the guests of honor were the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and 9930 smartphones, both of which are BlackBerry 7 OS devices that had previously been announced at BlackBerry World™. Of course, the Social Media team at Research In Motion® (RIM®) was on hand at these launch events to demo the smartphones and speak with attendees.

While the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are not yet in stores, we’re eager to share these early hands-on impressions from the press, everyday shoppers and BlackBerry smartphone users. We may have provided the BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones, but these opinions are 100% their own. Once you have an opportunity to use the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 or 9930 smartphone, feel free to post a comment of your own and let us know what you think about them.

The new BB Bold 7 browser is 40% faster than before. My Bold 5 just shudder with envy. So did I. #BB7FanNight http://lockerz.com/s/126330103—
katie (@motherbumper) August 04, 2011

Very impressed with new Bold – very thin and sleek and new OS7 is super smooth on it #BB7FanNight—
Jehan Watson (@JehanWatson) August 04, 2011

#bb7fannight The 9900 defines what Blackberry is all about. The physical keyboard and touchscreen is a winning combination. @BlackBerry—
Max Fireman (@brava27) August 04, 2011

Thinnest blackberry every made also touch screen! Love the new bold 9900! #BB7FanNight http://twitpic.com/60k1tk—
Jordana Stein (@jordanastein) August 03, 2011

BlackBerry Bold 9900 impression: 4.5\5! Great response! Very very snappy! #BB7FanNight—
Michael Lam (@FindMike) August 03, 2011

#BB7FanNight. Ultra sexy my heart is beating like a disco drum for the new Blackberry BOLD baby!!—
Desiree_Todd_313 (@DesireeTodd_313) August 04, 2011

Website: TheCellularGuru

“The Browser: is now up to 40% faster than the WebKit browser found in OS6, and 100% faster than the original browser found in BlackBerry 5 devices. The new browser has the most compliant HTML5 implementation of any device on the market; we actually pitted my Rogers Nexus S browser head to head with a BlackBerry Bold 9900 at HTML5test.com – the Nexus scored a 184, while the BlackBerry Bold 9900 scored a staggering 277.”

Read more: Interview with Annu Dawar the Product Manager for BlackBerry 7 at #BB7FanNight

Website: NerdBerry

August 4 – “Following in the footsteps of the Bold 9000 the 9900 has what is probably the best BlackBerry keyboard I have used. …. The touch screen responsiveness is top notch, and can be compared to other platforms and manufacturers … The one feature that I hadn’t really thought about going into the event, but which surprised and amazed me the most, is the Wikitude browser. The Wikitude browser takes advantage of the augmented reality and is surprising cool. As you can see in the video the augmented reality can be used for several social media functions, and the integration of BBM is off the hook.”

Read more: (VIDEO) Hands On With The BlackBerry Bold 9900 At #BB7FanNight In Toronto

August 3 – “The night has been full of hands on with the new BB7 devices, like the highly anticipated Bold 9900, and I have never been more a fan. When the Torch 9800 launched I thought I had seen the pinnacle of Blackberry, but tonight I stand corrected.”

Read more: BB7FanNight In Toronto Delivers Results!

Website: CrackBerry

“I love the look and feel of the new Bold, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE KEYBOARD, and I love that there’s finally a touchscreen on a front-facing qwerty BlackBerry. The new Bold is FAST, rich looking and is just the absolute best of the traditional BlackBerry experience.”

Read more: (VIDEO) BlackBerry Bold 9900 / 9930 Hands On and First Impressions (part deux)