RIM makes the Blackberry Bold 9700 official, hitting in November

It’s always a lot of fun for us — and hopefully for you, the readers — any time we can run wild with pictures, news, and even reviews of an unannounced handset. Today, however, RIM spoiled our fun and formally announced the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Things like carriers, release dates and pricing have been withheld for the time being, but RIM has made a statement saying that we should all expect to see the BlackBerry 9700 go on sale “around the world beginning in November.” Spec wise, nothing has changed since our pre-release review, but just in case some of you forgot or weren’t paying a whole lot of attention, here’s a quick refresher on the critical specs:

■BlackBerry OS 5.0
■624MHz CPU
■256MB flash memory and support for microSD cards up to 32GB
■Quad-band UMTS/HSDPA (800/850/1900/2100 MHz) or tri-band UMTS/HSDPA (900/1700/2100 MHz)
■Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
■Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UMA support (carrier dependent)
■A-GPS
■2.44″ HVGA+ display
■3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
■Optical trackpad
■Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP/AVCRP
■1500 mAh battery
■6 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby (3G)
■109mm x 60mm x 14.1mm, 122g
In short, this is the BlackBerry device of your dreams. We’re expecting pretty much every single major GSM carrier on the planet to pick up the 9700 sooner or later, so we’ll be sure to keep the updates coming. As always, high res pics and a few other odds and ends are available after the jump.

UPDATE: AT&T, Rogers and T-Mobile have announced they will be carrying the Bold 9700 in the weeks ahead. AT&T and T-Mobile’s 9700 will go for $199.99 after a $100 MIR on 2-year deals while Rogers will be asking for $299.99 on a 3-year contract with a monthly minimum voice and data plan of $45. Bell and TELUS have yet to come forward with pricing but have confirmed they will be carrying the device.