The new BlackBerry model should be coming to North America within a month now that Research In Motion Ltd. has started selling it in Germany and Chile.

The first major new BlackBerry model in more than a year, the Bold is a high-end BlackBerry that has twice the screen resolution of current models made by RIM. The Bold, or 9000, matches the resolution, but not the size, of the screen on Apple Inc.'s iPhone, which has emerged as a potent competitor in the smart-phone category.

AT&T says it will be the exclusive US carrier for the Bold, as it is for the iPhone. An AT&T spokesman declined to say Thursday when the company will release it.

But Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams, said he expects AT&T to start selling it on September 15 and Rogers Communications in Canada to release it on August 18.

Some stores in Canada have already unveiled a store model and fliers.

Genuity Capital Markets analyst Deepak Chopra also expects it will be released in the US in mid-September.

RIM had announced a summer release for the Bold, but many people had expected the phone to be available in June. Misek said issues with chips and battery life caused a delay.

The company has begun to roll out the BlackBerry Bold in some markets through partnerships with wireless carriers there. RIM unveiled the Bold in Chile on July 22 and in Germany on August 6.

Source:AP News