AT&T tees up the BlackBerry Bold for Nov. 4

Initially rumored for release in the summer, then apparently pushed back amid reports of further testing and problems in Europe, the long-awaited BlackBerry Bold is finally set for AT&T's smartphone lineup, starting early next month.

AT&T announced this morning that the Bold will arrive in stores Nov. 4 for $299 (after a mail-in rebate and a two-year contract)—a bit pricey compared to the $199 (with service) iPhone and the $179 T-Mobile G1, but on a par with other BlackBerrys and corporate smartphones.

The Bold marks the first BlackBerry to work on AT&T's 3.5G HSDPA network; the phone also boasts the latest version of the BlackBerry OS (complete with a redesigned start screen, icons, and contextual menus) along with Wi-Fi, aGPS (plus AT&T's Navigator Global Edition software), and support for AT&T's Mobile Music and streaming Cellular Video services. Also on tap: Bluetooth 2.0 with support for stereo Bluetooth headsets, 1GB of internal memory plus a slot of microSD memory expansion, a 2MP camera, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack.

Many of us expected the Bold to debut on AT&T months ago; instead, the iPhone 3G came out first, and then reports began dribbling in that AT&T—reportedly hoping to avoid the 3G connection problems that plagued the iPhone—was still testing the Bold on its network. Meanwhile, European carrier Orange decided to temporarily pull the Bold due to "reports of software issues" with the phone. 

So, are we talking "lemon" here, or did AT&T get the Bold's ducks in a row? Stay tuned for my full review (once I get my hands on a review unit); you can also check out my hands-on impressions from back in June.

Who out there's pining for the Bold? Anyone skipping the Bold for a touchscreen Storm?