APPLE may have been beaten to the 3G punch by Research in Motion's slickest, speediest and most powerful BlackBerry model, the Bold 9000. The new BlackBerry device will support 3G networks worldwide, as well as Wi-Fi and GPS.

Its launch comes amid industry reports that Apple founder Steve Jobs will be unveiling the new 3G iPhone next nonth.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, it was announced that SingTel, Bharti Airtel, Globe Telecom and Optus had signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Singapore, India, the Philippines and Australia later this year. The Blackberry Bold is equipped with support for tri - band HSDPA and quad-band EDGE.

This means that it will support the highest- speed GSM-family data networks wherever they are available worldwide, PC World Online reported yesterday. With both assisted and autonomous GPS, the Bold could prove a formidable challenger to Apple's next-gen iPhone on connectivity alone, PC World said.

The Bold, added the technology website, even looks a bit iPhonesque, with its glassy display area, generally flat profile, and rounded corners. Its redesigned keyboard are sculpted to help users avoid fingertip slippage. The device also carries a 2-megapixel camera capable of up to 5X digital zoom.

The Bold's 624-MHz Strong- ARM processor with full MMX (multimedia extensions) is the most powerful CPU on a handheld to date. Its extra power enables the device to handle full-motion video on its 480-by-320-pixel.

But the screen is diminutive compared with the current iPhone's roomy 3.5-inch display.

And it isn't a touch screen.

It is expected to be shipping worldwide next month.

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