A new hand-held joins the BlackBerry family, but we'll withhold the oohs and ahs despite the "Bold" name. The phone appears to be a good step forward—and not much more.

The Bold essentially soups up earlier BlackBerry models, adding a higher-resolution screen that has some reviewers singing its praises. And Kevin Micaluk at CrackBerry.com has a gushing review of the phone's look and feel, having scored one off eBay. The phone doesn't officially go on sale until this summer.

Besides its sharp screen, the handset works on high-speed data networks and includes Wi-Fi networking, both pluses. The camera captures a hefty 2 megapixels, and the media player syncs with Apple's iTunes software.

But unlike some, I don't see how the Bold alone can foil the Apple iPhone. That's more likely with a touch-screen model that Research in Motion is said to be developing.

For now, the BlackBerry Bold appears to be a great phone that will attract users who demand a real keyboard. For those who don't, it can't match the ease of the iPhone's touch-screen and software.

[www.usnews.com]