Research In Motion's Bold 9700 debuted this week and though some industry watchers tout it as the best BlackBerry to date, others are questioning if the new handheld and imminent Storm2 are enough to keep RIM in the running in the smartphone sector.

The Bold 9700 is coming within weeks of both AT&T and T-Mobile releases for $199 after rebates, a significant drop from the original model, the Bold 9000, which cost $299.

RIM's (NASDAQ: RIMM) 9700 release is widely seen as an effort to shore up the mobile maverick's top spot in the enterprise -- a move attracting some criticism as RIM faces increasing competition on the consumer side from Apple's ongoing success and Android-powered handsets.

Taken on its own terms, however, as a BlackBerry aimed at professionals, the Bold 9700 impresses and is a good fit for its carrier partners.

While conceding that the Bold 9700 won't lure consumers away from the iPhone or Android smartphones, Avi Greengart, analyst at Current Analysis, said the new Bold is "the best BlackBerry RIM has ever built."

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