Oh, the poor beleaguered BlackBerry Storm. It just can't catch a break. Mobile phone company Orange delayed its launch in the UK last year because of undisclosed "software issues." The Bold's much anticipated arrival in the U.S. got bumped back nearly six months. Now sales of one of Research In Motion's (RIM) newest smartphones have been halted in Japan due to complaints some units are overheating.
Reuters is reporting today, "NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan's biggest mobile phone operator, said on Friday it has halted sales of Research In Motion's BlackBerry Bold because the phone can overheat while the battery is being recharged." There are no reports of people getting burned or phones bursting into flame.
According to a prepared statement, RIM says it's not a battery problem but, beyond that, isn't quite sure what's going on. RIM also confirms that the issue is "specifically limited to the BlackBerry Bold devices sold in Japan since last week and sales of BlackBerry Bold devices in other countries are unaffected by this matter."
This news shouldn't necessarily deter you if you've been considering buying a Bold, bince the overheating issue only affects a handful of BlackBerrys. On the other hand, the device does seem to be facing a recurring theme of bad luck. Still, I think you'd be safe picking one up -- as long as you don't live in Japan -- because RIM has a pretty good track record when it comes to addressing customer complaints.