Dallas (TX) – AT&T is first to offer RIM’s new Blackberry Bold smartphone as an option for those who missed out on the iPhone and the Android G1 – or those who simply prefer the Blackberry brand. The Bold is one of RIM’s most capable smartphones to date and is available for $300 as of today.

Despite the recent waves of new smartphones, a visit to your local cellphone store reveals that there aren’t many fancy smartphones on sale today offering advanced features such as Wi-Fi, GPS and a high-resolution camera in one package. We were expecting a range of devices to become available in the U.S. before the end of the year, but recently heard that SonyEricsson’s Xperia X1 as well as Nokia’s 5800 will slip into Q1 2009; Garmin’s nuvifone is even further out and will not arrive before Q3 2009.  

As a result, all eyes are now on RIM and its Blackberry Bold and Storm models. A release date for the Storm, which will be available through Verizon Wireless, has not been released, but the Bold is now sold through AT&T. Priced at $300 (that price is only valid if you choose to subscribe to both a $40+ per month voice plan as well as a $30+ per month data plan), Storm comes in a traditional Blackberry form factor, a QWERTY keyboard and a “Pearl” trackball.    

The 3G phone includes Wi-Fi, aGPS, keyboard backlighting, a built-in speakerphone, video and audio playback capability, 1 GB on-board memory, a 480 x 320 (217 ppi) pixel screen and tethered modem support through an integrated wireless modem. aGPS is tied to Blackberry maps with turn-by-turn directions service, which requires activation through a data plan. Interestingly, AT&T also pitches its AT&T Navigator GPS service for the Bold in parallel to Blackberry maps – in exchange for a $9.99 per month fee. Bold buyers may want to look a bit closer at the integrated Blackberry Maps software before subscribing to a service they may not need.   

In line with the recently growing popularity of third-party software for smartphones, AT&T noted that the Bold comes pre-installed with several “popular” applications pre-installed and access to games, music and video content as well as “tens of thousands” of other “choices.

Probably most interesting is the announcement that AT&T will extend the recently announced free AT&T Wi-Fi service at more than 17,000 hot spots across the nation from the iPhone to the Blackberry Bold. AT&T said that free Wi-Fi access will include “Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and thousands of other locations.”

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