We have been hearing about it for months - but now we have visual evidence.

My friend and Co Author Kevin, from CrackBerry.com paid an exorbitant amount of money on Ebay to bid on pre-release BlackBerry 9000. From his initial impressions, it sounds like he is like a kid in a candy shop with his new toy. About the new Operating System, Kevin wrote: "OS4.6 is WHERE IT IS AT! They say looks don?t matter, but when it comes to your mobile companion that?s simply not the case. The leaked images of 4.6 have looked good ? seeing it in person is SO MUCH BETTER. It?s smooth, it?s fast, it?s pretty. We?ll talk a lot more about 4.6 in Part II."

He had this to say about the screen: "the display is AWESOME. I knew it would be an improved display, but I wasn't expecting it to be as bright and crisp as it is. The 480 by 320 HVDA Color LCD delivers. For the 88xx, Curve and Pearl users reading this who shunned the notion of upgrading to the 9000 when it comes out, let me just say this display alone will make you want to reconsider."

You can read his full review - Part 1 - by going here: http://crackberry.com/blackberry-9000-smartphone-hands-review