RIM: Fortune to Favor the BlackBerry Bold

SAN FRANCISCO -- Research In Motion's(RIMM) star may have been eclipsed in the last few weeks as the drumbeat around Apple's(AAPL) new iPhone reached a crescendo, but RIM is set to return to the spotlight.

It has been a quiet three months for the company -- with no new smart phones hitting the market -- yet RIM is expected to beat first-quarter estimates Wednesday, on the strength of its existing models such as the Pearl and the Curve.

In the first quarter, analysts expect RIM to report earnings of 85 cents a share on revenue of $2.27 billion, compared with earnings of 39 cents a share on revenue of $1.08 billion, a year ago.

But it's the company's guidance for the current quarter that analysts and portfolio managers will be closely watching. Last month, RIM announced that it will release the BlackBerry Bold, its answer to Apple's upcoming 3G iPhone, this quarter.

(See also Gary Krakow's comments on the BlackBerry Bold.)

RIM hasn't offered a launch date for the product, but Mike Abramsky, an analyst at RBC Capital, expects the device to start shipping on AT&T's(T) network in late July or early August.

The New Blackberry Bold Is Smokin'