We’ve just laid our sweaty mitts on the highly-anticipated BlackBerry Bold (aka the 9000 series) for the very first time in an hour long introduction to the product, and we have to say, we’re impressed.

For those of you who may not be completely au fait with the details (where have you been?), it’s RIM’s new flagship phone, but instead of simply relying on a (slow) GPRS connection – which we haven’t been impressed with before – the new device has a 3.5G (tri-band HSDPA) connection, and a new web browser.

The result is a completely revamped BlackBerry, with a new-look interface. The operating system has moved on to version 4.6 now and it comes complete with a slick new look and iPhone-style web browser, which gives an overview of web pages before allowing you to zoom right in.

From the brief time we had alone with the handset we’d say it was pretty good. It seems much easier to get on with than Windows Mobile (not hard) but not quite the slick consumer experience you get with the iPhone (not suprising). The screen is incredibly bright and crisp too: a demo video clip showed it off in a very favourable light. The external stereo speakers are loud and clear.

More importantly, perhaps, the new keyboard seems excellent. Admittedly we haven’t had enough time with it to dig out its flaws, but after a few minutes use we’d be happy to give the thumbs up. It has slightly larger keys than the one on the already superb 8820.

We liked the look of the new interface as well. It looks much more sophisticated than previous versions, complete with snazzy transparency effects and iPhone-esque square application launch buttons.

There’s also much better office document compatibility, with Dataviz’s Documents to Go included – RIM’s previous efforts have, surprisingly, been woeful in the extreme – but disappointingly it’s the limited version. You can view office documents with it but not edit or create new ones. You have to pay to upgrade.

Other details include a nippy 624MHz processor, which drives the new operating system along without hesitation, GPS, 1GB of internal storage, a two-megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone socket and externally accessible microSD slot. We’ll have to reserve comment on the battery life, but it looks as if that could well be pretty good, too, with a 1,500mAh lithium polymer unit on board.

The only disappointment is that the handset isn’t that elegant. The aluminium-style trim is quite nice as is the flush-finish screen and sliver ‘frets’ between the rows of the keyboard. But compared to the likes of Nokia’s gorgeous E71 (10mm thick), the Bold is a bit of a porker at 15mm – and we’re none too keen on the leatherette finish the back plate is clad in either.

But this is all having had just a half an hour play with the device. Once it’s fully charged, we’ll be giving it the full PC Pro workout and will post a full review when we’ve done so. Be sure to check back soon.