The July launch of Apple's iPhone 3G may have faded into the summer haze as a distant memory by now, but as Research In Motion prepares to roll out the new BlackBerry Bold, the smart phone wars are about to heat up again.

Citigroup analyst Jim Suva got his hands on the Bold early, and published a glowing review in the form of a research note this morning.

Suva, clearly smitten by the device and his stellar Talladega Nights viewing experience, had almost nothing negative to say about the Bold. He called out a new web browser, document editing capabilities, a "meaningfully improved" display, and superior phone reception as particularly impressive features. By way of criticism, all that Suva could muster was qualms about occasional 3G signal drops and a screen that smudges easily when fiddled with.

Suva's review sent shares of the BlackBerry's maker, Research in Motion, which have had a rough summer, up nearly 5 percent in morning trading today.

Investors know that the smart phone category is mattering more and more to device manufacturers, and R.I.M. and Apple have been battling for market dominance. While U.S. cell phone sales were off 13 percent in the second quarter, according to research firm NPD, the lucrative smart phones category continued to outperform other segments. Smart phones now account for a fifth of all phones sold.

When can we get our hands on Blackberry's latest gadget? AT&T will be the U.S. service provider, but it has kept lips zipped on a launch date and price, Still, the phone is expected to make is debut within the next few weeks.

Canadians, however, can buy the Bold starting tomorrow through Rogers Communications, at a steep price of 399 Canadian dollars ($375) on three-year contract.

While BlackBerry looks to court new consumers, Apple has made no secret of trying to break into the enterprise market with its new iPhone 3G, eying a lucrative market currently dominated by R.I.M. and Palm. For that reason the iPhone 3G supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync (meaning BlackBerry-like "push" email capability), and includes beefed up security features for tapping into corporate IT systems.

Successfully courting corporate accounts would mean no small boost in sales for Apple. While the iPhone has generated ample buzz amongst consumers, its full potential is seriously limited by lack of enthusiasm from employers outfitting their employees for remote email access. Despite all the buzz, at the end of the second quarter (before the iPhone 3G launch), the iPhone was still only the fourth most popular smart phone, behind the BlackBerry Curve and Pearl and the Palm Treo.

Rumors swirled last week that the global banking giant HSBC was considering a switch to using iPhones, which would have been a major coup for Apple; but those claims have already been quashed by the bank, which now says it has no intention of replacing its BlackBerry contract.

Palm is also launching a new device for its enterprise line, the Treo Pro. The new Treo will be slimmer, have a larger touchscreen, 3G compatibility, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Palm says that the device will be available in the U.S. later in the fall, in an unlocked version selling for $549.

Solid new products out from R.I.M. and Palm will make it all the more difficult for Apple to wrestle corporate contracts away from the companies and toe hold in the enterprise market.

But on the upside for Apple, neither will the Bold be any kind of iPhone killer. Jim Suva describes the product as "strong but not a complete game changer," which suggests that he expects Apple to continue in its dominance amongst consumers.

R.I.M.'s product launches have failed to generate anything near the hype among consumers that Apple's have - possibly stemming from RIM's unwillingness to name a launch date in advance. There's also a pricing issue. It's unknown what the enterprise pricing will be for the new devices, but at list prices of $399 for the Bold and $549 for the Pro, Apple's $199 iPhone is looking like a steal.

Liz Gunnison