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Adriana Lee

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When it comes to the BlackBerry Bold 9900, one of the most attention-getting features is Near Field Communication. But we’ve just gotten word from a trusted tipster that ATT users won’t be getting any joy from this.

According to our source — an insider in a position to know — the carrier will be crippling NFC via a software block. This is both good news and bad news. The latter is obvious, but look on the bright side: At least the hardware’s still there, so it’s not some sort of irreversible versioning at the manufacturer level. And you know what that means? ATT could lift the block later (like it did for BlackBerry Bridge).

Or, if you’re a BB hacker with some gumption, you could also get around this obstacle two ways: Unlock the feature via a software update, or load another version of the OS that’s compatible with another carrier.

As for ATT, we hit them up about this tidbit and they wouldn’t confirm nor deny this, basically saying, “No comment.”

So 9900 fans, what do you think? Would the lack of NFC be a dealbreaker for you? Or will you be taking matters into your own hands?

UPDATE: Vodafone in the U.K. is already blocking the NFC of the BlackBerry Bold 9900.

This post originally appeared at TechnoBuffalo.