Only a few days after its debut in Japan, BlackBerry Bold users in the country are complaining of overheating problems with the device. According to Reuters, Japan's largest mobile operator NTT DoCoMo has received as many as 30 complaints claiming that the Bold's keyboard area heats up to above normal levels. While that is a relatively small number and apparently temperatures "remained within the safety range of regulatory standards," the companies have agreed to halt sales in Japan until the issue has been examined.
No injuries or damage have been reported and the issue appears to be specific to units sold in Japan. RIM claims that its initial analysis ruled out a battery problem but it has yet to determine the root cause of the flaw - whether it has something to do with the camera-less variant in the region or the fourth 3G band of 800 MHz that was added to the phone for coverage in less populated areas remains to be seen. Hopefully it won't take long for this heat problem to get sorted out.