Waterloo, Canada –
Research In Motion (RIM) launched the first 3G smartphone in its affordable
Curve series.
The new phone,
called the
or Curve 9300, offers HSDPA 3G technology, complementing other Curve
models with GPRS/EDGE data or CDMA 1x EV-DO Rev 0 data. The other Curves retail
for as little as $1.
The Curve 3G will
be available in the U.S. through carrier T-Mobile in the coming weeks through
its stores and those of select retailers. The phone operates in 3G mode in
T-Mobile’s 1700/2100MHz 3G network as well as in overseas 1800/2100MHz
networks.
The candy-bar-style
phone features BlackBerry OS 5, but the device is upgradable for use with the
new BlackBerry OS 6 unveiled last week and incorporated in the Torch, also
last week as RIM’s first touchscreen phone with slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
Curve features
include QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad, dedicated media keys, Wi-Fi (802.11
b/g/n) for data and voice, 624MHz processor, 256MB of internal memory,
hot-swappable MicroSD/SDHC card slot with support for up to 32GB, and
preinstalled 2GB memory card . Other features include access to BlackBerry App
World, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi, 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, stereo Bluetooth
2.1 and visual voice mail support.
The phone’s BlackBerry Internet Service
supports access to up to 10 email accounts. The six preloaded instant-messaging
clients are AOL Instant Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger,
Yahoo! Messenger and BlackBerry Messenger. The removable 1150 mAhr battery
delivers up to 4.5 hours of talktime and 19 days of standby time.
The phone will be
available in Smoky Violet and Graphite Grey.
