AT&T has just announced that it will carry its own branded version of the new Blackberry Curve 8900. The release date for the new RIM smart phone is expected to be “early summer.” The 8900 features a standard QWERTY keyboard, as has the honor of being the lightest BlackBerry to date, and sporting the thinnest, sleekest design.
Feature wise, the Curve 8900 is a quad band mobile phone with full GSM support. This allows users to make calls in over 200 different countries. It also has an integrated WiFi chipset to take advantage of local wireless networks around the world.
The screen resolution of the new smart phone will be 480 by 360 pixels, and early reviewers have praised the large-screen for its non-glare visibility and easy video playback display modes. The 8900 also features a 3.2 megapixel camera, complete with auto focus. Images (both still and video) can also be saved directly to microSD card, and the phone supports the AT&T Navigator system for GPS direction and trip planning.
AT&T is promoting the 8900 by offering a special unlimited data package for early adopters, which includes free local WiFi access at over 20,000 locations around the United States and Canada. Pricing details for the unlimited data package are still being worked out, though many believe it will be similar to the package offered for the Apple iPhone.
Altogether, the 8900 looks like a great new smart phone from RIM, and though it doesn’t particularly break new ground, it does cover all the bases very well, providing a reliable business or social use phone with a plethora of useful features.
One interesting change that RIM has made with the Curve 8900 is to introduce a standard QWERTY keyboard. In the past, BlackBerry’s included a “dual use” keyboard that, while functional, wasn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea. The decision to use a standard QWERTY design for the 8900 is a step in the right direction for RIM, and represents an attempt to sell product outside of Blackberry’s traditional demographic — business users.
The Curve 8900 could just as easily find itself at home with students and socialites as with traditional business users, and its sleek, stylish appearance, along with its ultra-lightweight design, make it ideal for users who want a dependable business oriented all-in-one smart phone, that is still fashionable.
It’s probably not going to pull customers away from Apple’s iPhone in great numbers, but the Curve 8900 shows that a smart phone can be all about the business, without being stuffy, boxy or boring.
