T-Mobile on Wednesday released new T-Mobile Complete prepaid packages that include a choice of handsets smartphone and one month of talk time without an associated contract. With this move, the provider has become the first in the US to offer a prepaid BlackBerry handset, the Curve 8520.
Verizon this morning preceded the launch of the Motorola Droid two expected new smartphones, including its second Android phone. The HTC Droid Eris, also known as the Desire, is Verizon's interpretation of the Hero and comes in an all-black design with touch-sensitive buttons below the 3.2-inch screen as well as a trackball for one-handed use. It still carries the 5-megapixel camera, GPS and Wi-Fi, and still uses HTC's original Sense UI layer and built-in web browser Flash.
Rogers on Thursday morning became the second carrier after T-Mobile to offer the BlackBerry Curve 8520. Its version retains the same optical trackpad, 2-megapixel camera, and 320x240 screen but comes in black or violet and supports Rogers' UMA-based TalkSpot feature for using Wi-Fi to make calls indoors without affecting usual plan minutes. The only software customization is a urMusic app for the carrier's own music store.
RIM's 3G adaptation of the BlackBerry Curve 8900 will represent more than a minor change if a leak through BGR is authentic. Nicknamed Gemini, the Curve 9300 would reportedly be stylistically similar to the 8900 but come with a larger screen with a higher resolution than the 480x360 used today. It would also have a faster processor and is likely to keep both the GPS and Wi-Fi in addition to tri-band 3G for access on AT&T, Rogers and many world carriers.
T-Mobile on Wednesday said it has begun shipping the 2009 edition Shadow smartphone as well as the Nokia 7510 Supernova. The former is T-Mobile's new flagship Windows Mobile device and should now cost $200 with a two-year contract for its 2-megapixel camera, microSDHC storage, and Wi-Fi with support for HotSpot Calling over VoIP. It comes in two different color options can be had contract-free for $350.
T-Mobile today became the first American carrier to pick up the BlackBerry Curve 8900. The full-QWERTY smartphone is the same as the stock version already reviewed here but switches to supporting T-Mobile's HotSpot Calling service for its UMA feature, which lets it make calls on its built-in Wi-Fi and bridge these seamlessly to the GSM phone network and back. It also adds hooks for the company's myFaves calling service and comes bundled with a 256MB microSD card.
Of all the phones in the BlackBerry lineup, the Curve is the one that makes or breaks RIM's performance as it's the most universally appealing: it has to suit not only the corporate rank and file but also those texting their friends or posting to Facebook. As such, more is riding on the success of the Curve 8900 than on even the media darling phones like the Bold or Storm. The new smartphone is technically superior to older Curves in nearly every way; our goal in our full review is to see whether that's enough to dislodge competition from Apple, Nokia, and a host of others.
AT&T this afternoon made a late addition to its phone roster and launched its version of the BlackBerry Curve 8320. The handset replaces the GPS of the 8310 with Wi-Fi to provide faster Internet access than the phone's EDGE cellular link can offer. The American provider's version doesn't provide support for Wi-Fi calls as with Rogers or T-Mobile but is instead pushed as a way of getting free Internet access at AT&T's local and international hotspots.
After a low-key launch over a week ago, Rogers today officially posted the BlackBerry Curve 8900 online. The third-generation Curve is designed to more closely resemble the BlackBerry Bold and gets the higher-end model's very high-resolution 480x360 display, GPS and Wi-Fi while dropping 3G and adding a sharper 3.2-megapixel camera. In Rogers trim, it supports the carrier's Talkspot service for Wi-Fi calling and comes preloaded with a portal to download certain third-party apps.
Rogers today has quietly launched its version of the BlackBerry Curve 8900. Appearing ahead of schedule, the QWERTY smartphone is known to be arriving in stores and in its Canadian guise should support Rogers' Talkspot service, which lets the phone use its Wi-Fi for UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) calling that automatically transitions to and from VoIP and the cellular network. The phone is considered a smaller, budget alternative to the Bold with EDGE-only cell data but the same 480x320 screen, GPS and software features as its 3G counterpart.
Rogers' plans for its BlackBerry lineup will include both an aggressive launch of the Curve 8900 and an expansion of the smartphones to its budget brand Fido, tips from BGR suggest. The Canadian provider should get the 2G-only but GPS and Wi-Fi equipped device in January and will reportedly price it substantially under the Bold, offering it at $150 on a three-year plan with both voice and data.
The BlackBerry Curve 8900 was given its second major launch today with news that UK retailer Carphone Warehouse will be the next to pick up the RIM smartphone on December 20th. The choice of carrier and pricing haven't been named but will see Carphone as the exclusive third-party to carry the device, which resembles a smaller, 2G-only version of the BlackBerry Bold. The 480x320 display, GPS and Wi-Fi of the more expensive phone carry over with EDGE handling cellular Internet access.
Apple's second-wave push for the iPhone has already made it the most popular phone on the web, a study of October data from AdMob indicates. The mobile ad provider notes that total worldwide iPhone share for ad requests nearly doubled from 2.1 percent in September to 4.1 percent the following month, bringing it from fourth place to first. The previous leader, Motorola's RAZR V3, has held on to its second place spot but dropped substantially from 4.1 percent to 3.4 percent of all requests to AdMob.
Nokia today quickly chased its early press info with the formal launch of the E63 (link active soon). A budget alternative to the E71, the full QWERTY smartphone is geared towards the same audience as the BlackBerry Curve but also the growing audience of those who want a smartphone without the usual cost. It's for users who may be updating their social networks in addition to (or in place of) checking Exchange e-mail from work, the company argues.
RIM today chose to introduce the BlackBerry Curve 8900 through T-Mobile Germany, marking a rare non-North American debut for one of its phones. The device is closely related to the Bold and carries the same extremely sharp 2.4-inch 480x360 display, GPS mapping and Wi-Fi as its high-end cousin but drops 3G support in favor of slower EDGE. In exchange, the device is both smaller and carries a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocusing and flash.
A hands-on from Gizmodo on Friday has revealed that the BlackBerry Curve 8900 will be available from AT&T in the near future. Showing the same default home screen as for the Bold, the device should now be a lower-cost alternative to the $300 flagship with 3G access dropped in favor of both a lower price and a smaller shape while the 480x320 screen, GPS and Wi-Fi still carry over.
Research in Motion today confirmed the existence of its rumored BlackBerry Application Center, the company's attempt to parallel the iPhone's App Store. The portal will serve as a central hub for BlackBerry owners looking to download and manage apps instead of the web downloads and separate stores used before. Like Apple's offering, customers can buy directly from the software and apply upgrades; a new twist adds the ability to delete software without finding it in the regular BlackBerry OS layer.
RIM has already outlined most if not all of its phone release plans for next year, a leak of a Rogers Wireless roadmap to BGR says. In addition to getting the Curve 8900 (Javelin) in the first quarter of the year, the Canadian provider will also allegedly receive two devices briefly mentioned in the past. Codenamed the Magnum, the BlackBerry 9220 should appear in the summer and add HSPA-based 3G to the Curve 8900 to bring it up to par with the Bold. RIM's rumored hybrid touch/keyboard device is also slated as the BlackBerry 9900, or Pluto, and would ship next fall.
A list that ranks the 10 most popular handsets in the United States for September has been released recently. The list, compiled by Avian Research, is based on the firm's Monthly Retail Store Survey that polls 100 service reps at retail stores of the four major wireless providers, reveals some unsurprising trends, including the domination of Research In Motion products. The BlackBerry Curve is far and away the most popular handset, holding down the top spot since May. Back in April, the BlackBerry Pearl was at number one.
The BlackBerry Curve 8900, previously known as the Javelin, has surfaced today through a product page posted at T-Mobile Germany ahead of any official launch. Its product page confirms features that have been widely rumored for the device, which should drop the Bold's 3G but carry the same GPS, Wi-Fi and 480x360 display. A relatively large 1,400mAh battery is onboard but should give the phone just four hours of battery life.
Despite four years on the market, Motorola's RAZR V3 is still the best-selling cellphone in the US, the NPD Group says. While exact market share isn't published, the researchers put the clamshell design above the second-place iPhone 3G as well as the BlackBerry Curve, LG Chocolate and BlackBerry Pearl in the top five. The RAZR earns its position primarily through its sheer availability, as the device sells through nearly all major and minor carriers in the US and is often available for free or at a low price on a contract.
The iPhone 3G's launch propelled Apple to the top of the US smartphone market in the summer and near the peak of the smartphone ranks in the US, according to NPD Group data. The phone outsold the BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Pearl and Palm Centro in the June through August window and used the spike generated by the launch to give all iPhones about 17 percent of the US smartphone business from January through August, or more than one in six smartphones sold in the country.
Updated photos have been posted today of RIM's upcoming BlackBerry Javelin that confirm both some of its hardware features as well as carrier details. The device is considered a replacement for the Curve and will be limited to EDGE data versus the Bold's 3G, but is now known to have a once-rumored 3.2-megapixel camera with flash and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The design also supports claims that it should keep the 480x320 display of the Bold.
Sprint this afternoon slipped a seventh phone unveiling into its CTIA expo plans and launched the promised BlackBerry 8350i. The device is the first Curve to support the provider's Nextel iDEN network and sets up a push-to-talk call with as many 20 total users in the space of a second, making it ideal for outdoor travelers or workers who want a BlackBerry's "push" mail but with instant voice as well. It moreover stands as the most feature-laden Curve with both GPS and Wi-Fi, either of which is normally available only by itself on other carriers.
The BlackBerry Curve 8320 is likely to get its final send-off by launching with AT&T, leaked datasheets reveal to BGR. RIM's Wi-Fi smartphone will lack the VoIP calling feature of the T-Mobile edition that has existed for several months but will come preloaded with the version 4.5 BlackBerry OS, which adds HTML e-mail, a better media player and video capture support. AT&T will also replace the gold trim of the T-Mobile version with a subtler dark blue color and will promote the Curve for its hotspot network.
Verizon has joined T-Mobile's announcements earlier in the week with news of its own special colors for its BlackBerry smartphones. Both the Curve 8330 and the Pearl 8130 now come in pink versus the conservative silver that was the only previous choice. The extra hue is pitched at girls going to college in the fall who may want a fashion-savvy device but also a smartphone they can use to keep track of classwork.
T-Mobile on Monday gave the BlackBerry Curve its final send-off with the launch of the Sunset model. The QWERTY keyboard smartphone now comes in a unique, namesake reddish hue along with black accents. T-Mobile's version also keeps to the Wi-Fi support of the 8320 reference design and lets HotSpot@Home subscribers make unlimited calls on Wi-Fi that automatically bridge to the cellular network when the user wanders out of range.
Research in Motion hoped to gain ground among media smartphones today with the official launch of BlackBerry Media Sync. Announced alongside the Bold, the software gives owners of current-generation BlackBerries the option to sync some or all of their iTunes libraries for playback on the phone, including playlists. Phone owners can also block out part of the phone's storage space to set it aside for work, photos, and other content.
The Curve 8330 essentially paints the complete picture for the BlackBerry -- it's the last of RIM's current lineup to cross over to CDMA networks. It's also the first Curve to offer 3G networking and so promises to make a big splash among users wanting "real" Internet access and messaging in a small and relatively inexpensive smartphone. That it fills an important gap is undoubtable; the real question is whether it can appeal to more than its usual crowd and compete against both other messaging phones and a new wave of high-end feature phones. Click through for our full review of the phone available with Sprint, Telus, and Verizon.
Sprint today lived up to a late leak and began offering the BlackBerry Curve 8330 online. The carrier's version of the smartphone is unique to the US in its titanium gray color and also includes relatively unique software support, including access to the Sprint Music Store for downloads and Sprint's streaming Internet TV. Pitched as a media phone, the device also includes a 1GB microSD card for handling music and videos.
Sprint is ready to deploy the BlackBerry Curve 8330 on Friday, May 9th, a flyer reveals, setting the no-contract price for the device at $600. BGR notes that the advertisement also reveals that the versatile handset is also available for $180, pending a two-year contract, $170 instant rebate, with a $100 mail-in rebate, discounting the unit by $420. The page also lists several accessories for the device, such as a swivel belt clip kit, headsets, and more.
Although it won't be available until Friday on Verizon and is still absent from Sprint's shipping roster, the BlackBerry Curve 8330 has landed at Electronista in a near-identical Telus form and is being put through its paces. Much of the design will seem familiar to those already aware of the Curve, but there are important additions to this first CDMA version of RIM's QWERTY smartphone that are likely to factor heavily into our full review.
While it is not yet official, Sprint will launch the BlackBerry 8330 this Wednesday, says a discovery made by forum users. The provider's print ad featuring the Curve has been found over the weekend, and while it does not reveal an actual ship date, the text does hint the Curve would make an ideal gift for Mother's Day, on May 11. What the ad does definitely reveal, however, is that the Sprint Curve will be available not only in titanium, but red as well.
Verizon this morning quickly followed up on at least one claim made this week by confirming that its version of the BlackBerry Curve 8330 will be available first on May 9th through the company's online store. The smartphone is the first known version of the CDMA-based Curve to actually reach the market and separates itself from the titanium gray Alltel and Sprint editions both through its silver color as well as access to Verizon's custom VZ Navigator service to take advantage of the true GPS receiver.
Research in Motion has likely already picked out the name for its touchscreen BlackBerry, say those investigating the company's web practices. The site address BlackBerryStorm.com has already been registered by a confidential party as of late 2007 and has since by followed by registrations of several international and mobile domains, suggesting an active attempt by RIM to secure the names before an official launch.
Verizon will launch two of its more anticipated high-end phones within a week, according to separate leaks. Reported sources for Engadget say the company's silver adaptation of the BlackBerry Curve 8330 is now set to appear on May 9th, more than a month after the company first revealed the phone with an unspecified launch date. The originally suggested $270 price will be intact after obtaining a contract and rebate. Subscribers will also have the option of picking up the device for $440 without an agreement.
In spite of attempts to blur distinctions, BlackBerry and iPhone owners are still fundamentally opposed when it comes to what they like about their phones, according to new research from ChangeWave. Research in Motion's attempts to focus on media functions with the Curve and Pearl have still resulted in most customers preferring the phones for e-mail, with 56 percent of users citing BlackBerry line's signature "push" mail as their primary desire. Nearly all other features were distant concerns, with ease of use, the keyboard, and size all cited by less than 10 percent of the responding group.
Alltel this morning became the third carrier to pick up the BlackBerry Curve 8330. Following quickly in the steps of Sprint and Verizon, the carrier can now lay claim to its own variant of the previously GSM-only Curve and gains 3G Internet access with EVDO as well as native GPS support. Like Sprint's version, Alltel is opting for a more unique titanium color than the silver of the Verizon model but adds support for its own MyCircle calling plans.
Continuing its spate of releases at CTIA, Sprint today revealed its own version of the BlackBerry Curve 8330. Like the Verizon model introduced just a day ago, the 8330 is the first Curve for CDMA phone networks and adds both 3G Internet access over EVDO as well as true GPS navigation; an externally-reached microSDHC slot and a sharper 2-megapixel camera port over from the GSM version. In Sprint guise, the new Curve switches to a gunmetal gray and also supports USB tethering to supply Internet access to a notebook.
Marking the addition of one of the few Wi-Fi equipped home smartphones in its lineup, AT&T today released the BlackBerry Pearl 8120. Based on the same updated Pearl shape as the 8130 on sale at Sprint and Verizon, the 8120 adds 802.11g Wi-Fi that supplies much faster Internet access than the phone's usual EDGE service whenever the phone is within range of a hotspot; unlike the Curve 8320 at T-Mobile, however, the new AT&T Pearl lacks support for automatically bridged VoIP calls.
Research in Motion's BlackBerry 9000-series has been spotted but may be an evolutionary design rather than the major shift expected by some, according to an update from the third-party BlackBerry Forums. A photo allegedly taken near the company's Waterloo, Canada campus reveals a device that offers a major redesign of the BlackBerry Curve but retains the chief formula equipped with a conventional screen, it also keeps the trackball of the earlier model but includes larger, easier to hit keys on its keypad and is thinner overall than its predecessors.
