BlackBerry Unveils CDMA World Phone

[BESadmin]

BlackBerry Unveils CDMA World Phone
26th April 2007

Research In Motion (RIM) has announced the new BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone, scheduled to be available in Canada this summer. The device will operate on Bell Mobility’s CDMA network, but will also have the capability to connect to international GSM/GPRS voice and data roaming networks in select countries outside of North America.

Finished in sleek black with chrome side accents, the phone features dual-band (800/1900 Mhz) CDMA 2000 1x EV-DO ; as well as dual-band (900/1800 MHz) GSM/GPRS for continuous voice and data service while traveling internationally.

As with the BlackBerry tradition, the thin-designed 8830 features a full QWERTY handset, and offers access to wireless e-mail, phone, web browsing, and other mobile data applications. Up to 10 e-mail accounts can be supported, or corporate users can integrate the device with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise environments.

This model includes dedicated menu and escape keys, and, like the new Pearl and 8800 models, also incorporates the new trackball for easier navigation through menus and documents. It boasts a 320 x 240 display with light-sensing technology that automatically optimizes the screen; keyboard lighting for indoor, outdoor, and dark environments; and noise cancellation for enhanced audio performance.

"The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition will offer Bell Mobility clients the best of both worlds: the superior coverage and data capabilities of North America's CDMA network standard and the global reach of GSM technology," said Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility. "Those world-ranging capabilities are wrapped up in a sleek package that's just 14 mm thick, but offers the most powerful combination of productivity tools, multimedia capabilities and enhanced user features available in a smartphone."

"The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone is another breakthrough achievement that integrates cutting-edge communications technology in a thin and stylish form," added Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM. "It delivers the unmatched user experience and productivity benefits that people have come to expect from a BlackBerry solution, and introduces new and innovative features as well. We are pleased to launch the BlackBerry 8830 with Bell Mobility to meet the evolving needs of customers."

Other features include voice-activated dialing; low-distortion speakerphone; smart dialing; conference calling; speed dialing; call forwarding; Bluetooth technology; support for polyphonic, MP3 and MIDI ring tones; multimedia player and stereo headset jack; and built-in GPS with BlackBerry maps to provide turn-by-turn driving directions. Memory is expandable via a microSD card slot.