T-Mobile and RIM Introduce BlackBerry Curve 8320 with Wi-Fi Calling Feature

Posted by Admin on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 06:35 pm:

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Now Available, the BlackBerry Curve 8320 From T-Mobile Is the First All-In-One Handset Designed to Work With T-Mobile HotSpot @Home

T-Mobile USA, Inc., and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM) (TSX: RIM) announced the Wi-Fi®-enabled BlackBerry® Curve™ 8320, the first BlackBerry® handset available in the U.S. that supports T-Mobile® HotSpot @Home(SM) over a Wi-Fi connection and great in-home mobile coverage.

Available in two distinct finishes -- titanium and pale gold -- the BlackBerry Curve 8320 from T-Mobile strikes a unique balance of design, features and functionality that's as perfect for staying close to friends and family as it is for a busy day at work. Available from T-Mobile in the U.S., the BlackBerry Curve 8320 features RIM's smallest and lightest full-QWERTY handset design.

With built-in support for T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, customers can enjoy great mobile coverage and, with the HotSpot @Home Add-On Plan, customers can enjoy unlimited calling over a Wi-Fi network as well as unlimited Wi-Fi calling at nearly 8,500 T-Mobile HotSpot locations nationwide. When you leave home or a T-Mobile HotSpot, calls are seamlessly transferred onto T-Mobile's wireless network, and the same is true for transferring calls from T-Mobile's network onto Wi-Fi networks. T-Mobile introduced its HotSpot @Home service in June.

The BlackBerry Curve 8320 provides advanced multimedia capabilities including a two-megapixel camera, a music and video player, a 3.5mm stereo headset jack and a microSD card slot for expandable memory storage. Access to personal and corporate e-mail accounts and Web browsing is fast and easy thanks to the powerful BlackBerry platform, Wi-Fi connectivity and T-Mobile's robust nationwide EDGE network.

"Consumers have adopted the HotSpot @Home service because it provides great in-home coverage and unsurpassed value. The BlackBerry Curve from T-Mobile further extends the appeal for HotSpot @Home by adding a compelling all-in-on device with Wi-Fi," said Leslie Grandy, vice president of Product Development at T-Mobile USA. "The BlackBerry Curve is an ideal companion for staying connected to friends, family and life while at home, at work or on the go."

"The evolution of the BlackBerry platform is at a particularly exciting stage where we are able to synthesize an amazing array of technologies and features to enhance the user experience," said Mike Lazaridis, president and co-CEO at Research In Motion. "Together with T-Mobile's Wi-Fi and cellular services, the new BlackBerry Curve 8320 provides customers with an extremely powerful communications and multimedia solution in a mobile handset that remains sleek and easy to use."

Key features of the BlackBerry Curve 8320 from T-Mobile include(a):

• Impressively small and lightweight design at 4.2" x 2.4" x 0.6" and approximately 3.9 oz.
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connectivity for expanded coverage, as well as faster Web browsing and file downloading
• Support for T-Mobile HotSpot @Home add-on plan
• Enabled for T-Mobile's myFaves(SM) so customers can stay in touch with those who matter most with quick, one-click access via instant message, e-mail, or by calling or texting their five favorite contacts from the home screen
• Popular instant messaging clients: AOL®, Yahoo!® Windows Live®, Google® and ICQ®
• 2-megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full-screen viewfinder
• Advanced media player with search capabilities, full-screen video playback, stereo Bluetooth® support (A2DP/AVRCP), 3.5mm full-size stereo headset jack and dedicated volume controls - supports MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA audio and MPEG4, H.263 and WMV video formats
• Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry® (included with BlackBerry® Desktop Manager software), which allows customers to easily search for media files on their computers, view and organize them, create MP3 music files from CDs, add audio tags, create playlists and automatically copy or convert pictures, music and videos for optimal playback
• High-performance HTML browser for visiting favorite Web sites while on the go
• Incredibly intuitive user interface with an easy-to-use trackball, dedicated 'menu' and 'escape' keys, and context-sensitive menus that make navigation feel instinctive and fast
• Full QWERTY keyboard for easy text entry
• Large, ultra-bright 320x240 color display for vibrant imagery
• Innovative light-sensing technology that automatically optimizes the screen, trackball and keyboard lighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments
• E-mail and memo spell-checking available in various languages including English, French, Italian, German and Spanish
• Premium phone features with Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), dedicated 'send', 'end' and 'mute' keys, noise-cancellation technology to offset background noise, a low-distortion speakerphone for hands-free conversations, and Bluetooth® support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals
• Intuitive call management features such as smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing and call forwarding
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi network support for international roaming
• BlackBerry Maps, a mapping application that provides customers with driving directions
• Built-in Handango™ InHand catalog of additional software applications available for download
• Support for polyphonic, MP3 and MIDI ring tones
• Expandable memory storage via microSD expansion slot
• Ultra-thin, high-capacity, removable battery that further extends the exceptional battery life for which BlackBerry smartphones are known
• BlackBerry® Internet Service support allowing access to up to 10 supported e-mail accounts, including most popular ISP e-mail accounts such as Yahoo!®, AOL® and Gmail®
• BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support tightly integrated with IBM Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange, and Novell® GroupWise®, and featuring IT policy controls for IT departments to manage usage and deployments

The new BlackBerry Curve 8320 from T-Mobile is available at T-Mobile retail stores, select authorized dealers, online at http://www.t-mobile.com, or by calling 1-800-T-MOBILE. For more information about T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, please visit http://www.theonlyphoneyouneed.com. For more information about the BlackBerry Curve 8320, please visit http://www.blackberry.com/blackberrycurve8320.