Research In Motion, up there in Waterloo, have announced to the world that their recently released BlackBerry Pearl 3G handsets, in both variations, are making their way to Indian wireless carriers soon. Considering the country is all set to launch their very own 3G network, we’re not surprised at all to hear that a 3G-enabled device, even one as high profile as the new Pearl, will be landing in the area soon.
Though, we have to admit that we’re surprised it’s both models. Usually, you’d only see one of the two launched, and of course there would be those customers out there who’d say, “But I wanted the other one!” RIM’s taking care of everyone. Customers will be able to choose from either the 14- or 20-key handset, both of which are featured on the smallest smartphone available (according to RIM). You also get a 624MHz processor under the hood, a screen featuring a resolution of 360×400, an optical trackpad, GPS, WiFi, and obviously access to 3G.
You also get the ability to expand the on board memory with the included microSD card slot (up to 32GB of memory), and both handsets will be running BlackBerry OS 5 when they launch. Unfortunately, the press release doesn’t go out of its way to say exactly when these two handsets will see the light of day, officially, in India, but as soon as we know more, like which carrier and for how much, we will be sure to let you know.
Press Release:
RIM announces the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone in India
Mumbai – Research In Motion (NSDQ: RIMM) (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today launched the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G, the smallest BlackBerry smartphone yet, in India. Despite its impressively compact and elegant design, this stylish new handset is a powerful 3G BlackBerry smartphone with uncompromising performance and top-of-the-line features, including the industry-leading BlackBerry email, messaging and social networking capabilities that so many people love.
The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is a marvel of engineering and design excellence. It’s as powerful as it is compact. Measuring less than 50mm wide and weighing only 93g, it still manages to pack in support for the soon-to-be-launched high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks in India, Wi-Fi (b/g/n) and GPS, along with a powerhouse processor that drives visually stunning images on the sharp, high-resolution display.
It also features an optical trackpad for smooth navigation, dedicated volume and media keys for added convenience, a 3.2 MP camera with flash for quality pictures on the go, and support for up to 32 GB of personal content. In addition, with access to a range of popular social networking and instant messaging applications, the BlackBerry Pearl 3G lets you always bring your friends wherever you go.
The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone will be available in two models in India: the BlackBerry ®Pearl™ 9100, featuring a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard, and the BlackBerry Pearl™ 9105, with a 14-key traditional phone keyboard. Both smartphone models include SureType software that can complete words as the user types, making texting fast and accurate.
Frenny Bawa, Managing Director, India, Research In Motion, said “The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G is an ideal smartphone for people who want to take their friends with them wherever they go. It has a rich set of communications and multimedia features in an incredibly compact and sleek design, making it particularly attractive to customers who are looking to upgrade from a traditional cell phone to a powerful 3G handset. Both models enable quick and easy text input for maximum enjoyment of real-time communications applications like BlackBerry Messenger, email and social networking.”
Key features of the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone include:
Elegant candybar design measuring 108mm x 50 mm x 13.3 mm and weighing only 93 grams
624 Mhz processor with 256 MB Flash memory
360×400 sharp-resolution display (238 ppi)
Optical trackpad that makes navigation fast and smooth
a comfortable keyboard that enables quick and accurate typing ?Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 30 hours)
dedicated media keys integrated along top of the handset
3.2 MP camera with zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording
Built-in GPS for location-based applications ?Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
first BlackBerry smartphone to support ‘n’ ?microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards
Premium phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including systems that support the Bluetooth Message Access Profile standard) and other Bluetooth accessories
Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones ?Support for BlackBerry Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes and Windows Media Player music with the smartphone
BlackBerry OS 5 ?Support for tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks ?Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks
There’ve been persistent rumours of a Blackberry slidephone coming to the market, and even a couple of spy shots, but today, we get to the device properly, in some beautifully clear photos… and it looks mint! You may remember seeing the name on these pages before, and that’s because TechnoLiz did a post about it not long ago.