One Small Step For RIM...one Giant Leap for BlackBerry Addicts...
We are sooo close now to having the perfect BlackBerry device. With RIM's announcement late yesterday of the launch of the BlackBerry 8310 in Germany we are yet one more step closer to the dream machine. It's only a short matter of time.
The progression? The BlackBerry 8310 takes all of the goodness from the 8300 Curve and adds to it the GPS functionality currently found only in the 8800 series. WOW...and to think there were people who said GPS in an 8300 would never happen. All we need now is Wi-Fi, microSDHC support, video capture capabilities and a bigger/longer lasting battery in the Curve form factor and I would argue you have the ultimate smartphone device.
For more details, read the full press release after the jump!
Introducing the BlackBerry Curve 8310 smartphone with integrated GPS - available now in Germany through Vodafone
Dusseldorf/Munich, Germany - Vodafone and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 8310 smartphone in Germany, with built-in GPS navigation and advanced multimedia functionality.
The BlackBerry Curve 8310 features integrated GPS functionality that works with pre-installed Vodafone Navigator software so mobile users can easily know exactly where they're going. The software displays the user's precise location on a local map and also integrates directly with their address book. Thanks to Vodafone Navigator on the BlackBerry Curve 8310 smartphone, Vodafone customers can avoid traffic problems caused by bad weather, traffic jams or road closures as known problems are automatically taken into account when the route is planned. The Vodafone Navigator is an off-board navigation system, which downloads route planning information from an up-to-date central server.
The BlackBerry Curve 8310 is an excellent choice for mobile users that want a feature-rich smartphone for use in both their work and personal lives. A built-in 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and LED flash delivers sharp images on the BlackBerry Curve 8310. Photos can be sent immediately via MMS, email or BlackBerry® Messenger. The push-based BlackBerry email system allows incoming emails to be displayed immediately and enables easy remote management of the user's inbox.
With an advanced media player, microSD memory card slot and brilliant colour display, the BlackBerry Curve 8310 is perfect for watching videos in full screen layout and listening to MP3 music files. The smartphone's memory can be extended by using a microSD card to store up to 4 gigabytes worth of videos, images, music and files. As an added benefit, Vodafone Germany will provide the first 5,000 customers with a 1 gigabyte microSD memory card with the current 100 top chart songs pre-installed as MP3s.
The BlackBerry Curve 8310 features a full, highly tactile QWERTZ keyboard for easy and intuitive typing and an integrated spell check function with customizable dictionary to help minimize spelling errors. The trackball, which is conveniently located between the display and keyboard, can be used to select menu functions and to easily navigate on the screen. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 supports push-based email that allows the easy viewing of file attachments such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, JPEG, BMP and TIFF files. It is a quad band GSM phone that can be used practically anywhere in the world*. It has USB for easy file transfer and Bluetooth® interfaces for use with hands-free accessories and car kits. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 supports stereo Bluetooth headsets and also features a built-in speakerphone.
The BlackBerry Curve 8310 is available now from Vodafone in Germany for 99,90 Euro in combination with a Vodafone Business Kombipaket Zuhause 240.
Facts & Figures on the new BlackBerry Curve 8310
- Memory: 64 MB internal flash memory; Expandable memory slot for microSD card
- Display: 320 X 240 pixels, supports more than 65,000 colors
- Supported networks: Quadband GSM (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz)
- Data transmission: GPRS, EDGE
- Interfaces: Bluetooth 2.0, mini-USB
- GPS: Integrated GPS module
- Multimedia: 2 megapixel camera with flash and 5X digital zoom; Media Player supports audio formats (MP3, MIDI, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA) and video formats (MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.263 and WMV)
- Push-based email: Supported by BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server
- Additional features: Full QWERTZ keyboard, trackball operation, Vodafone Navigator, integrated speakerphone, language selection
- Check with Vodafone for roaming services.
Vodafone Germany
is one of the largest and most modern telecommunications providers in Europe. It serves over 31 million customers, realises turnover of more than EUR 8 billion and has 9,000 employees. Vodafone Germany is an innovative technology and service enterprise, offering a comprehensive range of mobile communication services from one provider. The portfolio includes mobile communications and fixed network telephony, as well as data services for business and private customers. Continuous development, numerous patents and investments in new products, services and the modern network have made Vodafone an innovation leader in the German telecommunications market. The company is headquartered in Dusseldorf. Eight branch offices and a chain of 1600 Vodafone shops keep us close to our customers. The Vodafone Germany group of companies also includes a majority shareholding in the Arcor telecommunications group, which is headquartered in Eschborn, Germany. Vodafone Germany is committed to CSR and it additionally supports numerous projects through the German Vodafone Foundation.
The company is part of the Vodafone Group. Visit the website at www.vodafone.de for further information.
