RIM launches new sleek BlackBerry 8800 in India

Mumbai, Mar 21: Leading innovative wireless solutions player 'Research in Motion' (RIM) today introduced the latest BlackBerry 8800 smartphone in India, 14mm deep and the thinest Blackberry handset yet.

Displaying the latest version of the BlackBerry 8800 here, Norm W K Lo, Vice President, Asia Pacific, RIM said that BlackBerry phones are powerful business tools meant for executives, professionals and jet savvy entrepreneurs.

The latest BlackBerry 8800 solution is a sophisticated, stylish, secure and efficient instrument, he added, the phones are equipped with a highly tactile, full QWERTY keyboard, user-friendly trackball system and a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS), first of its kind for Balckberry smartphones in India.

Refusing to divulge the price of the handset, Lo said the prices and distribution of BlackBerry 8800 in India will be undertaken by the service providers Hutch and Airtel together.

Lo pinpointed that all BlackBerry gadgets are secure and has several international recognitions recognising the gadgets safety aspects to protect confidential and classified informations.

He said, India is a important and big market and RIM expects the sales of BlackBerry in India to increase.

Replying to a query on world wide sales, Lo said the Quarter 3 results last November revealed seven million subscribers of BlackBerry around the world. But Quarter 4 results have shown an increase of one million subscribers, he added.

Elaborating further, he said majority of the subscriber base is from the United States as BlackBerry products were launched there as far back as 1999.

The stylish BlackBerry 8800 is both functionally and visually inspiring with smoothly integrated support for voice and data applications, including phone, email, text messaging, web browser, organiser, mulitmedia and more.

With the large, ultra-bright, high resolution (320 x240) landscape display, emails, attachments, pictures, videos, business apllications and games appear vivid and crisp. It features a high quality, low distortion speakerphone and bluetooth 2.0 for use with hands free handsets, car kits and other bluetooth peripherals.

Powering its robust perfomance is an ultra-thin, high capacity battery with a standby time of 22 days and a talk time of five hours. In addition, the BlackBerry 8800 can operate with BlackBerry internet service, giving users the ability to manage up to 10 supported personal and corporate e-mail accounts.

Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data.

UNI