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BELLEVUE, Wash.—T-Mobile USA Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. announced the launch of RIM’s BlackBerry “Pearl” device, which combines productivity and multimedia features. The device stands as a bid to bolster T-Mobile USA’s portfolio as well as expand RIM’s market from a pure enterprise play to the broader consumer segment.
The carrier did not immediately announce a price, but the device is expected to sell for $200 with a two-year contract. The $200 price point is comparable to Motorola Inc.’s Q smart phone and expected entries in the productivity/multimedia device space from Nokia Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
The Pearl device supports the BlackBerry Internet Service, which provides users with wireless access to up to 10 personal or corporate e-mail accounts, various messaging services, an HTML browser and RIM’s SureType keyboard technology. The keyboard combines two letters on each key and intuits the word the user is spelling. Phone call management features include speaker-independent voice recognition for voice-activated dialing, plus conference calling and speed dialing.
On the entertainment side, the device provides a 1.3 megapixel camera and a multimedia player with stereo headphones for MP3 and AAC music files and MPEG4 and H.263 video formats.
The device is a quad-band GSM/GPRS and EDGE phone for international roaming.
The device stands as a major new effort for RIM, and comes at a time when the company is facing new competitive challenges to its previously unassailable lead in the U.S. market for enterprise devices.
