BlackBerry Pearl 3G Smartphone in South Africa
Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the new BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G (model 9105), the smallest BlackBerry® smartphone yet. The new smartphone will soon be available from MTN and Vodacom for customers in South Africa.*
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.
The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is as powerful as it is compact. Measuring less than 50mm wide and weighing only 93g, it still manages to pack in support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks, Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) and GPS, along with a powerful processor that drives 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.
“We expect a broad range of new and existing customers will be drawn to this smartphone’s unique combination of powerful features and compact design,” said Deon Liebenberg, Regional Director for Sub Sahara Africa at Research In Motion (RIM). “This fashionable phone packs in a wide range of advanced and easy-to-use features and includes a comfortable alphanumeric keyboard for quickly typing out messages.”
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, plus a comfortable keyboard that enables quick and accurate typing
• Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 30 hours), plus 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 such as BlackBerry® Maps, as well as photo geotagging
• 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 emerging 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***
• 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
The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G (model 9105) features a 14-key traditional phone keyboard and uses SureType® software that can complete words as the user types, making typing fast and accurate.
The BlackBerry Pearl 3G ships with BlackBerry® 5 and is BlackBerry® 6 ready. BlackBerry 6 is a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones that retains the trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh and engaging experience that is both powerful and easy to use. BlackBerry 6 is expected to be available for the BlackBerry Pearl 3G, subject to carrier certifications, in the coming months.
* Check with carriers for specific information on availability and pricing.
** Video recording requires a microSD card, which may be sold separately.
*** Certain music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies. Photo syncing is currently only available for Windows-based PCs.
