Verizon Wireless has announced it will be offering the BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone beginning in May. The handset is RIM’s smallest and lightest smartphone with a full QWERTY keypad, and is aimed at people who need to manage their professional “responsibilities” without giving up their personal communications and mobile entertainment options.
The BlackBerry Curve 8330 sports a 320 by 240 LCD display, a two megapixel camera, an integrated trackball interface, stereo Bluetooth, a microSD/SDHC media card slot for loading and saving media, and comes in a silver-and-chrome body that at least won’t put off the fashionistas in the world. Of course, the Curve 8330 taps into Verizon’s EV-DO features (including VZ Navigation, Verizon’s GPS-driven turn-by-turn navigation service), along with email, Web browsing, and a built-in Facebook social networking application. Contrary to earlier rumors, the 8330 does not sport integrated Wi-Fi, so the unit won’t latch on to nearby open hotspots for improved connectivity and Internet access.
The BlackBerry Curve 8330 will be available in May for $269.99 with a two-year service contract—and that price is after a $50 mail-in rebate. Additional purchase credits are available with qualifying voice and data plans; the BlackBerry email and Web service is another $29.99 a month for a data-only plan, with a $34.99/month option for unlimited data access.
