Cingular Wireless has introduced the new BlackBerry 7130c, exclusive to Cingular, along with service plans intended to appeal to mobile consumers as well as corporate users.
“BlackBerry has long been the darling of corporate America,” said Mike Woodward, executive director, mobile professional solutions, for Cingular Wireless. “But clearly wireless e-mail can benefit more than just corporations. Cingular’s new BlackBerry Personal Plan and the easy-to-use BlackBerry 7130c are designed specifically to make wireless e-mail accessible to everyone that leads a mobile lifestyle.”
The BlackBerry Personal Plan includes BlackBerry Internet Service, which pushes email to users’ BlackBerry devices from most email providers, enables management of multiple email addresses, and automatically synchronizes read, deleted, and sent email between the BlackBerry and email account. The service also includes wireless Web browsing, via either the built-in BlackBerry Browser or Cingular’s MEdia Net service.
The BlackBerry 7130c itself offers a 240 by 260 pixel LCD screen, a narrow, phone-like design, a combined QWERTY keypad and phone keypad, along with the usual slate of telephone features (ringtones, speakerphone, test messaging, speed dial, conference calling, call forwarding, etc.), PIM functions (Web browsing, organizer, calendar, email, and other applications), and a built-in . About the only thing missing is a built-in camera.
The BlackBerry 7130c will be available beginning June 12, 2006, with data plans starting at $29.99 per month with a qualified voice calling plan. With a two-year contract and voice plan, the BlackBerry 7130c is priced at $199.99. Enterprise customers using BlackBerry Enterprise Server can get service for $44.99 per month with a qualified voice plan, or unlimited data-only service for $49.99 per month.
