Jan 13, 2011 16:16 GMT  ·  By

When it rains, it pours, and when it comes to new leaks regarding upcoming BlackBerry smartphones from Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion, a new item can be added to the list, the next generation BlackBerry Curve, codenamed Apollo.

The new mobile phone emerged in a photo and some specifications over at BGR, following the leaked info on RIM's upcoming Dakota smartphone, which was rumored for the first time over a year ago to put together a touchscreen display with a QWERTY keyboard in a candybar form factor.

The next generation BlackBerry Curve won't sport the same features, but it would retain the familiar design RIM's curve family sports.

According to BGR, the upcoming new Curve devices would sport quite appealing specifications for the market segment they are aimed at, while being aggressively priced.

The specifications list of these devices would include a 480 x 360-pixel screen, along with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and a tri-band HSPA 7.2Mbps radios, and even NFC capabilities.

Moreover, the upcoming mobile phone should include Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi b,g,n capabilities, as well as a 5 megapixel photo snapper with flash, or the BlackBerry OS 6.1 on board.

The BlackBerry Curve is expected to pack a Tavor MG-1 800MHz applications processor inside, as well as 512MB of eMMC RAM, and the said HVGA (480 x 360 pixel) display.

The mobile phone would be powered by a 1050 mAh battery, and is said to be only 11mm thin.

Of course, the upcoming Curve devices would be aimed at the mainstream level of the market, but their specs show that RIM is focused on offering users a little more than what they might have been expected.

What is still unknown at the moment is when exactly would this handset become available for purchase, or at what price tag. However, provided that the rumors on it would pan out, it might not be too long before RIM makes a formal announcement on it, and brings it to shelves around the world.