14 DAY TRIAL // The latest iDEN smartphone presented by RIM, BlackBerry Curve 8350i, will soon be released in the US by Sprint, the third largest North American mobile carrier. Of course, we already new this, since RIM and Sprint have announced the device about one month ago. But recetnly, Sprint has came up with a web page that showcases the Curve 8350i, which means that it won't be long until the smartphone becomes commercially available.
Touted by RIM as a “Business Guru”, BlackBerry Curve 8350i seems to be the perfect mix between a smartphone and an iDEN device. With the new Curve, users will be able to enjoy advanced Push to Talk capabilities and connect with other iDEN subscribers, via Sprint's Nextel Direct Connect network.
Design-wise, BlackBerry 8350i is not too different from the other smartphones included in the Curve series, the major visual change being represented by the fact that the iDEN smartphone has an all-black case.
Push to Talk capabilities aside, BlackBerry Curve 8350i also features: a 320 x 240 pixels TFT display with 65K colors, a full QWERTY keyboard, trackball navigation, built-in GPS, Wi-Fi, DataViz Documents to Go for reading and editing documents, push email, Web browser, Instant Messaging, picture and video messaging, Media Player with lots of formats supported, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, a 2 Megapixel camera with flash and video recording, microSD card slot and a 1400 mAh battery.
Note that, in the US, Sprint will the exclusive carrier for BlackBerry Curve 8350i. So if you're interested in the smartphone, the only way of getting it is by signing a Sprint contract agreement.
The price of Curve 8350i is not known for the moment. However, knowing that Sprint's other iDEN BlackBerry – the old 7100i – is currently being sold for 199 USD with a two-year contract, the new 8350i will probably be offered for around 300 USD.