“Available soon” in the UK, Germany and Ireland
Research In Motion and O2 today introduced the new BlackBerry 7290 Wireless Handheld for mobile professionals in Europe. The Java-based BlackBerry 7290 builds upon the popular BlackBerry experience with new features including a quad-band phone, Bluetooth support, a brighter color screen and enhanced memory.
The BlackBerry 7290 is designed for customers who want a compact, all-in-one device with exceptional messaging capabilities, integrated phone, organizer and browser for all their mobile communication and information needs. It is expected to be available from O2 in the UK, Germany and Ireland from November 2004.
“The new features of the BlackBerry 7290 further enhance the user experience for both data and voice applications, making it ideal for mobile professionals that want a best-in-class mobile solution,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The BlackBerry 7290 is an important addition to our product portfolio and will add to the success and momentum that O2 and RIM have already achieved with BlackBerry in Europe.”
Laurence Alexander, Products and Devices Director O2 UK, said: “We are pleased to be adding the BlackBerry 7290 to our family of BlackBerry from O2 products. We know that secure, integrated access to mobile communications is vital for our professional customers who want to remain connected and in touch when they are on the move.”
BlackBerry is an award-winning wireless solution that enhances the way people manage their information and communications. BlackBerry provides users with easy access to their email and other communications wherever they are*, increasing response times and productivity and enabling users to get the most out of their day.
The BlackBerry 7290 features all the popular elements of existing BlackBerry 7200 series handhelds, including a compact, ergonomic handheld design, high-resolution color screen that supports over 65,000 colours, easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard, thumb-operated navigation trackwheel, excellent battery performance, plus integrated support for corporate and personal email, phone, SMS, organizer, Internet and intranet applications.
New and enhanced features for the BlackBerry 7290 include:
– Quad-band support for GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 MHz frequencies – enabling full international roaming
– Bluetooth support for Bluetooth headsets and car kits
– A brighter LED backlight – making it easy to check information anytime, anywhere
– Updated QWERTY keyboard style with highlighted number keys for easy dialling and typing
– Increased memory to 32 MB flash memory and 4 MB SRAM to further improve storage capabilities for messages, calendar appointments and applications
BlackBerry comprises hardware, software and service providing an end-to-end solution. For larger corporate customers, BlackBerry Enterprise Server software integrates with Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino (Novell GroupWise support is expected later this year) and works with existing enterprise systems to enable secure, push-based, wireless access to email and other corporate data.
For individuals and smaller businesses, BlackBerry Internet Service allows users to access multiple business and/or personal email accounts from a single mobile device and without the need for server software (includes support for Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and many popular ISP email accounts).
BlackBerry also features cradle-free wireless email synchronisation for corporate users as well as integrated attachment viewing that supports popular file formats (including: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, WordPerfect, ASCII).
Pricing information will be available through O2 at the time of product availability.