BIOS: Technology Means Business

Determined to develop one of the smallest and lightest smartphones in the world while staying true to the iconic BlackBerry user experience, Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM: TSX: RIM) has announced its latest innovation in mobile handsets – the small, smart and stylish BlackBerry Pearl.

RIM is once again changing the mobile communications landscape. This feature-rich smartphone incorporates best-in-class technology that is remarkably small and incredibly easy-to-use.

The BlackBerry Pearl comes complete with digital camera, multimedia capabilities and an expandable memory slot for the first time, while continuing to provide the industry leading BlackBerry experience that users have come to love.

“The BlackBerry Pearl elegantly combines an incredibly small, stylish and full-featured smartphone with the gold standard in wireless email and the result is something special. Through the integration of hardware, software and service, we are able to deliver a mobile experience that stands apart in the industry. We are extremely excited to be launching this breakthrough handset and we look forward to rolling it out around the world with our carrier partners,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion.

Beneath its sleek and stylish exterior, which measures just 4.2" x 1.97" x .57" and weighs only 3.1 ounces, the BlackBerry Pearl is a quad-band GSM/GPRS and EDGE-enabled mobile application powerhouse delivering the fast performance of the latest generation BlackBerry handset platform. The built-in 64MB flash memory is now expandable with a MicroSD card, giving users plenty more storage for music, pictures, videos, and data files.

The BlackBerry Pearl delivers exceptional phone quality with premium, easy-to-use phone features including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tones, and intuitive call management features such as smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing and call forwarding.

It also features a speakerphone and Bluetooth 2.0 for use with hands-free headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals such as a GPS receiver. BlackBerry Desktop Software synchronization via Bluetooth is also supported.

With a helpful Setup Wizard, the unique “push-based” BlackBerry service comes to life giving users synchronized access to both personal and corporate email accounts with attachment viewing and the ability to manage multiple accounts while on the go.

he BlackBerry Pearl also comes with a newly enhanced version of RIM’s SureType QWERTY keypad technology that makes typing messages and dialing phone numbers quick and easy. The handset is supported on BlackBerry Internet Service as well as BlackBerry Enterprise Server, with a new set of IT policy controls on the latter to allow IT departments to administer camera and expansion memory settings on corporate handsets.

Images appear incredibly vivid and crisp on the BlackBerry Pearl’s large, ultra-bright, high resolution (240x260) display. Built-in light sensing technology automatically adjusts the screen and keypad brightness for optimum viewing of emails and attachments, pictures, web pages, business applications and games in indoor, outdoor and dark environments.

The BlackBerry Pearl also introduces an incredibly intuitive user interface with a supple, responsive trackball that makes vertical and lateral scrolling fast and easy. Dedicated 'menu' and 'escape' keys on either side of the trackball along with context sensitive menus make navigation instinctive, smooth, and true to the BlackBerry experience.

Featuring a 1.3 megapixel camera with built-in flash and 5x digital zoom, users can snap a picture and instantly share it with friends and family by email, MMS or BlackBerry Messenger. Photos can also be set as caller ID images, and can be easily transferred between the handset and a computer using the included USB cable.

BlackBerry Maps delivers maps and step-by-step driving directions quickly and conveniently. BlackBerry Maps works together with other BlackBerry applications, enabling users to send maps via email and launch maps from other applications including contacts in their address book. BlackBerry Maps is currently available in North America only.

The BlackBerry Pearl comes with a media player and stereo headset jack so users can enjoy their favorite music and videos on the go. Music and video clips are delivered with rich sound and vivid color. MP3 and ACC music files and MPEG4 and H.263 video files are supported.

The BlackBerry Pearl will be available from T-Mobile USA in the United States beginning September 12. It will also be available in October from Rogers Wireless in Canada and a variety of carriers in Europe. Availability in Asia-Pacific and Latin America is expected later this year.

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