Introducing the BlackBerry Curve 8310 smartphone with integrated GPS - available now in Germany exclusively through Vodafone

Düsseldorf/Munich, Germany - 31 July 2007 - Vodafone and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 8310 smartphone in Germany, with built-in GPS navigation and advanced multimedia functionality.

The BlackBerry Curve 8310 features integrated GPS functionality that works with pre-installed Vodafone Navigator software so mobile users can easily know exactly where they're going. The software displays the user's precise location on a local map and also integrates directly with their address book. Thanks to Vodafone Navigator on the BlackBerry Curve 8310 smartphone, Vodafone customers can avoid traffic problems caused by bad weather, traffic jams or road closures as known problems are automatically taken into account when the route is planned. The Vodafone Navigator is an off-board navigation system, which downloads route planning information from an up-to-date central server.

The BlackBerry Curve 8310 is an excellent choice for mobile users that want a feature-rich smartphone for use in both their work and personal lives. A built-in 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and LED flash delivers sharp images on the BlackBerry Curve 8310. Photos can be sent immediately via MMS, email or BlackBerry® Messenger. The push-based BlackBerry email system allows incoming emails to be displayed immediately and enables easy remote management of the user's inbox.

With an advanced media player, microSD memory card slot and brilliant colour display, the BlackBerry Curve 8310 is perfect for watching videos in full screen layout and listening to MP3 music files. The smartphone's memory can be extended by using a microSD card to store up to 4 gigabytes worth of videos, images, music and files. As an added benefit, Vodafone Germany will provide the first 5,000 customers with a 1 gigabyte microSD memory card with the current 100 top chart songs pre-installed as MP3s.

The BlackBerry Curve 8310 features a full, highly tactile QWERTZ keyboard for easy and intuitive typing and an integrated spell check function with customizable dictionary to help minimize spelling errors. The trackball, which is conveniently located between the display and keyboard, can be used to select menu functions and to easily navigate on the screen. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 supports push-based email that allows the easy viewing of file attachments such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, JPEG, BMP and TIFF files. It is a quad band GSM phone that can be used practically anywhere in the world*. It has USB for easy file transfer and Bluetooth® interfaces for use with hands-free accessories and car kits. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 supports stereo Bluetooth headsets and also features a built-in speakerphone.

The BlackBerry Curve 8310 is available now from Vodafone in Germany for 99,90 Euro in combination with a Vodafone Business Kombipaket Zuhause 240.

Facts & Figures on the new BlackBerry Curve 8310

- Memory: 64 MB internal flash memory; Expandable memory slot for microSD cards

- Display: 320 X 240 pixels, supports more than 65,000 colors

- Supported networks: Quadband GSM (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz)

- Data transmission: GPRS, EDGE

- Interfaces: Bluetooth 2.0, mini-USB

- GPS: Integrated GPS module

- Multimedia: 2 megapixel camera with flash and 5X digital zoom; Media Player supports audio formats (MP3, MIDI, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA) and video formats (MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.263 and WMV)

- Push-based email: Supported by BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server

- Additional features: Full QWERTZ keyboard, trackball operation, Vodafone Navigator, integrated speakerphone, language selection

* Check with Vodafone for roaming services.

Its about time. I will give it a few weeks and if no carrier here picks it up I guess I will be importing one!

Don't forget that it has a QWERTZ keyboard, though, not a QWERTY keyboard. German keyboards have a different layout.

Now that's a super Jesus Phone

I'm sure it'll come out on Vodafone in the UK soon too.

so the only thing new is integrated GPS?

I really wanted a Curve over the 8800, but the GPS won me over.

I already had a GPS puck so I got the Curve over the 8800.... but the integrated GPS in the 8310 is so tempting......

Oh, and so is the 8320 with WiFi!

I guess I'll wait for the 8340! The Curve with WiFi AND GPS!

iPhone who?


Hey a guy can dream can't he?

I can live without wifi but I hated giving up GPS and the extended battery when I went from the 8800 to the 8300. Once I get an 8310 and the seidio battery I will be set.

Anybody know what GPS chip they're using? SiRF II or III?

Well according to the demo site.

101 Demonstrator for the BlackBerry® 8310™ Smartphone.

its QWERTY. and yes the localization was set to Germany.

Then again the main site.
BlackBerry® Curve™ | The New Smartphone That's Brilliant and Beautiful

shows QWERTZ.

Also they have a dark Charcoal GREY color NOICE! Uber sweet.
I'll still wait for the 8320 though.

Cool a curvy GPS.

Got one here, nice new casing, more of a gun metal. Battery life apparently is better than the Curve too.

I'm sticking with the curve though! Not a big enough upgrade for me.

You have one there? Meaning you have one there in your area or there in your hand? Is it QWERTY or QWERTZ?

nt...

Another great piece of insanity which has rendered the almost brand new Curve obselete and, if you think about it, who will buy an 8800 now when you can have a smaller, lighter, cheaper GPS enabled device with a camera?

Existing Curve and 8800 owners should feel hard done by.

well, if the 8820 had a camera, I would have gone for that one instead because it's 3G, has WiFi and GPS. My provider doesn't offer EDGE, so I can only use plain old GPRS here. But I "need" (read: want) a camera more than WiFi and GPS, so I went for the Curve.

Lucky Germans..

3G?

There's no 3G.