BlackBerry Curve 8900 Officially Launched on Rogers

Dummy units have been drifting into Rogers (NYSE: RCI) stores for the last week or so, but now we’ve got official word that the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is now available on Rogers for $179.99 on a three-year contract. T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) Germany was the first to release the new Curve, so maybe now that the North American hardware has been nailed down, we can see T-Mobile in the U.S. picking this up soon. We grabbed some pictures and video of one of the Rogers dummy units for a quick size comparison to the BlackBerry Bold, and the difference is noticeable – the Javelin codename seems completely apt for something this slim and sharp. I don’t expect much new in the OS, since it’s running 4.6 just like the Bold. For full details on purchasing, hit up the Rogers online store.

Full BlackBerry 8900 Specifications behind the jump…

BlackBerry Curve 8900 Specifications

Available Features

• Camera (3.2 MP)
• Wi-Fi® Support
• Built-in GPS
• Enhanced Media Player
• Video Recording
• BlackBerry® Maps
• Wireless Email
• Organizer
• Browser
• Phone
• Coporate Data Access
• SMS/MMS

Size and Weight

• Height: 4.29 inches (109 mm)
• Width: 2.36 inches (60 mm)
• Depth: 0.53 inches (13.5 mm)
• Weight: 3.87 ounces (109.9 grams)

Display

• High Resolution 480×360 pixel color display
• Transmissive TFT LCD
• Supports over 65,000 colors
• Screen Size: 2.44 inches (diagonally measured)

Camera & Video Recording

• Camera: 3.2 MP camera (JPEG Encoding) with Auto focus, Image stabilization, Flash and 2X Digital Zoom
• Video Camera: Normal Mode: 480×352 pixel, MMS Mode: 176×144 pixel

Battery & Battery Life

• Battery: 1400 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic lithium cell
• Talk Time: 5.5 hours
• Standby Time: 356 hours

GPS & BlackBerry Maps

• Assisted and autonomous GPS enabled

Data Input & Navigation

• 35 key backlit QWERTY keyboard
• Trackball located on front face of device, ESC key to the right, Menu to the left
• Dedicated Keys: Send, End, Mute, Lock, VAD (user customizable), 2-stage camera (user customizable), 2x volume/zoom
• User Interface: Intuitive icons and menus
• Keyboard Security: Password protection, keyboard lock, and sleep (standby) mode

Voice Input & Output

• Integrated speaker and microphone, Hands-free headset capable, Bluetooth® headset capable, Integrated Hands-Free Speakerphone

Media Player

• Video Format Support: DivX, XviD (MPEG4 Advance Simple Profile), H.263, WMV3
• Audio Format Support: .3gp, WAV, MIDI, AMR-NB, G711u/A, GSM610, PCM, MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA9/10 Standard/Pro

Ringtones & Notifications

• Ringtones: .3gp, WAV, MIDI, AMR-NB, G711u/A, GSM610, PCM, MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA9/10 Standard/Pro
• Notifications: Tone, vibrate, on-screen or LED indicator; notification options are user configurable

Bluetooth

• Bluetooth v2.0 + EDR; Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port Profile, Stereo Audio (A2DP/AVCRP), SIM Access Profile and Dial-up Networking supported

Keyboard security

• Password protection
• Keyboard lock
• Sleep (standby) mode

Wi-Fi

• 802.11b/g enabled
• Wi-Fi Alliance Certifications: WPA/WPA2 Personal and Enterprise, WMM, WMM Power Save, Wi-Fi Protected Setup
• Cisco CCX certification planned
• Wi-Fi access to BlackBerry® Enterprise Server
• Wi-Fi access to BlackBerry® Internet Server
• Direct IP web browsing over Wi-Fi
• Support for UMA/GAN

Wireless Networks

• North America: 850 MHz GSM®/GPRS networks
• North America: 1900MHz GSM/GPRS networks
• Europe/Asia Pacific: 1800MHz GSM/GPRS networks
• Europe/Asia Pacific: 900MHz GSM/GPRS networks
• EDGE networks

[via RIM]