Good news for push-email addicts who prefer WiFi over GPS, as today AT&T launched the BlackBerry Pearl 8120. I still don’t quite understand why RIM makes its customers choose GPS or WiFi in most of its devices. Bundling both features will be a must in no time and I certainly hope so the Canadian company will figure that out as well.
Back to AT&T. You already know everything about the Pearl, so I’ll just recap the specs: there’s the 2 megapixel camera, standard 3.5 mm audio jack, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD memory slot, and now the WiFi support. The smartphone is already available for AT&T’s business customers for 200 bucks with two-year contract, unlimited data plan an $39.99 voice plan… Full release follows after the jump.
PRESS RELEASE – AT&T Inc. and Research In Motion (RIM) have announced the availability of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 for business customers, a global handset with built-in Wi-Fi that combines business-grade communications and multimedia functionality in a small and stylish design. The new BlackBerry Pearl 8120 handset enables AT&T’s business customers to use the broadest domestic and international coverage area for wireless data services of any U.S. carrier.
The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 from AT&T — featuring a large, ultrabright 240 x 260 pixel display that supports more than 65,000 colors — measures just 4.2″ x 2.4″ x 0.5″ and weighs approximately 3.2 ounces. It comes in a beautiful sapphire-blue color. The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 combines the renowned BlackBerry e-mail and messaging capabilities — including RIM’s SureType keyboard enhanced with word completion, built-in spell-checker and user-customized dictionary — as well as premium phone features and simultaneous voice and data access when connected to a Wi-Fi network.
“The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 combines AT&T’s leading domestic and international coverage footprint with its position as the world’s leading provider of BlackBerry services to create a compelling global solution for business customers,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Business Voice/Data and Wireless Products, AT&T. “No other domestic carrier can match AT&T’s global reach, which links customers’ BlackBerry handsets with their company’s wireless campus network so that users can access e-mail and browse the Web at Wi-Fi hot spots while making voice calls in more than 200 countries.”
“The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 from AT&T delivers the full power of the BlackBerry platform in a sleek and stylish handset that is ideal for both business and personal use,” said Mark Guibert, vice president, Corporate Marketing at Research In Motion. “With a range of hardware and software enhancements, including built-in Wi-Fi, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 is an ideal choice for customers who want a new phone with powerful communications and multimedia features in an incredibly small candy bar design.”
The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 also features impressive multimedia capabilities, including a 2-megapixel camera with video recorder, an advanced media player, a 3.5-mm stereo headset jack, externally accessible microSD/SDHC memory slot for additional storage and Bluetooth 2.0 with support for headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth accessories. The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 also provides support for Wi-Fi 802.11b/g networks, allowing business customers to extend the BlackBerry platform to public hot spots, corporate wireless local area networks and home Wi-Fi networks while maintaining their existing BlackBerry security architecture.
The global capabilities of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 handset from AT&T complement AT&T’s industry-best domestic and international wide area wireless data coverage. The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 can keep users who are abroad connected with wireless e-mail, Internet access and other mobile applications through data services in more countries than any other U.S. carrier, with data-roaming in more than 145 countries. Customers can also use the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 to make or receive voice calls in more than 200 countries.
Pricing and Availability
The new BlackBerry Pearl 8120 from AT&T is available for business customers now for as low as $199.99, with a two-year contract, unlimited data plan and $39.99 voice plan. Customers who want personal e-mail access and Web browsing with BlackBerry Internet Service can choose the BlackBerry Personal Unlimited data plan for as low as $30 a month with a qualified voice contract. Unlimited corporate e-mail and data access via BlackBerry Enterprise Server are available for as low as $45 a month when a qualified voice plan is also chosen. Customers who travel overseas can select the BlackBerry International Unlimited data plan for as low as $65 a month with a qualified voice plan.
The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 also supports AT&T Mobile Music subscription services and AT&T unlimited Push to Talk for walkie-talkie-like communications for an additional $9.99 a month with a qualifying voice plan.
The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 handset is powered by AT&T’s nationwide EDGE network — the largest high speed national wireless data network in the U.S. — with availability in more than 13,000 cities and towns and along almost 40,000 miles of major highways.