RIM Announces the Wi-Fi BlackBerry

Research in Motion (RIM) has announced it's newest BlackBerry 8820, which apart from being the thinnest in RIM's portfolio, is the first BlackBerry to feature dual-mode operation -- both cellular and Wi-Fi.

The BlackBerry 8820 combines EDGE/GPRS/GSM cellular with Wi-Fi connectivity.

Featuring a full QWERTY keyboard, large and bright display (320 x 240), user-friendly trackball navigation, and voice and data functionality, the 8820 also has built-in GPS and latest media player enhancements. Besides, it has a microSD/microSDHC expandable memory slot of up to 32GB.

Mike Lazaridis, president and co-chief executive officer at RIM, said, "The BlackBerry 8820 features all the renowned power and usability of the BlackBerry platform with executive class styling and unprecedented connectivity features, including cellular, Wi-Fi, and built-in GPS. It complements our carrier partners' cellular networks with the added ability to stay connected via Wi-Fi at home, through hotspots, and corporate campuses."

The Wi-Fi BlackBerry supports the 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi standards to enable data access over Wi-Fi connections. It is capable of working in conjunction with both Enterprise Server and Internet Service.

Users can switch between cellular networks and Wi-Fi networks to access email, instant messaging, organizer, Web browsing, and other mobile data applications.

RIM's smart phone is compliant with Wi-Fi security protocols, including WEP (Wireless Equivalency Protocol), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), and WPA2, as well as Cisco Compatible Extensions for simple, secure connectivity with Cisco wireless solutions.

On the multimedia side, the BlackBerry 8820 supports Bluetooth stereo audio profile, and comes with a new desktop media manager -- the Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry based on the Roxio Easy Media Creator 9.

The thin Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry 8820 is expected to be available in the country soon -- from select wireless carriers.