In other international releases today, we’ve got the GPS-enabled BlackBerry 8310 coming to Portugal via Vodafone. It won’t take long for the 8310 to get all over Europe, considering rumors of an imminent UK release, and the initial German announcement. Of course, it’s pretty much standard that Europe gets all the shiny toys before us across the pond, just like it’s inevitable that the Orient will be doing crazier wireless things than, well, anybody else.
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BlackBerry 8310 comes to Portugal
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Word has it the GPS-enabled BlackBerry 8310 could be washing up on British shores sometime soon. Not to liken such a sleek, sumptuous device to the likes of mangled driftwood, or anything. No clues as to carrier, but seeing as how Vodafone was the first to bring it out in Germany, it wouldn’t be a stretch for them to be carrying it in the UK as well. We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as things get official.
Austrian carrier Mobilkom A1 has announced their release of the BlackBerry 8310, offering it for €199. To make the deal a little sweeter, Mobilkom A1 will throw in 6 months of free GPS navigation software for anyone picking up the 8310 before the end of October. It’s typical for Austria to get devices just a little bit after Germany, and the BlackBerry 8310 is no exception. Mobilkom A1 also took the opportunity to offer free BlackBerry Connect software for the Nokia E90, Nokia E61i and the Sony Ericsson P1i.
It has not been the best week to be a North American BlackBerry user. While we (in the form of America first, then Canada shortly after) usually get the best RIM devices first, this past week saw not one, but two separate launches of slick BlackBerry handsets in Europe rather than our side of the pond: the BlackBerry 8820 in the UK, and the BlackBerry 8310 in Germany. Sure, some may say that these are just updated versions of devices we already have — and that AT&T is hopefully getting the 8820 soon — but this means that our esteemed friends in Europe have been first to receive both the only relevant Wi-Fi BlackBerry, and the only 3G GSM BlackBerry (something that still burns our Rogers using hearts to this day).
So break it down for us, trusted reader: why is RIM showing Europe so much love? Do they feel the need to compete in a savvy European market with more fully loaded devices, or are they just trying to spread their product launches around? Or, is this a depressing sign that, like the BlackBerry 8707, there are just some BlackBerry devices that North American shores will never receive? Post the best answer as to why RIM has European fever this week (other than to just break our hearts) and you’ll receive a free copy of Magmic’s newest release, Chuzzle!
LAST WEEK’S WINNER was Ralf, who pointed out that until recently, BlackBerrys were (and still are, in some cases) behind in terms of consumer functionality. Enjoy your games, Ralf!
Continuing the trend of launching devices all North American BlackBerry users want in Europe first, RIM announced late yesterday that they have launched the BlackBerry Curve 8310 in Germany through Vodafone. So how does the BlackBerry 8310 differ from its cousin across the pond? Well, for starters, it comes with that sweet GPS goodness normally found in the BlackBerry 8800. Also, don’t let the image fool you, it does have a QWERTZ keyboard.
Our German friends can get the BlackBerry Curve 8310 now for 99,90 Euro in combination with a Vodafone Business Kombipaket Zuhause 240. Also, the first 5,000 customers will also receive a 1 GB microSD card (sadly, no microSDHC support) with the current 100 top chart songs pre-installed. Can anyone say Hasselhoff?
Hot off the presses, we’ve got news that the BlackBerry 8820 is en route, packing delicious Wi-Fi connectivity. Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b and g will all be supported, as documented in the FCC patent last week, and not only for data. Generic Access Networking (a.k.a. UMA) will allow for seamless dual-mode calling while in a Wi-Fi hotspot. Although that’s the big feature, besides which the device is largely an 8800, the new BlackBerry will also also be bringing a few other goodies. For one, it will support microSDHC memory cards, meaning up to 32GB of storage capacity. We looked at the 8 GB cards that are in the works from Samsung not too long ago. No 3G just yet, still quad-band GSM/GPRS and EDGE. GPS is in there too, and RIM also points out AZERTY and QWERTZ keypad availability, pointing to an early launch in both France and Germany. In fact, RIM’s handset index lists France as the only European country confirmed to carry the 8820 so far.
