AT&T has grabbed the spotlight from competitors before the summer rush. The wireless carrier will offer Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Curve 8900 in early summer, it announced Monday.
The silver smartphone with black finish is the slimmest of the BlackBerry devices with QWERTY keyboards. Touted by AT&T as a “world phone” because it allows customers to access data in more than 170 countries and make calls in more than 200, the Curve 8900 has a 480×360 high-resolution display, a 3.2-megapixel camera with auto focus, and an expandable MicroSD/SDHC memory-card slot supporting up to 16GB per card.
RIM’s device, which has Wi-Fi and GPS, was launched in Europe last fall by T-Mobile.
AT&T hasn’t announced a price for the phone, but T-Mobile offers the device for $149 after a $250 instant discount and a $100 mail-in rebate.
The smartphone has taken its time to reach AT&T, but the timing may be perfect.