RIM brings New BlackBerry Curve - 9350, 9360, 9370

RIM has announced the availability of the new, refreshed BlackBerry Curve, which sports a thin, 0.43 inch frame and BlackBerry 7 functionality under the hood.

It has a 2.44 inch, 480x360 pixel screen, an 800 MHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and VGA video recording functionality. It also sports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and the fabled NFC which is slowly turning into a standard for new smartphones.

The device comes in three version numbers - 9350, 9360 and 9370 - with the difference being connectivity: the 9350 is CDMA-only, 9360 supports GSM and UMTS while 9370 supports both GSM and CDMA.

The new BlackBerry Curve will be available from carriers in Canada this month and from other carriers around the world starting September.

Paid Apps at BlackBerry App World start at $2.99

Research in Motion (RIM) has provided more information about its BlackBerry App World. Users can sign up to receive an e-mail notification when the store is ready to go live.

RIM has said that the app store will work with all BlackBerry smartphones running OS version 4.2.0 or higher, including the BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Pearl, BlackBerry Storm, and BlackBerry Bold. Devices with trackwheels are not supported.

The store will feature free apps, but paid apps start at $2.99. Users will also have access to a MyWorld feature, which will house all purchased applications.

"In the event a user runs low on storage space, wipes their device or moves to a new device, the user can use MyWorld to re-download the applications they've previously paid for without having to re-purchase them," RIM said.

There is no storage limit on how many apps you can place in MyWorld, or how many times you can re-download apps to the same device. However, if you're switching BlackBerries, you can only re-download MyWorld contents to a different phone three times per year. Applications cannot be stored or run from an SD card.

At launch, the app store will be available in the US, Canada, and the UK. It will initially only support English-language apps, but French, Italian, German, and Spanish will be available in future releases.

Developers from around the world are invited to submit applications to BlackBerry App World, except those located in the Belarus, Myanmar, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic.

There is a $200 application fee for developers to complete registration.

RIM alliances with Redington India for BlackBerry Distribution

The Canadian leader in wireless communications, RIM (Research In Motion) has partnered with Redington India to set up national retail distribution channels.

The motto of the alliance will be to strengthen market position as well as to increase the availability of RIM’s flagship product BlackBerry across India.

The current BlackBerry smartphones and service plans will be available via retail and modern trade outlets in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, NCR and Pune.

The alliance has even further plans to increase the retail supply of BlackBerry smartphones, which will increase the availability of the BlackBerry Pearl series, BlackBerry Curve series and BlackBerry Bold smartphones across India.