RIM's Touts Wi-Fi BlackBerry As An iPhone-Killer For Enterprise

Though it's not the first Wi-Fi/cellular device to arrive on American shores, it is the first of the popular BlackBerry smartphones to offer both forms of connectivity.

Priced to compete with the iPhone and offering a similar blend of cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity, the dual-mode BlackBerry 8820 is now available to U.S. customers through AT&T (T), the company said Thursday.

Introduced in July, the 8820 is the first BlackBerry to provide access to both public and private Wi-Fi networks, as well as cellular systems. It is now on sale at AT&T stores and on the AT&T Web site, at $349 for the device with a two-year service plan.

RIM (RIMM) launched a Wi-Fi-only BlackBerry in February 2005. Now, BlackBerry loyalists can use their cellular service for voice calls and e-mail, and their corporate in-house wireless LAN or public Wi-Fi hotspots for e-mail and limited Web browsing.

Though it's not the first Wi-Fi/cellular device to arrive on American shores, it is the first of the popular BlackBerry smartphones to offer both forms of connectivity. As such the 8820 is expected to be popular with enterprise customers accustomed to BlackBerry's iconic design and ease of use -- and to help blow open the long-anticipated, slow-to-arrive market for dual-mode handsets in this country.

See the full article @ Information Week

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