Look what came out of hiding! The BlackBerry Curve 8530 has just been announced officially by RIM. Not too long after it was announced we saw press releases from both Verizon and Sprint, in the United States. The new Curve 8530 sports a newer style body, with trackpad navigation, Wi-Fi, dedicated music keys and GPS. Sprint is yet to announce pricing or a release date, however Verizon says they will be launching it on November 20th for $99.99 with contract, after rebates.

Press  Release:

Verizon Wireless Introduces the BlackBerry Curve 8530 Smartphone

New Smartphone Features 3G Connectivity, Built-In Wi-Fi and GPS, Touch-Sensitive Trackpad and Dedicated Media Keys

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and WATERLOO, Ontario – Verizon Wireless and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry® Curveâ„¢ 8530 smartphone, an exciting new addition to the BlackBerry Curve series of smartphones. The slim BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone gives customers access to Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi capabilities, as well as easy access to music, games and other mobile apps for entertainment on the go.

Available colors: Black and Smoky Violet

Key features:

• Easy-to-use, highly tactile, full QWERTY keyboard and touch-sensitive trackpad for reliable, responsive typing and navigation
• 256 MB flash memory and 528 MHz next generation processor for enhanced performance
• Supports voice-activated dialing and Bluetooth® (version 2.1), with support for hands-free headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth peripherals
• 3G-enabled (EV-DO)
• Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• GPS with support for location-based applications, including geotagging pictures and Verizon Wireless’ VZ NavigatorSM service
• 2.0 megapixel digital camera with zoom and video recording*
• Advanced media player for music, pictures and videos, with dedicated media keys and a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, plus BlackBerry® Media Sync, which makes it easy to quickly sync music from your computer to the smartphone**
• Access to BlackBerry App Worldâ„¢, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry® smartphones. Categories include games, entertainment, social networking and sharing, news and weather, productivity and much more
• Access to e-mail, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and popular social networking sites (including Facebook and MySpace)
• Rich multimedia capabilities, including dedicated media keys smoothly integrated along the top of the handset, giving customers an easy, convenient way to control their music and videos
• Support for BlackBerry services with access to up to 10 supported e-mail accounts, including most popular ISP e-mail accounts such as Yahoo! ®, Windows Liveâ„¢ Hotmail®, AOL® and Gmail, and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support, which provides advanced security and IT administration features for corporate deployments
• Expandable memory via hot swappable microSDâ„¢/SDHC memory card slot, supporting up to 16 GB cards today and expected to support next generation 32 GB cards when available

Pricing and availability:

• The BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone is expected to be available from Verizon Wireless beginning Nov. 20 for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a voice plan with an Email and Web feature or an Email and Web for BlackBerry plan.  Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.  Data plans for the BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone begin at $29.99 when added to any Nationwide voice plan.
• For information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

* Video recording requires microSD card, sold separately
** Certain music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies

The Research and Consulting firm, IDC, listed the top-selling smartphone models in the US. It lists vendor sales to carriers and channels as well. So far it’s going on preliminary data. The actual numbers won’t be available till the end of the month. So let’s see what the firm says so far.

No 10 is the HTC Touch from Sprint, Nextel, and Verizon Wireless.

No 9 is the HTC Touch Pro from Sprint, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and others.

No 8 is the Palm Pre from Sprint.

No 7 is the T-Mobile G1 by HTC from T-Mobile USA.

No 6 is the Research In Motion BlackBerry Storm from Verizon Wireless.

No 5 is the Research In Motion BlackBerry Bold from AT&T.

No 4 is the Apple iPhone 3G (both versions) from AT&T.

No 3 is the Research In Motion BlackBerry Pearl (all 81xx series, excluding the Flip) from AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and others.

No 2 is the Apple iPhone 3GS (both versions) from AT&T.

No 1 is the Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve (83xx series and 8900) from AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and others.

So what does that say? Research In Motion rules the smartphone world, and the BlackBerry Curve is still holding the number one position. I’m not surprised, though I’m very curious to see how the numbers change with the BlackBerry Tour 9630 entering the smartphone scene. I really like the Tour, it’s been very reliable, and I’m curious to see if it will rise to the top or come pretty close.

Anyone have any thoughts to share?

[via: FierceWireless]

By now I’m sure you all have seen the recently announced BlackBerry Curve 8520. It’s the new entry level addition to the Curve family, which sports RIM’s new Trackpad navigation, 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and dedicated media keys. Well Boy Genius is confirming that a CDMA variant will defiantly be on its way to Verizon within the next little bit. This is expected to be Verizon’s first CDMA BlackBerry with Wi-Fi! Most likely other CDMA networks such as Bell, Telus and Sprint will see the 8530 (Code-named Aries) as well. Stay tuned for more details when get them…

Here’s a rundown of features expected on the Curve 8530:

• 320×240 resolution screen
• 1xRTT, EV-DO
• QWERTY keyboard
• 2 megapixel camera
• OS 5.0
• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi b,g

[via BGR and CrackBerry]

Well that didn’t take long… We heard that Sprint was getting ready to launch a couple new colored BlackBerry models and here is the first. Not only did Sprint launch the Tour today, but they also launched the “Inferno Orange” BlackBerry Curve 8330. It’s available now from Sprint for $49.99 with two year contract. This orange berry joins the silver and red colored models already available. So what’s it going to be… Orange Curve or the hot new Tour 9630? Take you pick.

Read

Sprint really didn’t want to let Verizon have all the fun apparently.The guys over at BerryReview have confirmed that Sprint will be launching the highly anticipated BlackBerry Tour July 12th. Apparently Sprint will launch the Tour at $199 with two year contract, after all rebates and discounts. No word on if Sprint will offer a camera-less version as well, but most likely they will. To get more details register at sprint.com/tour.

Just after we reported about Engadget getting some hands-on time with the newly announced BlackBerry Tour, We noticed some other sites got to take a peak too. Here’s a quick round up of both Verizon and Sprint branded BlackBerry 9630’s in the wild. Unfortunately for Canadians we haven’t been able to track down any Bell or Telus hands-on, with the exception of the leaked Telus ones a while ago. From these previews it looks like Verizon has decided to go with the black/darker bezel and Sprint the more Chrome look found on the Curve 8900. Anyway enjoy all the previews…

• Engadget hands-on Verizon Tour 9630
• Pocket-Lint has both Verizon and Sprint Tour 9630’s
• ZDNet has the Sprint Tour 9630
• CrackBerry has a Tour 9630 Pre-Release model

Now with all these hands-on previews a lunch must be getting “fairly close”. Also if you find any other previews of the Tour that we missed please let us know…

The Engadget team has got their hands-on the newly announced BlackBerry Tour 9630. This particular unit was Verizon branded and in this gallery goes head to head with the BlackBerry Bold and Curve 8900. No official review on the Tour from Engadget just yet, but for now you can enjoy some decent eye candy. All we can say is hurry up RIM! We’re getting bored waiting for this device…

See the full gallery at Engadget.com

Sprint felt a little left out last night with the BlackBerry Tour announcements so they posted their micro site this morning. Sprint has announced they will be rocking the BlackBerry 9630 sometime this summer as well. Sprint took it one step further and even announced pricing! Sprint’s expected to release the Tour this summer for $199 with two year term after rebates. Of course this means Verizon will probably be around the same. If you’re a Sprint fan go register at the link below to be notified when its ready!

Get more details at Sprint.com/Tour >

Sprint Press Release:

The New BlackBerry Tour Smartphone Launches on America’s Most Dependable 3G Network to Create a Powerful Mobility Tool for Those on the GoThe BlackBerry Tour smartphone from Sprint offers access to America’s most dependable 3G network, plus 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM support for international roamingOVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jun. 16, 2009– With the new BlackBerry^® Tour™ smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) available from Sprint (NYSE: S) on America’s most dependable 3G network¹, staying connected won’t be a worry domestically, or when you travel around the world.

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone is a powerful mobility tool that operates on Sprint’s nationwide 3G (EV-DO Rev. A) network domestically. It also roams on other high-speed wireless networks around the world for reliable voice and email communication without missing a beat.

The BlackBerry Tour is a sophisticated smartphone that enables customers to be more productive and better equipped to manage both their busy personal and business lives. It is ideally suited for those who want to stay socially connected, and lets you share moments through pictures and videos via MMS and instant message on popular IM services or BlackBerry^® Messenger. It also offers easy access to your favorite social networking sites like Flickr^®, MySpace and Facebook^®, and you get smooth integration between the BlackBerry Tour smartphone and your Facebook events and friends giving you a great view of what’s happening both personally and professionally. This is the most powerful business smartphone in Sprint’s line-up with instant access to emails, calendar, contacts, robust business applications and location-based services, leveraging the best performing networks both domestically and abroad.

“The BlackBerry Tour is a sophisticated and powerful smartphone that will enable customers to be more productive and better equipped to manage their busy business and personal lives; and global travelers can rest easy knowing Sprint has a solution to keep people connected wherever their travels may take them,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Particularly compelling for world travelers will be the performance enabled by combining the new feature-rich BlackBerry Tour with Sprint’s 3G network and some of the world’s other most robust voice and data networks.”

No one has a larger voice calling area than Sprint. The Nationwide Sprint Network (inclusive of roaming) reaches more than 304 million people in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a Sprint calling plan that includes roaming. Additionally, the Sprint 3G Network, the nation’s most dependable 3G network, is faster in more places than AT&T’s 3G network², and Sprint has more than 20 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, based on square miles.

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone comes with a vibrant high-resolution display (480 x 360 at 245 ppi) plus intuitive trackball navigation, a large, full-QWERTY keyboard, corporate and personal email with attachment viewing, calendar, integrated address book and up to 16 GB of expandable memory with a microSD/SDHC card.

It also includes a 3.2 MP camera with variable zoom, auto focus, flash and image stabilization able to capture crisp pictures and video. It comes pre-loaded with the Sprint Music Store, Sprint TV^®, Sprint NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, and features an advanced media player for playing video and music files, plus a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth® stereo headsets (A2DP/AVCRP). The BlackBerry Tour smartphone also has built-in GPS and supports location-based services.

The BlackBerry Tour will be available at Sprint stores, www.sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1 later this summer for $199.99 with a new line of service or eligible upgrade, two-year service agreement and $50 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate. Additional savings may be available to business customers through their Sprint account manager.

For more information on BlackBerry Tour smartphone, visit www.sprint.com/tour or www.blackberry.com/tour.

International Travel

The BlackBerry Tour operates domestically on the Sprint 3G network, and globally on 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GSM/GPRS networks where Sprint has international roaming agreements. With this handset, Sprint customers have the power to make or receive phone calls in more than 185 countries and access BlackBerry^® data services including email and Web browsing in nearly 150 countries.

International Service Plans

Sprint offers clear value and simplicity with its Worldwide BlackBerry^® service plan. The Worldwide BlackBerry plan gives customers unlimited BlackBerry email and Web access in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other locations using CDMA technology, and with GSM/GPRS carriers abroad where Sprint has applicable roaming agreements. The plan is available for $69.99 per month, or just $40 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges) as an attachable to Simply Everything^SM, Everything Data, Everything Data Family or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data.

Sprint international voice roaming rates range from $0.59 to $5.99 per minute, depending on where customers are calling. Customers making frequent calls while in Canada can take advantage of a specific service plan for $2.99 per month which allows calls to be made and received at $0.20 per minute. Additional pricing plans are available exclusively to enterprise customers.

Customers also have the option of using a third-party SIM for international voice and data services.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 49 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

¹ Most dependable claim based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the top 50 most populous markets from January 2008 to February 2009. Not all services available on 3G and coverage may default to separate network when 3G unavailable.

² Speed claim based on total network size, sq. miles, multiplied by network upload/download speed capability. User’s speed experience may vary.

³ Coverage comparison based on publicly available information as of 4/1/09 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners. Based on square miles.”

Source: Sprint Nextel

RIM was working late last night! They officially introduced the BlackBerry Tour 9630 smartphone, which will be set to launch sometime this Summer. The 9630 features much of what we’ve already seen leaked around the internet. The Tour will be a packed smartphone featuring Dual-band CDMA with EVDO, Quad-band GSM with EDGE, UMTS/HSPA 2100MHz. Not only that but its got a 480×360 high resolution display, 256MB on board memory with Micro SD memory card slot, 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, video recording, GPS, and of course full QWERTY keyboard packed into its slim hot body.

“BlackBerry continues to be the top selling smartphone brand in North America and we are proud to add this powerful new 3G world phone to our successful product portfolio,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “With its striking design and exceptional performance, the new BlackBerry Tour will offer a compelling choice for the growing number of wireless customers looking to upgrade their existing cell phone to a smartphone.”

Check out RIM’s new micro site for the Tour 9630 at blackberry.com/tour >

RIM Press Release:

RIM Introduces the BlackBerry Tour Smartphone

New 3G World Phone Keeps You Connected on High-Speed CDMA Networks in North America and UMTS/HSPA Networks Abroad

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – June 16, 2009) -

Editors Note: Two photos, a Spec Sheet and a video are included with this Press Release.

Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry(R) Tour(TM) – a powerful new 3G BlackBerry(R) smartphone for CDMA customers in North America. The new BlackBerry Tour smartphone offers state-of-the-art communications and multimedia capabilities with outstanding mobile performance and consummate styling. It is a feature-packed and highly refined world phone that keeps you connected and lets you tour the world in style.

“BlackBerry continues to be the top selling smartphone brand in North America and we are proud to add this powerful new 3G world phone to our successful product portfolio,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “With its striking design and exceptional performance, the new BlackBerry Tour will offer a compelling choice for the growing number of wireless customers looking to upgrade their existing cell phone to a smartphone.”

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone allows customers to stay seamlessly connected – across town and around the world. It supports high-speed 3G EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America, as well as 3G UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad.

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone also provides the industry’s leading mobile solution for email, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking together with built-in GPS and advanced multimedia capabilities, enabling customers to make the most of both their personal and professional time.

The BlackBerry Tour features a chic black finish with chrome highlights surrounding its sleek design (112mm x 62mm x 14.2mm and 130g). It includes a large, highly tactile, full-QWERTY keyboard with chrome frets and finely sculpted keys for fast and precise typing. In addition, the large (2.44″), bright display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi) delivers the highest resolution available on a BlackBerry smartphone, presenting pictures, web pages and videos with incredible clarity.

Other key features of the BlackBerry Tour smartphone include:

- 3.2 MP camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording(i)

- Full HTML web browser, including support for streaming audio and video (RTSP)

- Advanced media player for videos, pictures and music, a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth(R) Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)

- 256MB Flash memory

- Expandable memory via hot swappable microSD/SDHC memory card slot, supporting cards of up to 16 GB today and expected to support next generation 32GB cards when available

- Built-in GPS with support for geotagging, BlackBerry(R) Maps and other location based applications and services

- BlackBerry(R) Media Sync allows customers to quickly and easily synch music from iTunes(R) and Windows Media Player with the smartphone(ii)

- Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, enhanced background noise cancellation, a low-distortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.0) support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth peripherals

- Preloaded DataViz(R) Documents to Go(R), allowing users to edit Microsoft(R) Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset

- Easy mobile access to Facebook(R), MySpace and Flickr(R), as well as popular instant messaging services including BlackBerry(R) Messenger, Yahoo!(R) IM, AIM(R), Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger(TM)

- Support for BlackBerry App World(TM), featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones. Categories include travel, productivity, entertainment, games, social networking & sharing, news & weather, and more

- BlackBerry(R) Internet Service allows access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts

- BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server provides advanced security and IT administration features within IBM(R) Lotus(R) Domino(R), Microsoft(R) Exchange and Novell(R) GroupWise(R) environments

- Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery for 5 hours of talk time and 14 days of standby time

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone (model number: 9630) is expected to be available this summer from carriers in North America.

For more information visit www.blackberry.com/tour

(i) Video recording requires microSD card, which may be sold separately

(ii) Certain music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies

Note for editors: Additional information, including product images and video, is available at www.rim.mediaseed.tv.

About Research In Motion (RIM)

Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM’s portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry(R) wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld(TM) product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (NASDAQ:RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used herein, words such as “intend” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions made by and information available to Research In Motion Limited. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, possible product defects and product liability, risks related to international sales and potential foreign currency exchange fluctuations, the initiation or outcome of litigation, acts or potential acts of terrorism, international conflicts, significant fluctuations of quarterly operating results, changes in Canadian and foreign laws and regulations, continued acceptance of RIM’s products, increased levels of competition, technological changes and the successful development of new products, dependence on third-party networks to provide services, dependence on intellectual property rights, and other risks and factors detailed from time to time in RIM’s periodic reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and other regulatory authorities. RIM has no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The BlackBerry, Research In Motion and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.

Meet the latest BlackBerry to obtain a code-name! This is BlackBerry Aries which is also modeled the 8530. It happens to be the CDMA counterpart to the Gemini which was shown a month or so ago. Like the 8530, “Aries” will be a lower end model featuring the new optical trackpad, full QWERTY keyboard, soft rubber back, dedicated play/pause keys on the top and most likely Wi-Fi. Because it runs CDMA technology its expected you will see this model end up on Verizon, Sprint, Bell and Telus. No word on a launch date as of yet, but most likely you will see it later Summer (think Back to School).

Want more details on Gemini 8520? Click Here

[via CrackBerry]