T-Mobile and RIM Announce the BlackBerry Pearl 8120

April 1, 2008 - T-Mobile USA, Inc., and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the April 14 availability of the Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone, which provides Wi-Fi connectivity for both voice and data, as well as support for T-Mobile’s HotSpot @Home service offering unlimited, nationwide calling over any accessible Wi-Fi connection and great in-home coverage.*

The sleek, lightweight smartphone maintains the small, stylish form factor of its predecessor while adding numerous enhancements, and featuring a new titanium-colored finish. With the T-Mobile HotSpot @Home mobile add-on plan, customers can enjoy great mobile coverage and unlimited nationwide calling over accessible Wi-Fi networks and at T-Mobile HotSpot locations nationwide.*

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 also includes an advanced multimedia experience, which features video recording and playback, a two-megapixel digital camera with 5x zoom, stereo Bluetooth support, and an externally accessible microSD/SDHC memory card slot for expandable memory storage. Combined with a powerful mobile messaging platform, support for personal and corporate e-mail, and Web browsing at Wi-Fi speeds, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 is ideal for balancing a busy lifestyle, whether sharing pictures, checking the latest sports scores or accessing social networking sites.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 features RIM’s popular SureType keyboard system enhanced with word completion, built-in spelling checker and a user-customizable dictionary. The BlackBerry browser is also improved and features a new page view option that allows users to point and zoom in on specific areas of a Web page.

“The BlackBerry Pearl continues to be one of the most popular handsets among our customers,” said Leslie Grandy, vice president of Product Development, T-Mobile USA. “With new, enhanced features including support for our Hotspot @Home mobile service, Wi-Fi browsing and a two-megapixel camera, we expect the popularity of the BlackBerry Pearl to soar.”

“The BlackBerry Pearl smartphone has become a major hit with consumers based on its powerful communications and multimedia features and its sleek and stylish design,” said Mark Guibert, vice president of Corporate Marketing, RIM. “The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 builds on this success with compelling new features and an innovative Wi-Fi calling service from T-Mobile.”

Key features of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone from T-Mobile include the following*:

Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connectivity for expanded coverage, as well as fast Web browsing
Support for T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, offering unlimited nationwide calling over accessible Wi-Fi networks
Two-megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and built-in flash
Advanced media player with full-screen video playback, stereo Bluetooth support (A2DP/AVRCP) and 3.5mm stereo headset jack
Expandable memory storage via microSD/SDHC expansion slot and high-speed USB, for transferring files between the handset and a PC at up to 10MB per second
T-Mobile’s myFaves support to stay in touch with those who matter most, with quick, one-click access for instant messaging, e-mailing, texting or calling to your Fave 5 SM from the Home Screen
Easy access to four popular instant messaging clients: AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk
Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry (included with BlackBerry Desktop Manager software), which allows customers to manage their media files, transfer them from their computer to the handset, create MP3 music files from CDs, add audio tags and album art, create playlists, and automatically convert files for optimal playback
High-performance HTML browser for visiting favorite Web sites while on the go
Intuitive user interface with an easy-to-use trackball
Enhanced SureType keyboard with word completion, easier editing of misspelled words, built-in spelling checker and user-customizable dictionary
240 x 260 display with innovative light-sensing technology that automatically optimizes brightness for indoor, outdoor and dark environments
Numerous premium phone features with Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), dedicated send, end and mute keys, noise-cancellation technology, a low-distortion speakerphone, Bluetooth 2.0 with support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals, and intuitive call management features such as smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing and call forwarding
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi network support for international roaming
BlackBerry Maps, giving customers easy access to maps as well as turn-by-turn driving directions
BlackBerry Internet service support allowing access to up to 10 supported e-mail accounts, including most popular ISP e-mail accounts such as Yahoo! Mail, AOL and Gmail
BlackBerry Enterprise Server support that provides tight integration with IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange, and Novell GroupWise, and features IT policy controls for IT departments to manage usage and deployments
Dimensions: 4.2” x 2.0” x 0.55”
Weight: 3.2 oz

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 will be available April 14 in T-Mobile retail stores and select authorized dealers, online at www.t-mobile.com, or by calling 1-800-T-MOBILE.

For more information about T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, please visit http://t-mobile.com/talkforever. For more information about the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 from T-Mobile, please visit www.nextgenblackberrypearl.com, www.blackberrypearl8120.com or www.t-mobile.com.

*Unlimited nationwide Wi-Fi calling requires HotSpot @Home mobile plan, qualifying rate plan, broadband Internet connection and wireless router. Regular plan minutes are used when call does not originate on Wi-Fi network. For more information about HotSpot @Home, visit t-mobile.com/talkforever. Use of some device features may require a specific plan and incur separate, additional charges. Video recording requires a microSD/SDHC storage card (sold separately). See T-Mobile.com for rate plan information, charges for features and services, and other details.

SOURCE T-Mobile USA, Inc., Research In Motion (RIM)