T-Mobile BlackBerry Roadmap unveiled for 2008
While some of this is just a confirmation of what is to come, it is nice to have it shown. BlackBerrynews.com has come up with a very detailed report on what T-Mobile will be bringing out the remainder of this year and the beginning of next. Needless to say, it will include the Pearl 8220 (formerly Kickstart) as well as the Javelin. There was one bit of a surprise though, hit the jump for the full article.
Ladies and gentlemen, BlackBerryNews is pleased to present you with the 2008 T-Mobile BlackBerry Roadmap in all of it’s fascinating glory!
Over the final four and a half months of this year, the German-owned company has some very aggressive plans for the American market. This period of time will see the release of at least five “new” BlackBerry devices, in addition to a big marketing push.
The Pearls
T-Mobile already offers the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 in Ruby, Gold, and Titanium, but over the next few months three new colors will be available for purchase.
The three new colors will be Tahitian Green, Indigo and Light Blue.
And if new colors of the Pearl isn’t enough to get you excited, there will be at least two new models to chose from.
The 8220
We’ve talked a lot about the BlackBerry 8220 in the past and referred to it as the Kickstart, its internal codename, but leaked Rogers documents show that it might actually be marketed as a new type of Pearl. You can expect the UMA-enabled 8220 to be available in late September/early October in a multitude of colors for a contract price of around $50.
The Javelin
With a targeted release of late November/early December, the 2.5G BlackBerry Javelin is set to test the will of a lot of BlackBerry fanatics as they try to decide whether not they want the 3G capabilities of Bold or the EDGE-capable Javelin, which features a Curve-like keypad, larger and higher-resolution, and smaller body.
The Software
All of the models scheduled for the second-half of 2008 will feature at least OS 4.5 - the BlackBerry 8220 will feature OS 4.6.0 and the Javelin will feature OS 4.6.1. For the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 devices, this marks a definitive move towards OS 4.5 for T-Mobile USA, who has been one of the more quiet juggernauts with regards to the updated device software.
The Marketing
T-Mobile is planning anaggressive marketing push to stave off users from defecting to AT&T in order to purchase either a BlackBerry Bold or iPhone 3G. To to this, they are going to be pushing several things which they feel will best serve the needs of their current and future customers. Expect to read and hear things a lot about:
- Benefits of BlackBerry applications such as Google Maps, Facebook, XM Satellite Radio, and the upcoming SlingPlayer for BlackBerry which enables users to watch their TV from anywhere they have a data connection.
- Convenience of using the internet anywhere for instant updates on news, weather, markets, and sports
- Games for BlackBerry
- Ability to sync a BlackBerry with iTunes
- Potential savings from subscribing to T-Mobile’s HotSpot and UMA package
- A more personal sales approach in stores as the rep evaluatates the needs of the customer
Intrigued? Yeah, we are too. Now if T-Mobile would release a 3G-capable BlackBerry for their recently unveiled 3G network, but it appears they will be late to the table - sometime in 2009 - with fulfilling that request.
All images of the BlackBerry Pearl are from BlackBerry.com and have been altered to show off their new colors. Image of the Javelin is courtesy of Engadget.
Tags: blackberry, BlackBerry News, Engadget, Javelin, Kickstart, Pearl, Pearl 2, Pearl 3, Pearl 8220, RIM, RIMM, T-mobile