Wi-Fi BlackBerry 8820 to launch on Orange Unique in the UK

Business tariff for the dual-mode BlackBerry

24 July 2007 12:50 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

RIM and Orange have introduced the BlackBerry 8820 smartphone to the UK which was only formally announced by RIM recently.

The new smartphone, based on the previous 8800 model, features RIM's trademark full QWERTY keyboard, large landscape display, trackball navigation system and "best-in-class" voice and data functionality.

The BlackBerry 8820 is the first dual-mode BlackBerry handset combining EDGE/GPRS/GSM cellular and 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi connectivity for data access and voice support through UMA (unlicensed mobile access) for fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) offerings, making it fully compatible with Unique, the converged service for business customers from Orange.

Orange's Unique offers users a solution to make use of home office Wi-Fi network coverage and allows business customers to use one device for all their calls - whether at home, on the road or in the office.

The BlackBerry 8820 also includes built-in GPS, RIM's latest media player enhancements, and a microSD / microSDHC expandable memory slot that can support the current and future generations of microSD memory up to 32GB.