KPN and RIM Launch the Sleek BlackBerry Curve 8900 in The Netherlands

Why does everyone BUT the USA get the cool phones first? Not just BlackBerry, other makes too.

When T-Mobile finally leaked that we will be getting the BlackBerry Curve 8900 in the states as soon as January 19 for business users (February 11 for us regular folk), I was psyched. Yet another country has just announced that they are already offering the Curve 8900. What gives USA?

Anyway…what’s another month right?

Some highlights from the press release:

• KPN and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today launched the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 smartphone.
• The new BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone is available from KPN without a subscription at the price of € 347 (including taxes).

Check out the full press release after the jump.

Press Release

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone and features GPS, Wi-Fi connectivity, 3.2MP camera

The Hague, The Netherlands and Waterloo, Canada – KPN and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today launched the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 smartphone. The new BlackBerry Curve 8900 has an expansive feature set that keeps users easily connected with their office, friends and family. In addition to being an exceptional phone with email, messaging, organizer, web browser and multimedia applications, the new BlackBerry Curve 8900 also features built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g), GPS, a fast processor (512Mhz) and a dazzling high resolution display, enabling customers to remain productive and entertained while on the move.

With its sleek design, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone from KPN comes with a full QWERTY keyboard and an intuitive trackball navigation system. Its full-featured media player supports media streaming (including podcast support) and can play all your favorite songs and videos. Its 3.2 megapixel camera includes auto focus, image stabilization, digital zoom and flash, so you can take sharp, print-quality pictures to capture the moment and immediately send them to a friend or post them on the Internet. The microSD/SDHC expandable memory slot supports up to 16GB per card, giving users plenty of storage that is easily interchangeable. The BlackBerry Curve 8900 from KPN comes with a 1 GB microSD card in The Netherlands.

Weighing just 110 grams and measuring 109 x 60 x 13.5 millimeters, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone integrates a large, striking 2.4 inch HVGA+ display (480×360 resoloution) that projects vivid color and makes reading information easy and viewing pictures and video enjoyable.

Other features include:

• Preloaded DataViz® Documents to Go® allows users to edit Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset
• Video recording
• A 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and dedicated volume controls
• Quadband for global connectivity (GSM/GPRS/EDGE on 850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• 1400 mAHr removable/rechargeable battery with 5.5 hours of talk time and 356 hours of standby time
• BlackBerry® Media Sync, giving users a simple way to sync iTunes® digital music collections with the smartphone*
• Instant messaging with BlackBerry® Messenger, Google® Talk, Windows Live Messenger™ and Yahoo! ® Messenger
• Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, enhanced background noise cancellation, a low-distortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth® (2.0) with support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits, stereo headsets (A2DP/AVRCP) and other Bluetooth peripherals
• • BlackBerry® Internet Service support that allows access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts
• BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support, providing advanced security and IT controls for enterprise deployments

Tariff information
The new BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone is available from KPN without a subscription at the price of € 347 (including taxes).

About KPN
KPN is the leading telecommunications and ICT service provider in the Netherlands, offering wireline and wireless telephony, internet and TV to consumers and end-to-end telecom and ICT services to business customers. KPN’s subsidiary Getronics operates a global ICT services company with a market leading position in the Benelux, offering end-to-end solutions in infrastructure and network-related IT. In Germany and Belgium, KPN pursues a multi-brand strategy in its mobile operations and holds number three market positions through E-Plus and BASE. KPN provides wholesale network services to third parties and operates an efficient IP-based infrastructure with global scale in international wholesale through iBasis.

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® wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ 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.