RIM unveils BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones

By on Aug 23, 2011 at 7:05 AM
mobile August 23, 2011

Continuing on its peculiar path for BlackBerry 7 device announcements, RIM finally took the wraps off three new additions to its Curve smartphone line in the middle of the night. The BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones, like the Curve models that came before them, take the best of what RIM has to offer and stuff it into an affordable package that sheds the bells and whistles. Spec highlights include RIM’s slimmest Curve design ever, GPS and Wi-Fi support, 5-megapixel cameras and the BlackBerry 7 OS. ”These new models will build on the incredible success of the BlackBerry Curve line and further expand the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history,” said RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis in a statement. “The new BlackBerry Curve smartphones are absolutely stunning and offer a significant performance upgrade with an unmatched mobile social experience for the millions of feature phone users in the market as well as our existing Curve customers.” RIM’s new Curve line will launch this month in Canada and beginning next month in additional markets. RIM’s full press release follows below.

RIM Introduces New BlackBerry Curve Smartphones

Sleek, fast and easy-to-use smartphones feature next-generation BlackBerry 7 OS and deliver smooth social experiences wherever you go

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced three new BlackBerry® smartphones featuring the BlackBerry® 7 Operating System (OS). The all-new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350, BlackBerry® Curve™ 9360 and BlackBerry Curve™ 9370 smartphone are exciting additions to the popular BlackBerry Curve series.

These new models are designed to address a large and important segment of the global mobile phone market where customers are looking to upgrade their existing feature phone or existing BlackBerry Curve with an affordable, easy-to-use, full-featured and socially-connected smartphone.

“These new models will build on the incredible success of the BlackBerry Curve line and further expand the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry Curve smartphones are absolutely stunning and offer a significant performance upgrade with an unmatched mobile social experience for the millions of feature phone users in the market as well as our existing Curve customers.”

Everything You Need
The new BlackBerry Curve smartphones are slim, stylish and simply beautiful. They are ergonomically designed with a comfortable and iconic keyboard for fast, accurate typing and an optical trackpad for easy, one-handed navigation. GPS and Wi-Fi® support are also included, as well as a 5MP camera with flash and video recording so that memories can be captured and instantly shared on social networks. The microSD/SDHC slot supports up to 32 GB memory cards for additional media storage.

In addition to supporting the new BlackBerry 7 OS, the new BlackBerry Curve smartphones feature a range of powerful hardware enhancements including upgraded processors, displays and memory, and built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that is enabling many exciting capabilities, including the ability to pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

Next-Generation BlackBerry 7 OS
BlackBerry 7 introduces a next generation BlackBerry browser which combines the dramatically improved performance of the advanced WebKit browser engine with the hardware enhancements in the new BlackBerry Curve smartphones to deliver a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience. Additional enhancements to this next generation BlackBerry browser have also enabled smoother navigation and optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

BlackBerry 7 OS also includes a number of other pre-loaded applications and integrated functionality for increased productivity and collaboration right out of the box. The Premium version of Documents To Go is included free of charge, offering users powerful document editing features as well as a native PDF document viewer. BlackBerry® Protect is also pre-loaded*, offering customers the peace of mind that personal data can be backed up and secured in the cloud. With BlackBerry Protect, users can locate their misplaced BlackBerry smartphone using GPS or remotely turn up the ringer for an audible notification if their handset is close-by. BlackBerry® Balance (announced May 2, 2011) is integrated in BlackBerry 7, allowing users to enjoy the full BlackBerry smartphone experience for both work and personal purposes without compromising the IT department’s need for advanced security and IT controls. The popular universal search capability has also been enhanced with support for voice-activated search, so users can now simply speak to begin searching their device and the web for information.

Best In Class Communications and Social Experiences
The next generation BlackBerry Curve smartphones deliver the world’s best mobile communications and social experiences with a highly refined and integrated suite of phone, email, messaging and social apps to keep users connected and productive throughout the day.

The latest release of BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) is pre-loaded and now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other apps, such as Foursquare, allowing users to easily interact with each other from within the ‘BBM connected’ app (see separate announcement on July 28, 2011).

The updated Social Feeds (2.0) app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts, and favorites all in one consolidated view. The new Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones (2.0) app introduces features like Facebook chat and BBM integration that makes it easier for users to connect with their Facebook friends in real time utilizing push notifications. Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones also delivers a deeply integrated experience including use of real time push notifications and Social Feeds integration.

Availability
The BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones are expected to be available from carriers in Canada this month and from other carriers around the world beginning in September. Availability dates and pricing for specific devices from specific carriers will be announced in conjunction with RIM’s partners.

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  • William McKenzie

    I love them! I was waiing for 9360. Definitely will buy. Killer screen and camera (flash, autofocus) NFC. Love them

    • Nutral

      Correction, will NOT bring a new revolution!

    • http://blogs.blackberry.com Alex Kinsella

      Hi @William,

      Alex from RIM here. It’s great to hear your excitement for the Curve! I know I’m a bit biased, but I think you’re going to be very pleased with the 9360. In addition to the features you mentioned, OS 7 also adds faster browsing, voice-activated universal search, and the ability to manage and keep your personal and business life separate with BlackBerry Balance. This means business data can’t be accessed by personal apps, and if your smartphone falls into the wrong hands it can be wiped instantly – ensuring all data is secure.

      You can find more information and a demo video of how BlackBerry Balance works here: http://bbry.lv/jHJuwo.

      Cheers,
      Alex, RIM Social Media Team

      • Anonymous

        creepy :( we dont’ need a press release from rim in the comments. BGR repeating it in full is bad enough. Touche, dude.

      • Dude

        Much creepier than the other guy telling us how his girlfriend got an affordable iPad.

      • Applesucksfatties

        Alex,
        When is AT&T going to release the Bold 9900?  Us Bold 9000 users on AT&T are getting more impatient by the minute.

  • http://twitter.com/marcelboudreau Marcel Boudreau

    Other than size, what are the differences between this phone and the new Bold?

    • Kjkj

      lower screen res/size cpu is slower 800mhz vs 1.2ghz different style keyboards none touch screen to name a few things

  • BigBoi

    looks good but just a tad bit to late as no one is going back to RIM

    • Kjkj

      funny i wont run back to them either but oh wait i never left RIM thats why i wont be picking this up however i will be picking up the 9900 not all of us think game first communications 2nd different devices for different people

      • Anonymous

        I’m so sick of blackberry users only defense against iPhone and Android being “not all of us think about playing games all day!” I used to use a blackberry for my business and you know what? My iPhone runs circles around it, FOR BUSINESS! And everything else at that matter. I rarely play games myself, but how about the fact that iPhone and Andriod support things like exchange/activesync? Try to run a small business with a blackberry when you want calendar or contact syncing across multiple devices plus computers without it either being impractical or a pain in the ass to setup, and still not work properly because it’s done in some roundabout ass way! Anyway, the “games” argument was maybe relevant when the first iPhone came out with no enterprise support, but now it’s time to come up with a new argument because not only is the iPhone business ready, it’s making huge strides into enterprise along with the iPad, and you can’t even say that much for the playbook.

      • http://twitter.com/NICKVALENTIN0 Nick Valentino

        Your business must not be very busy.

      • Anonymous

        Yes because that’s the only logical explaination? I don’t use a BB anymore so I must not be busy, really? That’s the best you could come up with? Judging by the amount of wisdom you just exhibited, I’m pretty positive that at the end of the day I make A LOT more than you do lil buddy…

      • Nutral

        Yes, Iphones look good and are great devices. But the new BB line is a good competition. All of the people  who’s thinking BB not going to sale: they will sale a shitload of phones. Iphone is too expensive in this time of crisis. Those BB are good alternatives. I agree that the new iphone will be better but also expensive and they (apple) will bring a new revolution with the new iphone. Practicly the bring a updated os with new hardware. I own a Iphone 4 but i certainly will give the bold 9900 a try!

      • Nutral

        Correction, will NOT bring a new revolution!

      • http://www.facebook.com/bardocksan Nicholas Belcourt

        are you a drug dealer or something? sounds like a pretty shitty business if you can run the whole operation with an iphone…but i guess there an app for that eh?

      • Anonymous

        @facebook-532830127:disqus  
        Oh ho you got me there slugger!  How long did it take you to sit down and come up with that one? People that have no logical argument to what I’m saying automatically feel the need to make their self look like a dumb ass by saying dumb shit. So by your logic Apple itself must not be a legitimate company simply because steve jobs, tim cook or the majority of it’s employees use iPhones? Or I guess all united airlines pilots must be dealing drugs from the cockpit while at 36,000 feet on the 11,000 iPads that we’re just purchased for them to use for flight charts and manuals? I do have some questions for you though since using a blackberry is somehow a perquisite for running a legitimate business. Why is RIM in such Disarray as a company? Why are they continually loosing US market share? I’m sure that most of them use blackberries, so according to you everything should be perfect and peachy right?

      • Anonymous

        @cffebf46b5896fa8d3202f0974a1bfe9:disqus 

        I can respect you giving the 9900 a try, but I would like to correct you on a few things. Why do you get the impression that the iPhone 5 is going to be any more expensive than iPhones have always been the since the 3g? $199 or $299. Not only that, the BB that you’re talking about buying is $299 with contract AFTER and Mail-in Rebate. That’s the same price as a 32gb iPhone. 

        Not to mention that you can definitely expect something revolutionary when the iPhone launches.

        Also, I’m an apple guy myself but I’m also open to Android and any other platform that works the way it’s promised to work. I just don’t honestly think that RIM makes good products nor do they have a good support/update system for their devices. Until they do, they will never again get a penny of my money.

        I just want to make sure that the facts are stated.

      • http://twitter.com/NICKVALENTIN0 Nick Valentino

        Damn, are you mad??  You sure are writing a lot here for being such a busy business owner.  

        PS- any time you want to whip ‘em out to see whose is bigger, I’m game.

      • Anonymous

        @nick valentino,

        You see that’s where assuming makes you look foolish. My business is very busy….that doesn’t always mean I’m busy. That’s why it pays to be the Boss and have people working for you. I write my own schedule smart guy. In fact I’ve been off all summer enjoying the sun, all the while still making money. And by the way, I started this convo talking about blackberries, how you ended up on some gay sh!t is beside me…..you still haven’t raised a logical argument to my point, do you even have one??? Troll

  • http://malcolmbastien.com Malcolm Bastien

    I’m actually surprised they were able to write so much in their press release. It’s so long you’d think it wasn’t about a phone that looked exactly the same as what they’ve been doing for the past three years.

    The first paragraph of the release says it all. These are the cheap BlackBerries.

    Soon enough, one of these press releases will be their last.

    • Afds122222

      im surprised you are still ginger after all these years too, soon enough you will still be ginger at last

    • Anonymous

      Can you please put a hat on?  Your forehead is scaring everyone.

    • BB Addict

      Malcolm.. please explain your thought process… I would love to hear how you think things will play out to the point where RIM goes down…..

      Here is your chance…. explain…

      • Anonymous

        I’ll explain. RIM has NO clue what a good product looks like, functions like or sells like. They’ll finished for 3 simple reasons: 1) Apple has turned mobile into a billion-dollar business, per/quarter; 2) Apple has created an ecosystem & incentive to purchase iDevices instead of the rest & 3) there is NO tablet market, there’s only an iPad market (Plus, HP just set the non-iPad market at $99). RIM, wasting capital on the “Storm” & “PlayBook” projects, when they were & still are clueless when it comes to touch & apps, when they should’ve been using that money on R&D + shoring-up their component/supply-chain instead. They didn’t succeed then & they won’t succeed now. RIM makes their business look similar to a casino in Vegas. Betting your companies entire future on QNX, when your NOT even sure it will work, will be the last straw for investors (on top of the delays that will come for sure), especially when most U.S./WallStreet investors have already bailed & there are only Canadian investors left. Once the loyalists split, RIM will be way below $20 & look like a reasonable acquisition for a company with deep-pockets & a love for patents. Honestly, I’m not sure who’d be dumb enough to buy RIM except for Microsoft. They’d have to work out something with Nokia, but I’d rather have RIM’s services over Nokia’s nothing! By the way, this will all be set in motion after RIM’s next earnings call in Oct. No matter how you spin it, in comparison to Apple, RIM’s products look & function like Sega Genesis! It’s 2011, RIM needs to realize it’s not the ’90′s anymore! 

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_Z6SWMSRC7J3TZWOLN3HEGNXEBE Anonymous

        RIM is finished because “Apple has turned mobile into a billion-dollar business per/quarter”? 

        Safe to say that debating isn’t one of your stronger skills eh SBMobile……right behind “life”. 

      • http://www.facebook.com/bardocksan Nicholas Belcourt

        you do realize that RIM is a multi billion dollar corporation so how do you expect for them to go under when they have more money in their bank account than you will ever make in your entire life?

    • http://www.facebook.com/bardocksan Nicholas Belcourt

      go get a soul you ginger nobody cares about your red haired opinion

  • GenTsoChicken

    I wont be running back to a BB anytime soon but will always be a fan. Can’t wait for the QNX Phone to be release. Maybe them I just might, mostly likely I will. As much as I love my Android. Nothing beats that BB keyboard.  

  • Steve

    Looks good

  • http://twitter.com/skylite22 Mr. Brett

    I thought RIM was supposed to be changing things up in their last 6 months?

    • BB Addict

      lol….

  • Sukmysak

    SWEET!  They are re-releasing the phone I bought 2 years ago!

    • Serge

      No; they are releasing an update of it which refreshes the memory, speed, operating system, camera, thickness, and keyboard tactility.  Pay closer attention.

    • Rudy

      Bold 9700?
      Sounds similar with what Apple is trying to copy as they introduce a cheap iPhone4 now that iPhone5 is coming out.  Does Apple ever think on their own?

      • Anonymous

        Comparing RIM to Apple is hilarious, but also extremely sad! In case you didn’t know: BB’s = skateboards; iPhone’s = Ferrari’s. Not difficult to figure out at all!

      • Fred Snodgrass

        I agree! iPhone = overpriced and totally impractical, but makes those with a small penis feel better about themselves. Just like a Ferrari!

      • Anonymous

        That’s ironic because people who drive Ferrari’s use BlackBerrys, and little girls (or guys with skinny jeans…same thing) who ride skateboards use iPhones.

      • Rudy

        I would somewhat agree, people buy Ferrari’s for social status and somewhat decent performance for a high end sports car.  When you need to compensate in life a Ferrari does it very well.

        The BB is on the other hand practical.  It has a phone for everyone’s needs, it’s built in an area where you live, and not a Chinese death trap.  You don’t need to hang around ‘gas stations’ or charging places therefore having better ‘fuel economy’.  You can liken it to a BMW / Mercedes / Audi / Cadillac / Lexus / etc where you have a solid line-up for a broader range of people for day to day use.  

        Possibly with the rumored BB Colt it may create that ‘Z8 / SLS / R8 V10 / IS-F’, right now the Curves to great to provide the extra toys you might not find in an entry level phone

      • Anonymous

        True. iphone is like the Ferrari for people to show off, and BB the pick up truck that gets things done.

      • Mrman

        As if making a low cost option is such a novel and proprietary idea.  I tell you, some of these comments must truely be for the amusement of the reader.

  • Max

    A new Curve??? No shit! What exciting phones are next? A new Pearl, Torch, or Bold????

    • Serge

      The new Torches and Bold have already been released.  Not sure whether a new Pearl is in the offing.  Hey, look, an iPhone 5!

    • Anonymous

      Your moms vagina smells like Hot Dog water

    • Applesucksfatties

      yeah….don’t forget the iPhone 4 part 2 will be out soon.  In predictable Apple fashion, they’ll put a fresh coat of lipstick on the pig…..and the iLemmings will come out in droves to buy it.

  • Anonymous

    RIM’s downfall in the end will be timing! They just never know when to put good products out, especially seeing how they never release anything good. The same phone over & over. If they’re trying to impress investors they’re doing a really poor job. Paying publications & writers to say good things about phones that are NO different than the last release is plain sad. RIM is asking the general public to turn their blinders on until this time next year, when hopefully QNX can swoop in to save the day. Dream on! iOS 5, iPhone 5 & iCloud will make anyone involved in tech forget all about RIM once they’re released. Once they’re out, RIM will lose even more customers. Once Android releases “Ice-Cream Sandwich”, combining all mobile devices under one OS, Android will have inadvertently thrust “iOS” to the #1 OS in the market, since iDevices sell more than everyone else combined. Thanks Google! I can’t wait to see the so-called “competition” squirm their way out of this. Just another situation they created.

  • Lu

    I don’t know… Blackberry, to me, still seems like the best TOOL for reliable email, instant messaging (any client), calendar, voice, twitter. Its secure and extremely reliable which is why so many execs and government officials still use it. Rim is no longer no. 1 but I think they are a solid no. 3 and will stay there. They are NOT going the way of palm, their financials are solid. Not everyone cares for a 4-5 inch slab of a phone to run speed tests and play fruit ninja on.

    • epilo

      Agree with every word

    • Anonymous

      I agree to some extent, but I have to disagree with you on one major point…..It’s only reliable until your next battery pull, after which it will take anywhere between 5-7 minutes to boot up leaving you completely dark and unable to access or answer very important emails or calls that need immediate responses. Once the boot up process is complete, that leaves you with about 2-5 more hours of reliability until your next battery pull in which you will repeat this process while facing the bitter hatred of your Co-workers and Colleagues for your intermittent unavailability during normal business hours.  And that folks is reliability in a nutshell….

  • Brooklynkamikaz

    I love RIM, I think that they got the best tablet out there(half baked but pretty darn good)  but what happen is that the big dawg on top are still thinking like a bunch of Neanderthals (by not innovating at a faster rate).The truth in this new  blackberry(curve) and the rest upcoming BB  are that they were suppose to be last year  products as a reminder that” hey guys we still doing big things” but no they waited for an eternity. Now they playing catch up and they must be crazy to think they going to catch up with the Iphone and Android devices. BB does a lot of things well but aesthetic is not their “Forte”. Truth is RIM is not as refined as iPhone (Remember the previous Big huge ATT Bold with the touch screen, disgusting). Some of the things that RIM have going are the Loyal Fans, BBM, the best Physical Keyboards, Email Integration(the best in the bidness) and battery.But what they keep doing is giving us some half ass baked products like Storm, Bold touch(old version) Torch and a bunch of useless crap like new pearl. This new line up is very good for last year and half, for now I don’t think so. This is not saying RIM is finish, no what I am saying is this is late but because of a good fan base they will maintain pretty. Now they have to wait to bring the QNX devices because they have the new  BB7 devices in productions and need to sell those and will sell those like hot cake. RIM is to think bigger, bigger engine as cpu processors, better touch screen as resolutions and functionality, better keyboard, better battery life, better everything. 

  • http://twitter.com/UA3 Abdulaziz Al Hammadi

    Copy Paste Copy Paste Copy Paste Copy Paste Copy Paste Copy Paste Copy Paste Copy Paste.

  • Anonymous

    Talk about pieces of shit. Sadly these will make up the vast majority of RIM’s shrinking market share. They will be the best “selling” (given away with the purchase of gas or a haircut) blackberry 7 phones by far. No one wants to type on a physical keyboard. RIM will be dead in two years.  true story™©®

    • Applesucksfatties

      where your comments typically fail ANAL..yst Scroat is that some people DO want physical keyboards… and even if the carriers are giving these devices away, RIM is still getting paid…..and RIM’s market share is increasing in the process.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Faixan-Amjad/100001516853676 Faixan Amjad

    phones are looking awesome !! but RIM has to do something special to compete in the smartphone tournament.

  • Surveillance

    I opened up my new Bold 9900 last night and I haven’t put it down yet. This is one incredible piece of Smartphone machinery. I’m sure the new Curve will be nice for 20 something females, but the 9900 blows everything RIM has ever produced right out of the water.

    • Applesucksfatties

      I’m jealous. Hard to believe you like it so much because, according to all-knowing ANAL…yst Scroat, nobody wants a physical keyboard.

      • Surveillance

        This phone is incredible. Now I’m not going to sit here and say the Iphone or any other brand of smartphone sucks or is superior to a 9900, but what I will say is the 9900 is incredible.

  • homescrub

    There is only so much you can do on a 2.8 in screen.  How can the blind, lead the blind?  They can’t.  Keep it up RIM.

  • Anonymous

    I love selling Blackberry.  but what’s making me sell less, is Fraud!   

  • Anonymous

    RIM’s still going FAIL! Except it!

    • Surveillance

      You mean ACCEPT it right?  You really drive your point home with your intelligent use of English.

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