Verizon Wireless to Launch BlackBerry Curve 8330 on May 9th

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 (ZOOM)

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 (ZOOM)

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 (ZOOM)

Verizon Wireless plans to launch the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone on May 9th online, with stores getting inventory on the 12th. This candybar smartphone features a QWERTY keyboard and a 2 megapixel camera with video recording.

The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 supports Verizon's high-speed EV-DO network as well as the Verizon Navigator GPS service, which provides voice-guided navigation. Speaker-independent voice dialing is also on board, partnered with Bluetooth 2.0, with A2DP support for stereo headsets. A microSD card slot offers plenty of storage for MP3s, and the 3.5mm audio port allows you to listen to music with your favorite headphones.

Coming in a liquid silver color scheme, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 from Verizon Wireless is planned to be priced at $269.99 after a 2-year commitment and mail-in rebate.

T-Mobile to Support Nokia's Ovi in Web and Social Communities Collaboration

Nokia and T-Mobile have announced a collaboration effort to work on advancing mobile internet and social communities on mobile devices. The two will partner to offer European customers access to T-Mobile's Web'n'Walk mobile internet service, and Nokia handsets will access Nokia's Ovi suite of services.

Nokia has been working to offer several different services, such as the Share on Ovi multimedia sharing and N-Gage gaming platform. Working with T-Mobile will allow them to better position these services for consumers, and drive more internet usage on mobiles, which benefits T-Mobile. Earlier this year, the two companies announced the Nokia 6650, an exclusive clamshell handset for T-Mobile.

Nokia Making Push in U.S. Market

A Finnish newspaper has quoted Nokia's chief designer, Alastair Curtis, as stating that Nokia will start offering many more handsets through carriers in the USA. While Nokia has roughly a 39 percent share of the world's cellphone market, its market share in the U.S. is roughly one quarter of that.

"In the next few months (U.S.) operators will carry a lot of new products from us."

A Nokia spokesman later said that Nokia plans to introduce a number of new handsets in the United States. Both GSM/UMTS and CDMA handsets are planned.