SHARE
Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp

RIM’s Dual-Mode Smartphone Arrives

Now that some of the iPhone mania has died down, Research In Motion (Quote) has surfaced with a new Blackberry 8820 smartphone. The mobile device is RIM’s thinnest smartphone and its first dual-mode handset. The 8820 combines EDGE/GPRS/GSM cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity for data access and voice support; it also includes a built in Global […]

Written By
thumbnail David Needle
David Needle
Jul 19, 2007
Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

Now that some of the iPhone
mania
has died down, Research In Motion (Quote) has
surfaced with a new Blackberry 8820 smartphone.

The mobile device is RIM’s
thinnest smartphone and its first dual-mode handset. The 8820 combines
EDGE/GPRS/GSM cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity for data access and voice
support; it also includes a built in Global Positioning System (GPS).

The 8820 has a raft of accessibility and storage features including:
Speaker Independent Voice Recognition for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD),
smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing and call forwarding, as
well as dedicated “send”, “end” and “mute” keys. In addition to its “high
quality, low-distortion speakerphone” the 8820 includes Bluetooth 2.0
support for use with hands-free headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth
peripherals.

Storage includes a microSD / microSDHC (microSD High Capacity) expandable
memory slot that RIM said can support current and future generations of
microSD memory cards up to 32GB.

Addressing corporate security concerns, the BlackBerry 8820 is compliant
with Wi-Fi security protocols including WEP (Wireless Equivalency Protocol),
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2, as well as Cisco Compatible
Extensions for simple, secure connectivity with Cisco wireless solutions.

For enterprises that require Wi-Fi users to access the corporate network
through a VPN (Virtual Private Network) (define), the BlackBerry 8820
includes IPSec-based software that RIM said supports the most commonly
deployed VPN gateways from vendors such as Cisco, Check Point and others.

RIM said the 8820 will be available from certain wireless carriers
worldwide in the next few weeks, while distribution in the U.S., via AT&T,
is slated for later this summer.

This article was first published on InternetNews.com. To read the full article, click here.

  SEE ALL
ARTICLES
 
thumbnail David Needle

David Needle is a veteran technology reporter based in Silicon Valley. He covers mobile, big data, customer experience, and social media, among other topics. He was formerly news editor at Infoworld, editor of Computer Currents and TabTimes, and West Coast bureau chief for both InformationWeek and Internet.com.

Recommended for you...

A Guide to the 12 Most Common IoT Protocols & Standards
Devin Partida
Aug 22, 2023
Internet of Things Trends
Emma Crockett
May 9, 2023
The Future of Low Code No Code
Devin Partida
May 5, 2023
85 Top IoT Devices
Emma Crockett
Apr 26, 2023
Datamation Logo

Datamation is the leading industry resource for B2B data professionals and technology buyers. Datamation's focus is on providing insight into the latest trends and innovation in AI, data security, big data, and more, along with in-depth product recommendations and comparisons. More than 1.7M users gain insight and guidance from Datamation every year.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.