Little Rock, Ark. and Waterloo, ON - Alltel, owner of America's largest wireless network, and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM: TSX: RIM) today announced that Alltel is selling the BlackBerry® 7130e™, the first BlackBerry handheld designed to operate on the company's high-speed Axcess Broadband network.
The Java-based BlackBerry 7130e combines phone, wireless e-mail, text messaging, organizer, Web and corporate data applications in a sleek handset that also features Bluetooth support for hands-free use with a headset or car kit.
The BlackBerry 7130e operates on Alltel's Axcess Broadband EV-DO network which supports Internet access at speeds up to 2.4 Mbps, enabling users to quickly view large, graphic-rich content.
The BlackBerry 7130e is available in Alltel retail stores for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement. Customers who add a postpaid voice calling plan when purchasing the BlackBerry 7130e will receive unlimited data service for $44.99 per month. The unlimited data plan includes national data roaming at no extra charge when using this device.
?The BlackBerry 7130e operating on Alltel's Axcess Broadband network gives users a superior wireless experience by enabling mobile professionals to remain connected and productive while benefiting from the industry-leading speeds of Alltel's fast network,? said Frank O?Mara, executive vice president of marketing for Alltel. ?BlackBerry is a powerful tool for customers who want access to email, phone and other applications from a single, wireless device.?
?The sophisticated design and enhanced features, combined with the power of the BlackBerry platform and Alltel's fast EV-DO network, make the BlackBerry 7130e an excellent choice for mobile professionals,? said Mark Guibert, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at Research In Motion. ?We?re excited to be working with Alltel to bring this innovative device to its customers in the U.S.?
The BlackBerry 7130e handset offers top-of-the-line features such as a large, bright, high-resolution LCD screen and 64MB of flash memory. It also includes SureType™keyboard technology from RIM. SureType effectively converges a wireless device keypad and a QWERTY keyboard to fit elegantly within the size of a traditional wireless phone form factor. Through an integrated keyboard and software system, SureType provides users with an instinctively familiar look and feel and enables them to dial phone numbers and type messages quickly, accurately and comfortably.
For individuals and smaller businesses, BlackBerry Internet Service™ allows users to access up to 10 corporate and/or personal e-mail accounts (including Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and most popular ISP e-mail accounts) from a single device. For corporate customers, BlackBerry Enterprise Server™ software tightly integrates with Microsoft® Exchange, IBM Lotus® Domino™and Novell GroupWise® and works with existing enterprise systems to enable secure, push-based wireless access to e-mail and other corporate data.