AT&T Launches BlackBerry Curve 8130

Folks looking for a GPS-enabled BlackBerry smartphone have a new option from AT&T: the BlackBerry Curve 8130 with a 320 by 240 display, Bluetooth, and two megapixel camera.

AT&T has officially launched the BlackBerry Curve 8130, a new BlackBerry smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, integrated GPS, two megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, and a 320 by 240 pixel screen. AT&T is hoping the BlackBerry Curve will appeal to everyday consumers as well as folks looking to tie in with BlackBerry-enabled enterprise systems, at a price considerably less than Apple’s popular iPhone.

"The introduction of exciting new handsets, such as the BlackBerry Curve 8310 with GPS, helps enhance AT&T’s position as the world’s leading provider of BlackBerry services with one of the most compelling BlackBerry handset portfolios in the industry," said AT&T vice president Michael Woodward, in a statement.

The BlackBerry Curve 8130 features built-in GPS capabilities, with turn-by-turn directions, voice and on-screen prompts, 3D moving maps, all built on map data from TeleNav—the service is available for $5.99/month for 10 trips or $9.99/month for any number of trips. Route information is adaptive so users can get around traffic congestion and other problems.

The 8130 also features a two megapixel camera, a bright 320 by 240 pixel display, stereo Bluetooth 2.0, a full QWERTY keyboard for email, messaging, and editing, and a full suite of BlackBerry applications, including a full HTML Web browser, email, and multimedia features.

AT&T is pricing the BlackBerry Curve 8130 for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and a mail-in rebate; the phones are available now in black and red. BlackBerry email access is $29.99 a month with a qualified voice plan, and unlimited corporate email via BlackBerry Enterprise Service is $44.99 a month. International service is available for $64.99 a month.