Vodafone and Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the new BlackBerry Curve 8310 smartphone in Germany, with built-in GPS navigation and advanced multimedia functionality.

The BlackBerry Curve 8310 features integrated GPS functionality that works with pre-installed Vodafone Navigator software so mobile users can easily know exactly where they're going. The software displays the user's precise location on a local map and also integrates directly with their address book. The Vodafone Navigator is an off-board navigation system, which downloads route planning information from an up-to-date central server.

The smartphone's memory can be extended by using a microSD card to store up to 4 gigabytes worth of videos, images, music and files.  As an added benefit, Vodafone Germany will provide the first 5,000 customers with a 1 gigabyte microSD memory card with the current 100 top chart songs pre-installed as MP3s.
 
The BlackBerry Curve 8310 features a full, highly tactile QWERTZ keyboard and an integrated spell check function with customizable dictionary to help minimize spelling errors. The trackball, which is conveniently located between the display and keyboard, can be used to select menu functions and to easily navigate on the screen. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 supports push-based email that allows the easy viewing of file attachments such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, JPEG, BMP and TIFF files. It is a quad band GSM phone that can be used practically anywhere in the world. It has USB for easy file transfer and Bluetooth interfaces for use with hands-free accessories and car kits. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 supports stereo Bluetooth headsets and also features a built-in speakerphone.

The BlackBerry Curve 8310 is available now from Vodafone in Germany for 99,90 Euro in combination with a Vodafone Business Kombipaket Zuhause 240.

Facts & Figures on the new BlackBerry Curve 8310

• Memory: 64 MB internal flash memory; Expandable memory slot for microSD cards
• Display: 320 X 240 pixels, supports more than 65,000 colors
• Supported networks: Quadband GSM (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz)
• Data transmission: GPRS, EDGE
• Interfaces: Bluetooth 2.0, mini-USB
• GPS: Integrated GPS module
• Multimedia: 2 megapixel camera with flash and 5X digital zoom;
• Media Player supports audio formats (MP3, MIDI, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA) and video formats (MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.263 and WMV)
• Push-based email: Supported by BlackBerry Internet Service and BlackBerry Enterprise Server
• Additional features: Full QWERTZ keyboard, trackball operation, Vodafone Navigator, integrated speakerphone, language selection