Confusion hits the BlackBerry Curve 8900 launch
The BlackBerry Curve got its launch today, not exclusively with the Carphone Warehouse as we were told by them nearly three weeks ago.
A press release arrived today from O2, around the same time CPW were announcing to the media their launch. Which they initially stated was an exclusive deal with Research In Motion on the new Curve 8900.
After we spoke to them, they were in puzzlement over the O2 announcement as a few weeks back they officially put in writing to us the BlackBerry 8900 was being solely sold with them. In fact, we were the first to tell them today it is also going to O2 as well.
It has now come to light the deal may have changed since we published those details many many weeks back.
Carphone Warehouse clarified all this by putting out a press release today informing the media they will now be selling the SIM free 8900, only with a different colour finish in ‘titanium’.
This is despite the O2 version of the phone looking exactly the same in every way shape or form as the CPW counterpart.
We called to confirmed the image supplied by Carphone Warehouse was correct and the image supplied by O2 was also correct – both came back in the affirmative.
Even handsets they’re shelling out to the media and showed off at the launch today were the exact same ones as the O2 models; in fact the link on CPW website here just confirms all of it. Curiouser and Curiouser!
Just as we were writing this up T-Mobile has announced they’re having a press briefing this Thursday over the BlackBerry Curve 8900 arriving with them. What’s the betting the phone will look the same there too?
Also, just to make matters worse when we spoke to T-Mobile’s PR company they thought the Javelin and the Curve 8900 were two different handsets. D’oh!
O2 have said the pre-registration for the phones open up on the 10th of December, with pre-ordering kicking off from the 22nd on their website – with the handset arriving on the 5th January. All at a cost ranging from free to £234, on selected tariffs.
Whilst the Carphone Warehouse will beat them hands down, as the phone will be in their shops nationwide on December 20th, three weeks before O2 will have there’s. Although they haven’t offered up any pricing as yet, but we’ll keep you informed of those developments within time.
If you weren’t already aware, the Curve 8900 is their thinnest BlackBerry handset to date. It arrives with all the features you expect from them, whilst also being Quad-band with WIFI onboard.
It comes along with a 2.4-inch 480 x 360 pixel HVGA+ display coupled with a 3.2 megapixel camera, all weighing in at 110 grams and its dimensions measuring up to 109 x 60 x 13.5 mm. With a battery life of 5.5 hours talk time and 356 hours/15 days of standby.
Let’s hope the mess of who has what, what has who and when’s when is sorted out by the time they arrive.
