RIM releases new BlackBerry in U.S., European markets

Research In Motion announced a new BlackBerry on Tuesday, the 7290, and said it would appear soon in the U.S. and European markets.

The 7290 works on GSM and GPRS networks (Global System for Mobile Communications and General Packet Radio Service) and will be available from Cingular Wireless in the United States by early October and from O2 in Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom sometime in November. Both carriers are long-standing marketing partners with RIM.

The BlackBerry 7290 has a color screen, 32MB of flash memory and 4MB of SRAM storage space. The quad-band phone operates in 850/900/1800/1900 MHz frequencies and can be Bluetooth-enabled to remotely connect to electronic devices such as wireless headsets and car kits.

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Like most BlackBerry handhelds, the 7290 also has e-mail synchronization with Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino. Integration with Novell GroupWise is slated for this year. The device also supports popular file formats such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, WordPerfect and ASCII.

The promotional price for the 7290 in the United States will be $149, which includes a two-year service agreement and a wireless ear bud. The pricing for the European market will be available by launch.