RSSBlackBerry Curve outsells iPhone 3G: Is it the best RIM series yet?
By Tim Conneally | Published May 4, 2009, 12:46 PM
NPD's smartphone market research ranked Research in Motion's BlackBerry Curve (8300 series) as the best-selling smartphone for the first quarter of 2009. The device outsold Apple's iPhone 3G, thanks in part to its equal availability on all four major United States carriers and aggressive promotion from the Canadian smartphone company.
RIM has also been careful to offer exclusive devices to each carrier, such as the Verizon-exclusive BlackBerry Storm, which was also the third place best seller in the first quarter of the year, according to NPD. T-Mobile's exclusive BlackBerry, the Curve 8900, will be showing up on AT&T over the summer, the phone company said this weekend.
AT&T's BlackBerry Curve 8900 will be, judging by the brief information provided by the wireless carrier, identical to its T-Mobile counterpart. It is not a 3G device and will rely on EDGE and Wi-Fi for data, the display is 480 x 360, the onboard camera is 3.2 megapixel, and the microSD/SDHC slot supports cards up to 32 GB. So far, it looks to be the same phone.
The device has not yet received an official price, but T-Mobile sells its version of the 8900 for $149.99 after subsidies and rebates.
With the BlackBerry Curve 8300 now the top-selling smartphone series, the move to branch out the 8900's availability is well-chosen. The device shares the familiar BlackBerry style, and a similar price point.
I'm guessing that's US only too... the iPhone 3G isn't restricted to single carriers elsewhere. Not to mention EDGE isn't really used anywhere but the US now.
Seems odd to me manufacturers are still releasing units without 3G support - I mean it was piss-poor when the first iPhone did it, now nearly 2 years later RIM have done the same? How does that make it their best product yet?
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|Apple has produced a product that fits with the "exclusive" model they have followed elsewhere. However, the media/app store business model calls for getting them in the hands of as many people as possible. The latter certainly isn't served by vendor exclusivity.
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|"The device outsold Apple's iPhone 3G, thanks in part to its equal availability on all four major United States carriers and aggressive promotion from the Canadian smartphone company."
In part?? Seems to me that is a HUGE factor.
Might price be a big factor as well?
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