With Rogers Home Calling Zone, a wireless router and a high-speed
Internet connection, customers can use the same phone inside and outside
the home
TORONTO and WATERLOO, ON, June 4 /CNW/ - Rogers Wireless (TSX: RCI; NYSE:
RCI) and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced
the new BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8120 smartphone to customers in Canada. The
new smartphone supports Rogers Home Calling Zone, a UMA(*)-based service from
Rogers that enables customers to make unlimited voice calls over a wireless
Internet connection(xx). Rogers is the first carrier in Canada to offer UMA
services with its new Rogers Home Calling Zone.
The new service leverages the dual-mode Wi-Fi® and cellular
capabilities of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone for both cellular and
home calling. Rogers Home Calling Zone works by connecting calls through a
voice optimized wireless router over a high-speed Internet connection when at
home and can seamlessly switch to the cellular network when out of range -
offering seamless mobility and the ultimate in convenience. Customers can use
the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone inside and outside the home, making it
easier to stay connected how and when they want, while effectively managing
their phone costs.
"Rogers Wireless is proud to add the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 to our
extensive lineup of BlackBerry phones, and especially to our innovative Home
Calling Zone service, a Canadian first," said John Boynton, SVP and Chief
Marketing Officer, Rogers Wireless. "With the UMA-enabled BlackBerry Pearl
8120, not only will our customers have the benefits of RIM's world-renowned
push email solution, they can also experience the flexibility and convenience
using their BlackBerry phone for both home and away, with Rogers Home Calling
Zone."
"In addition to Wi-Fi connectivity for both voice and data, the
BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone offers rich multimedia features and the
industry's leading mobile messaging capabilities in an amazingly compact and
stylish design," said Mark Guibert, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at
Research In Motion. "The Rogers Home Calling Zone service adds another
valuable dimension to the customer experience and helps make the new
BlackBerry Pearl 8120 an ideal phone for both personal and business use."
Available in an attractive titanium-coloured finish, the BlackBerry Pearl
8120 smartphone from Rogers features:- An ultra-sleek design measuring 107mm x 50mm x 14mm and weighing
approximately 91 grams
- Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) with support for Rogers Home Calling Zone
service
- 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom, built-in flash and video
recording capability
- Advanced media player perfect for pictures, music and videos, and
support for High Speed USB 2.0 for quickly transferring files between
a PC and the smartphone
- An externally accessible microSD/SDHC expandable memory slot for
additional storage (8GB microSDHC cards are now available)
- Support for downloading music directly from the Rogers MusicStore
- The Rogers Do More portal enabling access to a variety of mobile
applications for business and personal use
- Instant messaging with BlackBerry® Messenger, Google® Talk and
Yahoo!® Messenger
- Support for the Facebook® for BlackBerry® Smartphones application,
which enables fast, streamlined and optimized mobile access to the
popular Facebook social utility
- DataViz® Documents to Go® allowing users to edit Word and
PowerPoint files on the handset
- An enhanced visual interface that makes text and web pages more
visually appealing
- Premium phone features including enhanced noise cancellation to offset
background noise, a low-distortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth®
(2.0) support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits, stereo
headsets and other Bluetooth peripherals
- SureType™ keyboard system, including new word completion and spell
check features
- BlackBerry® Desktop Manager software, which includes Roxio® Media
Manager for BlackBerry®, a powerful media manager application that
allows users to easily manage media files on their computer and
transfer them to the smartphone
- BlackBerry® Internet Service support that allows access to up to 10
supported personal and corporate email accounts, including most
popular ISP email accounts
- BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support for enterprise deployments
with advanced security and IT controlsThe BlackBerry Pearl 8120 from Rogers Wireless also comes with a variety
of in-box accessories including stereo headset, travel charger and 1GB microSD
memory card.
Rogers Home Calling Zone
With Rogers Home Calling Zone, customers can use the BlackBerry Pearl
8120 to make unlimited voice calls, when in their home calling zone. For $15
per month customers can make unlimited local calls, or for $20 per month
customers can make unlimited local and Canada-wide long distance calls. Calls
seamlessly transfer between UMA and cellular networks, and calls originating
over UMA do not count against a customer's monthly allotment of voice minutes.
Pricing & Availability
The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 retails for $149.99 with activation on any
combination of 3 year voice plan and 3 year BlackBerry data plan from Rogers.
Some conditions apply.
For more information on the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone, please
visit www.blackberrypearl.com or www.rogers.com/8120. For more information on
Rogers Home Calling Zone service, please visit www.rogers.com/homecallingzone.
(*)Unlicensed Mobile Access
(xx)Unlimited voice calls over a wireless Internet connection requires a
Rogers Wireless voice plan, Rogers Home Zone Calling service option and a
wireless router with a broadband Internet connection.
About Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless provides wireless voice and data communications services
across Canada to more than 7.4 million customers under both the Rogers
Wireless and Fido brands. Proven to operate Canada's most reliable wireless
voice and data communications network, Rogers Wireless is Canada's largest
wireless provider and the only carrier operating on the global standard GSM
and highly advanced HSPA technology platforms. In addition to providing
seamless roaming in more than 200 countries with its GSM based services,
Rogers Wireless also provides wireless broadband services across Canada
utilizing its 2.5GHz fixed wireless spectrum. Rogers Wireless is a subsidiary
of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI; NYSE: RCI), a diversified Canadian
communications and media company. For further information, please visit
www.rogers.com
About Research In Motion (RIM)
Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of
innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market.
Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that
support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and
solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email,
phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology
also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to
enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM's
portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are
used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the
BlackBerry® wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line,
software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing
agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates
offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq
Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For
more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.
Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the
"safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. When used herein, words such as "intend" and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions made by and information
available to Research In Motion Limited. Investors are cautioned that such
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or
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possible product defects and product liability, risks related to international
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