Verizon Debuts Smartphones For Multi-Taskers

Using the calm before the storm of this week's CTIA tradeshow in Las Vegas, Verizon Wireless introduced two new smartphones Monday, one from Research In Motion, the other from Motorola.

Verizon said the BlackBerry Curve 8330 is RIM's smallest and lightest full-QWERTY smartphone, and despite its size, still has a 320 x 240 display, with light sensing technology that automatically adjusts screen brightness. The handset is designed to work on Verizon's high-speed Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) network, and is equipped for the carrier's location-based services, VZ Navigator.

The BlackBerry Curve 8330 also has Bluetooth 2.0 support, as well as a 2.0-megapixel camera with support for video recording, with a memory card slot, providing up to 8 GB of additional storage.

The BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone will be available in May for $270, after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year agreement. An additional $100 credit is available for those who sign up for qualifying voice and data plans at the time of purchase, Verizon said.

Verizon also unveiled the Moto Q 9c, which the carrier positioned as a smartphone well suited for the multitasking business user. The Moto Q 9c features Windows Mobile 6 Standard software, which offers customers that ability configure virtually any POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail accounts; customers can read, edit, and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents via the Documents To Go application, Verizon said.

The handset has a 2.4-inch color display and a 1.3-megapixel camera; users can add to the Moto Q 9c phone's 128-MB memory with a removable memory card of up to 32 GB.

The Moto Q 9c is available in April for $250 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year customer agreement. An additional $100 credit toward the purchase of the handset is available for customers who sign up for qualifying voice and data plans at the time of purchase, according to the carrier.