T-Mobile BlackBerry 8820 includes Wi-Fi calling

If there's any doubt about the continuing blending of workplace and personal mobile devices, witness today's news about the BlackBerry 8820 smart phone from Research In Motion (RIM) and T-Mobile.

The device, with its built-in GPS and support for T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service for Wi-Fi calling, merges a bunch of "corporate" features (such as corporate e-mail support) with more "personal" ones (media player, stereo Bluetooth, etc.). The super-thin BlackBerry 8820 costs $350 (after $150 rebate), and is available online at T-Mobile's Web site.

By adding the HotSpot@Home add-on plan, customers can make unlimited, nationwide phone calls over any Wi-Fi network (802.11a/b/g) at home, across Wi-Fi accessible corporate networks, or any T-Mobile HotSpot location across the country. The device's built-in GPS also includes location-based applications, such as BlackBerry Maps, as well as the TeleNav GPS Navigator service. International roaming is supported through the quad-band radio, and the myFaves service from T-Mobile is also included on the device.

Other features include support for the BlackBerry Internet Service (up to 10 e-mail accounts, including Yahoo and Gmail), BlackBerry Enterprise Server support (connecting Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise accounts), instant messaging application support (including AOL, Yahoo, Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk and ICQ), an HTML Web browser, and 320-by-240 pixel color display. The device also includes a media player with stereo Bluetooth support, microSD / SDHC expansion slot, and phone features that include voice-activated dialing and noise-cancellation technology to reduce background noise.

• BlackBerry
• gadgets
• T-Mobile
• wi-fi