Nokia adds BlackBerry support to Series 80 handsets

Nokia is adding BlackBerry connectivity to its Series 80 mobile devices, including the Nokia 9500 Communicator, and has unveiled a new business smartphone, the Edge-compatible Nokia 9300.

The company said that the Nokia 9500 will be able to connect to BlackBerry services from Research In Motion early next year, including support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Internet Service which offer push-based email and calendar access.

Niklas Savander, senior vice president of the mobile devices unit at Nokia Enterprise Solutions, said that by expanding the range of business devices enabled with BlackBerry connectivity, Nokia will "provide customers with a broader choice of devices that best suit their work style or lifestyle".

The Nokia 6820 messaging device, enabled with BlackBerry email connectivity, has been available since February 2004.

The Nokia 9300, which also supports Blackberry Connect, features a full keyboard and 65,536 colour screen, and one-touch access to personal information and office applications through eight dedicated function buttons. It also boasts a five-way joystick for easier menu navigation.

Savander said in a statement: "The Nokia 9300 incorporates what we know about superior usability, elegant design and powerful functionality.

"We believe it is the smartest smartphone on the market today, and an important addition to Nokia's high-end product portfolio."

The phone supports GSM/GPRS/Edge networks, five-party conference calling via an integrated speakerphone and multiple email clients with attachments. It includes BlackBerry Connect support, as well as infrared and Bluetooth capabilities.

The 9300 also features 80MB of free user memory, expandable up to 2GB with an optional MMC card.

The handset is due to ship in the first quarter of 2005. Nokia will offer two tri-band versions, one optimised for mobile networks in Europe and Asia and one for mobile networks in the Americas.