LIME, the Caribbean’s only full service telecoms provider, and Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, today announced the launch of the sleek and powerful BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 smartphone, which is expected to be available in LIME stores in early February.

The new BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone combines an extensive array of high-end communications and multimedia features in a compact and highly refined design that will appeal to both professional and personal users.

“There is pent-up demand and great anticipation in the Caribbean market for the latest BlackBerry smartphone. The performance of this compact, highly functional handset will surely satisfy the most demanding users,” said LIME’s Chief Marketing Officer, Chris Dehring.  “The BlackBerry Bold 9700 supports a broad range of personal and business applications and we offer a variety of service packages to meet all of our customers' needs.”

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone offers top-of-the-line performance, functionality and features with support for 3G HSDPA networks around the world, a next-generation (624 MHz) processor, 256 MB Flash memory, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi®, a 3.2MP camera and a dazzling, high resolution display.

Cutting edge engineering and premium finishes extend to the exterior of the handset as well, with a smoothly integrated touch-sensitive trackpad and a highly tactile, distinctive, fretted keyboard. The dark chrome frame and leatherette back add to the new smartphone's sleek and elegant look, while the narrow profile, balanced weight and soft-touch sides allow it to feel incredibly comfortable in one hand.

“We are very pleased to work with LIME to bring the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone to customers in the Caribbean,” said Rick Costanzo, Managing Director, Latin America, Research In Motion. “The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is a sleek and powerful 3G smartphone that offers exceptional performance and a highly refined mobile experience.”

Key features of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone include:
•    Sleek design measuring 4.29" x 2.36" x 0.56" (109 mm x 60 mm x 14.1 mm) and weighing only 4.3 oz (122 grams)
•    Sharp and dazzling 2.44” light-sensing display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi)
•    Highly tactile full-QWERTY keyboard – with finely sculpted keys and chrome frets – for fast, accurate typing
•    Innovative touch-sensitive trackpad that allows intuitive and responsive navigation
•    Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) for faster web browsing and extended data coverage
•    3.2 MP camera with variable zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording
•    BlackBerry® OS 5.0, offering users email management and calendar enhancements* as well as a better browsing experience with faster JavaScript and CSS processing
•    Built-in GPS for maps and other location-based applications, as well as photo geotagging
•    Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 38 hours), and BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone**
•    BlackBerry® Desktop Manager for both PCs and Macs to enable synching data such as contacts and calendar appointments between a computer and the smartphone
•    3.5 mm stereo headset jack, dedicated volume controls, Lock and Mute keys seamlessly integrated across the top of the handset
•    microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB cards today and is expected to support 32 GB cards when available; a 2GB card is included
•    256 MB of Flash memory
•    Premium and easy-to-access phone features, background noise suppression technology and high quality speakerphone
•    Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for Secure Simple Pairing, hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals
•    Support for BlackBerry services with access to up to 10 supported email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts such as Yahoo!®, Windows Live™ Hotmail®, AOL® and Gmail™); and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support, which features advanced security and IT administration capabilities for corporate deployments
•    Global connectivity with UMTS/HSDPA 2100/1900/850/800 MHz and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM support
•    Removable, rechargeable 1500 mAhr battery that provides approximately 6 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby time in 3G mode

*Some features require BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0

** Certain music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies. Photo syncing is currently only available for Windows-based PCs.