Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

To Boldly go...

http://youtu.be/vIlgcCLUvkM It was a very Indonesian affair, from the traditional Balinese dance that opened it to the pop-rock performance that closed it. Of course it had to be: the global launch party of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and the BlackBerry Curve, held yesterday in Jakarta, was the first that RIM has ever held in this region. "Coming 1st To Indonesia", the banners at the event proudly said. And no wonder. RIM holds the lion's share of the market in Indonesia-it is the most popular brand of smartphones here- and the launch event was peppered with messages of thanks to BlackBerry's Indonesian fanbase at a time when the company is struggling with shrinking growth and image issues elsewhere. So, as a reward, Indonesia- or more specifically, hundreds if members of Indonesia's media who made up the bulk of the attendees yesterday's launch- were the first in the world to get their hands on the latest two BlackBerry models. What were they? The BlackBerry Bold 9790 and the BlackBerry Curve 9380. Both run on the latest BlackBerry 7 platform, which boasts features such as BlackBerry protection and BlackBerry Messenger integrated with apps.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380

Both these phones come with Near-Field-Communication (NFC) technology, a mark of the investment RIM is putting into the fledging technology. Signs, such as local telcos piloting virtual wallet services, point towards NFC becoming the Next Big Thing in smartphone development, and its inclusion in these new phones, even the budget-BlackBerry Curve, is an encouraging sign that more than anything, despite the recent setbacks, RIM is still a forward-looking company.

RIM executives Carlo Chiarello, Jim Balsillie and Gregory Wade posing with the new phones and some Balinese dancers at yesterday's launch The phones will be debuting in Indonesia first, rolling out on the 25th of November. Release dates (and prices!) have not been announced for Singapore yet, but rest assured: This is not the last you have seen of them.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.