RIM shrinks the Blackberry

Research in Motion (RIM) unveiled two new BlackBerry handhelds with a smaller design and more memory for European users at CeBIT in Hanover, Germany, Wednesday.

The BlackBerry 6210 and BlackBerry 6220 allow users to make phone calls and check their corporate e-mail over GSM/GPRS (Global System for Mobile Communications/General Packet Radio Service) networks. The 6210 works on 900/1900MHz networks around the world, while the 6220 only works on 900/1800MHz networks in Europe and Asia-Pacific, RIM said.

Both models come with 16M bytes of flash memory plus 2MB of SRAM (static RAM). They measure 113 millimeters by 74 mm by 21 mm, and weigh 136 grams.

Users will now be able to view a number of different e-mail attachments, such as Microsoft's Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents and PDF (portable document format) files from Adobe Systems. RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, also enhanced the wireless e-mail synchronization features, allowing users to delete and file their e-mail messages without having to connect the device to their PC through a cradle.

Pricing and availability for the new handhelds will be determined by regional carriers, who resell the handhelds with service plans. Currently, only customers in Europe will be able to purchase the handhelds, and details about which carriers will be offering the handheld have not yet been announced, according to a RIM spokeswoman.