Maxis Opens Pre-Booking For RIM Blackberry Curve 8520 [UPDATED]

[UPDATE] Updated with pricing information below, supplied by a commenter.
In a press release today, Maxis announced that it is opening pre-bookings for the RIM (Research In Motion) Blackberry Curve 8520 beginning today until 30^th September. It is also making the 8520 available to its prepaid customers, for the first time. The Curve 8520 is one of RIM’s latest Blackberries; click here for its specifications.

Note that this is only a 2.5G phone, there’s no 3G support. But that also means that its battery life should far exceed smartphones which are permanently using a 3G connection. Let’s hope Maxis can craft a really compelling deal for its prepaid Hotlink customers as I’m rather interested to check out what’s so great about the Blackberries.

If you’re interested, Celcom is also running a promotion, and pre-order, for its prepaid XPAX customers, for the same Blackberry Curve 8520! It’s nice to know that RIM decided not to go exclusive with any particular celco in Malaysia for their products – personally I think this allows them to sell more of these things, and with their push into the consumer space, is a wise move indeed.

Here’s the press release:

9/17/2009

PRE-BOOKING NOW AVAILABLE FOR NEW BLACKBERRY CURVE 8520 FROM MAXIS

PRE-BOOKING NOW AVAILABLE FOR

NEW BLACKBERRY CURVE 8520 FROM MAXIS

Maxis will introduce BlackBerry services to Prepaid customers

Kuala Lumpur, 17 September 2009 – Malaysia’s leading mobile operator, Maxis Communications Berhad (‘Maxis’), today announced pre-booking for the new BlackBerry® CurveT 8520 on the Maxis website at www.maxis.com.my. Pre-booking will be available from today to 30 September and Maxis is pleased to offer the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 from as low as RM699. Customers who purchase the BlackBerry Curve 8520 from Maxis will get an exclusive designer mobile skin. Maxis also announced its intent to introduce BlackBerry to its prepaid customers for the first time ever.

The slim new BlackBerry Curve 8520 is an incredibly approachable smartphone that will come to the Malaysian market in black. For people who like to be connected, it provides easy mobile access to email, messaging (Instant Messaging, SMS, MMS) and popular social networking sites (including Facebook® and MySpace) and features a highly tactile full-QWERTY keyboard for comfortable, accurate typing. It also features rich multimedia capabilities and easy access to music, games and other mobile apps for entertainment on the go.

Matthew Willsher, Maxis Chief Marketing Officer, said, “Maxis aims to empower all customers with the BlackBerry experience via affordable smartphones and inclusive plans. For the first time in Malaysia, prepaid customers will be able to enjoy BlackBerry with prepaid packages that will be launched very soon. Maxis was first to launch the BlackBerry solution in Malaysia in 2006. This year alone, we launched three new models, the BlackBerryPearl Flip, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and the revolutionary BlackBerry Storm. With the inclusion of the BlackBerry Curve 8520, we offer Malaysians the widest choice of BlackBerry devices. We are confident that the affordable BlackBerry Curve 8520 with its consumer-friendly features will be a hit with broader customer segments. The smart BlackBerry solutions from Maxis will enable our customers to be even more well-connected and entertained while on the go.”

Maxis’ customers form the largest base of mobile data users in Malaysia, with more than 40% of them accessing mobile internet services and sites on a regular basis. The new BlackBerry Curve 8520 will meet both their communications and multimedia needs in more affordable ways. Customers also benefit from browsing on Maxis’ reliable high-speed networks for rich Internet browsing and multimedia applications.

The new BlackBerry Curve 8520 will be available at all Maxis Centres and Maxis Exclusive Partners nationwide from October 2009 onwards. Maxis customers can also call 1800 821 123 for details on how to purchase the BlackBerry Curve 8520 device and Maxis plans.

Key features of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone include:

• Full-QWERTY keyboard and touch-sensitive trackpad for reliable, responsive typing and navigation
• 256MB Flash memory and a 512Mhz next generation processor for enhanced performance
• Premium phone features including voice activated dialing and Bluetooth (2.0) support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth peripherals
• 2 MP digital camera with zoom and video recording
• Advanced media player for music, pictures and videos, with dedicated media keys and a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, plus BlackBerry® Media Sync, which makes it easy to quickly sync music from iTunes® or Windows Media® Player with the smartphone**
• Access to BlackBerry App WorldT, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones. Categories include games, entertainment, IM and social networking, news, weather, productivity and more
• BlackBerry® Internet Service support for access to up to 10 supported email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts such as Yahoo!®, Windows LiveT Hotmail®, AOL® and GmailT; and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support, which provides advanced security and IT administration features for corporate deployments
• Expandable memory via hot swappable microSD/SDHC memory card slot, supporting up to 16 GB cards today and expected to support next generation 32GB cards when available; a 2GB card is included
• Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• Quad-band world phone: EGDE/GPRS/GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)

To learn more about the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone visit: www.blackberry.com/curve8520

[UPDATE] Thanks to andy, a regular reader and hunter of information, we now know the recommended retail pricing (RRP) for the 8520 is RM 1,199.  Click here for the FAQ from Maxis on this subject.  Maxis keeps alluding to a special package pricing for the 8520 when it launches, especially for prepaid Hotlink customes, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.  Thanks, andy!

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