Although BlackBerry fans are looking forward to the first couple of BlackBerry 10 platform running mobile devices from RIM (Research In Motion), the company revealed a new Curve to feed their smartphone fix until then.  

The Canadian firm’s new BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone measures in at 109 x 60 x 12.7 mm and weighs 102 g, meaning it’s not quite as sleek as the Curve 9360 smartphone (11 mm frame) or all touch Curve 9380 (11.2 mm). Like the 9360, the Curve 9320 is a traditional-styled device that sports a QWERTY keyboard and 2.44" (320 x 240 resolution; 164 ppi) Transmissive TFT LCD display that isn’t touch-enabled.   

This smartphone operates on RIM’s forthcoming BlackBerry 7.1 OS, which brings new features to the company’s smartphones such as Stereo FM Radio, as well as Mobile Hotspot functionality  that allows the device to share an internet connection between up to five other devices at the same time.

Another novel feature setting the 9320 apart is the fact that it sports a dedicated BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) key, which provides users with quick and easy access to the company’s popular mobile social network.

Besides the convenience of the BBM shortcut button and RIM’s latest OS, the Curve 9320 also offers users a 3.2 MP camera with flash, GPS with a-GPS assistance, Wi-Fi 802.11 n and Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP (which enables you to stream music to wireless Bluetooth headset). RIM equipped this device with 512 MB of internal storage but you are able to expand this via the hotswappable microSD memory card slot that supports cards up to 32 GB in size.

RIM said that the 9320’s 1450 mAh removable lithium-ion battery will provide this Curve with longer battery life, giving users a music playback time of up to 30 hours (with headset usage) from a single charge.

“The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 is designed to make it incredibly easy for users to stay socially-connected,” said Carlo Chiarello, EVP, smartphone business at RIM. “The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be especially popular with customers upgrading to a smartphone for the first time and existing Curve customers looking for a step up in speed and functionality.”

The company stated that pricing and availability details for the BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be announced in conjunction with its distribution partners at a later stage.