RIM Wi-Fi BlackBerry 8820 announced

Dual-mode (cellular and wi-fi) smartphone makes the BlackBerry a proper alternative to the iPhone.

Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the BlackBerry 8820 smartphone. The 8820 is the first dual-mode BlackBerry handset, combining quad-band GSM/GPRS/ EDGE cellular and Wi-Fi® connectivity. Other features include:

QWERTY keyboard
320 x 240 display
trackball navigation system
built-in GPS
microSD / microSDHC memory slot

Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM said "The BlackBerry 8820 complements our carrier partners' cellular networks with the added ability to stay connected via Wi-Fi at home, through hotspots and corporate campuses."

The BlackBerry 8820 smartphone supports the 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi standards to enable data access over Wi-Fi connections in the enterprise, as well as through public hotspots and wireless home networks. The smartphone works in conjunction with both BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Internet Service and can switch between cellular networks and a Wi-Fi network to allow users to access email, Instant Messaging, organizer, web browsing and other mobile data applications.

To meet various security requirements, the BlackBerry 8820 is compliant with Wi-Fi security protocols including WEP (Wireless Equivalency Protocol), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2, as well as Cisco Compatible Extensions. For enterprises that require Wi-Fi users to access the corporate network through a VPN (Virtual Private Network), the BlackBerry 8820 includes IPSec-based software that supports the most commonly deployed VPN gateways from vendors including Cisco, Check Point and others.

One last feature, that we're sure every smartphone maker will be pointing out, sans Apple Inc., the battery is removable.