A couple of months ago, the Curve 8520 black model has run out of stock, so it’s quite surprising that RIM and Globe are releasing these two new Curve 8520 models.

No words yet on which Globe data plans will this be released. But judging by the popularity of the BlackBerry among Filipino smartphone users, I’m pretty sure that this will be a hot commodity starting May 8. So, if I were you, I’m heading to the nearest Globe hub now to reserve this unit.

Full press release after the break.

Globe and RIM introduce the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone in exciting new colors

Approachable and Stylish Smartphone Offers Email, Messaging, Social Networking, Music and Entertainment for People on the Go

Manila, Philippines – Globe Telecom and Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8520 smartphone in two exciting new colors – ruby red and white. The new smartphones are expected to be available from Globe starting May 8.

The user-friendly BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone is a powerful multimedia and social-networking tool that customers in the Philippines have come to love. It features a full QWERTY keyboard that makes typing quick and easy. It also features dedicated media keys, which are smoothly integrated along the top of the handset giving customers an easy, convenient way to control their music and videos. Customers can download social networking applications such as BlackBerry® Messenger, Twitter and Facebook for BlackBerry® smartphones from the recently launched BlackBerry App World™,  which offers a broad range of free lifestyle and business applications.

“The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone is very popular in the Philippines and we expect customers will be excited with the choice of new colors to suit their personal style,” said Gregory Wade, Managing Director for Southeast Asia, RIM.

Menchi Orlina, Globe’s Chief Marketing Officer said, “Both Globe and RIM demonstrated a track record of innovation and dedication to offering our customers products and services to make their lives easy, fulfilling and fun.  The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone is a chic choice for the young and upwardly-mobile.  With social networking apps like BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook and Twitter, and new colors available, we think the BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a great choice for those who want to be Globe-connected.”

Key features of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone include:

• Easy-to-use 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® support for hands-free 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 photos as well as iTunes® or Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*
• Access to BlackBerry App World, 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
• Expandable memory via hot swappable microSD/SDHC memory card slot, supporting up to 16GB 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)
• BlackBerry® Internet Service support for access to up to 10 supported email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts such as Yahoo!®, Windows Live™ Hotmail®, AOL® and Gmail™; and  BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support, which provides advanced security and IT administration features for corporate deployments

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

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But obviously, the message was a hoax. Here’s an information alert posted by the BlackBerry Asia Groups in Facebook.

Rest assured that this BBM message did not originate from RIM and that it does not impact the security of BlackBerry smartphones. It is simply a hoax chain message. Unfortunately, many social networking applications face this scenario, whereby any message, including a hoax message, can be forwarded to a user from one of their contacts. We recommend that users simply ignore the message and do not forward it.

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I just downloaded the BlackBerry App World on my BlackBerry Bold 9700 and I would have to say that the app is pretty impressive. It loads fast and got some cool navigation features to help you choose and download featured apps, apps by categories or search for apps randomly. If you find an interesting app, you can click on it and the download page will be displayed giving you some links to review, recommend or view screenshots of the app. With the BlackBerry App World app on your BlackBerry phone, you don’t have scour the Internet to get the download links of apps that you want to install. Awesome!

To get the BlackBerry App World, simply point your BlackBerry browser to www.blackberry.com/appworld or mobile.blackberry.com. Full press release after the jump.

BlackBerry App World Launches in the Philippines

Discover, download and enjoy a broad mix of free mobile applications

Manila, The Philippines – 24 March 2010 – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that BlackBerry App World™ is now available to BlackBerry® smartphone* customers in the Philippines, bringing together a broad mix of free mobile applications.

Customers can now download BlackBerry App World directly to their smartphone by visiting www.blackberry.com/appworld or mobile.blackberry.com. BlackBerry App World can be conveniently accessed over both Wi-Fi® and mobile phone networks in the Philippines and it automatically presents customers with the relevant catalog of applications available for their specific BlackBerry smartphone model.

“BlackBerry App World makes it very easy for customers to discover and download applications for their BlackBerry smartphone. We are very pleased to offer this enhanced experience to our customers in the Philippines ,” said Gregory Wade , Managing Director, Southeast Asia , Research In Motion. “ Customers can also access BlackBerry App World to download updates of apps such as the popular BlackBerry Messenger or Facebook apps as they become available.”

Key Current Features:

· Front Page Carousel – BlackBerry App World showcases several applications on its front page carousel, making it easy for users to browse through a select number of featured applications. Featured applications vary from time to time, helping users discover new applications.

· Top Downloads – The “Top Downloads” area on BlackBerry App World lists applications that are the most downloaded.

· Categories – BlackBerry App World features a variety of application categories, including entertainment, IM and social networking, news, weather, productivity and more.

· Search/Filter – BlackBerry App World includes a keyword search with filtering capabilities.

· Reviews – Applications on BlackBerry App World can be reviewed by users and those reviews are reflected in star ratings. Users can easily access and read reviews, see screenshots and read a description of each application before they download it.

· Recommend – BlackBerry App World users can recommend applications to other people through email, PIN, SMS message or BlackBerry® Messenger.

· Application Storage – BlackBerry App World includes a folder called My World, which keeps track of applications the user has downloaded. It is a personal storage space that allows users to uninstall and re-install applications.

· Application Archiving: users can archive applications to a microSD card or built-in storage memory on their BlackBerry smartphone.

· Update Notifications: Users are notified of updates to applications they’ve downloaded on BlackBerry App World.

· BlackBerry App World is also accessible from a user’s desktop computer at www.blackberry.com/appworld.

Popular BlackBerry App World applications available in the Philippines include:

BlackBerry® Messenger; Facebook® for BlackBerry Smartphones; Flickr® for BlackBerry Smartphones; Bloomberg Mobile; Flixster; Chum Radio; Kaglom; Three Squared Demo; WorldMate Live: Travel Like a Pro; and Goal.com.

*BlackBerry App World is available for BlackBerry smartphones that include a trackball, trackpad or touch-screen running BlackBerry OS 4.2 or higher. Users require an active BlackBerry data service plan to access BlackBerry App World. Data charges may apply for customers that have limited data plans.

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If there is such a thing as Gadget Acquisition Syndrome (GAS), there must be a SAS (Smartphone Acquisition Syndrome) as well.  And I think I’m getting hit by it badly. In other words I want this BlackBerry Bold 9700 and I want it now.

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