Carphone Warehouse and Research In Motion have announced that the new BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone will go on sale on December 20, 2008, in UK stores nationwide and on the Carphone’s website.

According to Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone features a built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, a 512Mhz processor, a QWERTY keyboard, 3.2 megapixel camera, including auto focus, image stabilization, digital zoom and flash; and microSD/SDHC expandable memory slot, which supports up to 16GB storage.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is a quad-band smartphone, providing global connectivity for fast data access and web browsing. The smartphone can be used for internet browsing and accessing emails using BlackBerry Internet Service and BlackBerry Enterprise Server, the two companies said.

Mark Guibert, vice president of corporate marketing at Research In Motion, said: The BlackBerry Curve 8900 lets you keep your finger on the pulse of what’s important to you. You can stay connected with the office, the internet, your family and friends – all on a beautifully designed phone that looks and feels great.

Ross Yealland, head of new propositions at The Carphone Warehouse, said: “The new BlackBerry Curve 8900 is destined to become a stylish must have phone. We predict both new and existing customers will be fighting to get their hands on one from launch.”