BlackBerry 9720 with OS 7.1 and touchscreen launched at Rs. 15,990

The Canadian handset maker has launched the BlackBerry 9720 in India, for Rs. 15,999. The company last month unveiled the smartphone, with the dated BB 7.1 OS operating system instead of the revamped BlackBerry 10 platform, and promised that the device will hit selected markets like Asia, EMEA and Latin America in the coming weeks. However, the pricing of the device was not revealed by the company then.

The BlackBerry 9720 boasts aesthetics similar to the company's Curve series, measuring 12mm in thickness, and weighing in at 120 grams. It features a full physical QWERTY keyboard and a 2.8-inch touchscreen TFT LCD display with a 360x480 pixels resolution, boasting of a pixel density of 214ppi. It is powered by an 806MHz Tavor MG1 processor and has 512MB of RAM. The 9720 sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with 4X digital zoom and image stabilization alongside an LED flash, but lacks a front-facing camera.

The latest addition to BlackBerry's 'affordable' handsets includes a 1,450mAh removable battery that delivers up to 7 hours of talk time and 432 hours of standby time. The 9720 features just 512MB of inbuilt storage, and supports microSD card expandability up to 32GB capacity. The BlackBerry 9720 has dedicated BBM and BBM Voice shortcut keys, placed on the sides of the device. It also features FM radio functionality. Connectivity options on the BlackBerry 9720 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/ aGPS and 3G.

Commenting on the launch, Sunil Lalvani, Managing Director for India, BlackBerry said, "The new BlackBerry 9720 smartphone builds on the incredible success of the BlackBerry 7 OS. This new smartphone is absolutely stunning and provides an ideal choice for urban youth and customers who are looking to upgrade from a feature phone or existing BlackBerry Curve smartphone to an affordable, easy-to-use smartphone with rich messaging and social networking connectivity."

The BlackBerry 9720 will be available in Black, Blue, Pink, Purple and White colours. The company notes that the device will hit stores from September 14.

BlackBerry 9720 key specifications

• 2.8-inch display with 360x480 pixel resolution and pixel density of 214PPI
• 806MHz Tavor MG1 processor
• 512MB of RAM
• 512MB of built-in storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 5-megapixel rear camera
• BlackBerry 7 OS (version 7.1)
• 1,450mAh battery