BlackBerry Pearl now available in New Zealand

5 December 2006

BlackBerry Pearl now available in New Zealand exclusively from Vodafone

First BlackBerry handset with digital camera, multimedia capabilities and expandable memory slot

Auckland, New Zealand - Vodafone New Zealand and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM: TSX: RIM) today announced availability of the BlackBerry® Pearl™, a feature-rich, easy-to-use smartphone that incorporates best-in-class technology in a sleek and stylish design. Available in New Zealand only from Vodafone New Zealand, the BlackBerry Pearl is one of the smallest and lightest smartphones on the market, measuring a mere 10.7 x 5 x 1.5 cm and weighing approximately 89 grams.

The BlackBerry Pearl is an engineering marvel from RIM that delivers the gold standard for wireless data communications enveloped in a stylish and eye-catching form. The BlackBerry Pearl provides exceptional phone quality with premium phone features and comes complete with a digital camera, multimedia capabilities and an expandable memory slot. The handset is supported on both BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, providing support for both personal and corporate email accounts as well as other mobile applications. With its smoothly integrated functionality, including support for phone, email, text messaging, organizer, web browser, and other mobile applications, the BlackBerry Pearl is the ideal mobile companion for customers who wish to stay productive and connected with family, friends and work while on the go.

“The revolutionary BlackBerry Pearl is a compelling choice for both corporate users and consumers, bringing together effortless email with the power of a full-featured smartphone,” said Dion Knill, Head of Business Terminals, Vodafone New Zealand.

“Many individuals use email every day to communicate with those that matter most – whether at home or work. Many people also have more than one email account, so providing a small and sexy device that allows our customers to get email from up to 10 separate accounts straight to their pocket is fantastic,” continues Knill. “BlackBerry has already seen huge popularity among business users in New Zealand, and the BlackBerry Pearl takes it to a new level – giving busy professionals and consumers alike a good-looking, highly functional smartphone that meets all their needs.”

”We are pleased to introduce the BlackBerry Pearl in New Zealand together with Vodafone New Zealand,” said Norm Lo, Vice President of Asia Pacific at Research In Motion. “The BlackBerry Pearl is a major innovation, delivering an exceptional mobile experience in a small, smart and stylish, package.”

The new BlackBerry Pearl available from Vodafone New Zealand features:

 A 1.3 megapixel camera with 3 zoom levels (up to 5X) and built-in flash
 Multimedia player for playback of MP3 and AAC music files, as well as MPEG4 and H.263 video formats
 Stereo headset jack
 High performance HTML browser for visiting your favourite web sites while on the go
 An enhanced version of RIM’s popular SureType™ keyboard technology that makes typing emails and dialling phone numbers quick and easy
 An incredibly intuitive user interface with an easy-to-use trackball, dedicated 'menu' and 'escape' keys, and context-sensitive menus that make navigation fast and easy
 Premium call management features such as smart dialling, conference calling, speed dialling, and call forwarding

 Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialling (VAD), dedicated 'send', 'end', and 'mute' keys, speakerphone, and Bluetooth® support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals
 Support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tones
 A large, ultra-bright 240x260 colour display that brings images to life
 An innovative light-sensing technology that automatically sets the screen, trackball and keyboard backlight levels for optimal viewing in outdoor, indoor and dark environments
 64MB built-in flash memory, expandable via microSD expansion slot
 Support on BlackBerry® Internet Service - allows access to up to 10 personal and corporate email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts
 Support on BlackBerry® Enterprise Server– tightly integrates with Microsoft® Exchange, IBM Lotus® Domino® and Novell® GroupWise® environments and features a new set of IT policy controls that allow IT departments to administer camera and expansion memory usage.
 Support for popular instant messaging communities, including Yahoo!® Messenger and Google Talk™
The BlackBerry Pearl is available through Vodafone New Zealand from 15 November online at http://store.vodafone.co.nz/, at Vodafone retail stores or through your account manager.

About Vodafone

Vodafone New Zealand had a customer base of 2,100,000 customers, and a 55% share of the New Zealand mobile market. Vodafone New Zealand’s network covers 97% of where the population lives, works and plays.

Vodafone Group has equity interests in 27 countries and Partner Networks in a further 31 countries, with a proportionate customer base of over 179 million worldwide.

Vodafone is committed to improving the way we communicated, and has introduced many innovative new products and services to the New Zealand market, including TXT and PXT messaging, voice and data roaming, caller ID, wireless internet and Vodafone live! Our customers are now also able to enjoy 3G-enabled products and services including video calling, mobile television and full music track downloads.

About Research In Motion (RIM)

Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, mobile phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications.

RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM’s portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry® wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

ENDS

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