BlackBerry Curve 8900 intros 1st in Germany

RIM today chose to introduce the BlackBerry Curve 8900 through T-Mobile Germany, marking a rare non-North American debut for one of its phones. The device is closely related to the Bold and carries the same extremely sharp 2.4-inch 480x360 display, GPS mapping and Wi-Fi as its high-end cousin but drops 3G support in favor of slower EDGE. In exchange, the device is both smaller and carries a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocusing and flash.

The phone also has a relatively quick 512MHz processor and a microSDHC slot that supports at least 16GB of storage.

Shipments start quickly and will see the 8900 arrive on the German network in mid-month. A two-year contract will see the phone cost just short of 5 euros ($6.20) on a qualifying plan, while a contract-free model will cost 360 euros ($453). North American releases have yet to be detailed but should include AT&T and will likely bring the updated Curve to T-Mobile USA as well.