BlackBerry Curve 8900 lands at Rogers

Rogers today has quietly launched its version of the BlackBerry Curve 8900. Appearing ahead of schedule, the QWERTY smartphone is known to be arriving in stores and in its Canadian guise should support Rogers' Talkspot service, which lets the phone use its Wi-Fi for UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) calling that automatically transitions to and from VoIP and the cellular network. The phone is considered a smaller, budget alternative to the Bold with EDGE-only cell data but the same 480x320 screen, GPS and software features as its 3G counterpart.

The phone has yet to appear online but is priced at $180 on a three-year plan that includes both voice and data. Shorter two-year and contract- free terms should price it at $500 and $550 respectively.

An AT&T Curve 8900 is expected soon but may not surface until early next year. [via BGR]