A night of BlackBerry
MANILA, Philippines – Research In Motion (RIM) invited trade partners and customers to witness the Philippine launch of its latest smartphones the BlackBerry Torch and the BlackBerry Curve 3G.
The BlackBerry Torch features a combination of a large touch screen, optical trackpad and backlit slide-out BlackBerry keyboard. It is the first BlackBerry smartphone to launch with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system that retains the trusted features of the BlackBerry brand while delivering a rich experience that’s powerful and easy to use. It has a redesigned interface and includes expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds, and provides integrated access to BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), Facebook, Twitter, among others. Its enhanced multimedia experience rivals the best in the industry and includes a dedicated YouTube app. BlackBerry 6 also integrates a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully.
The BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone features a comfortable full-QWERTY keyboard for fast, accurate typing, optical trackpad for fluid navigation, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi for flexibility and dedicated media keys for music-lovers. The new smartphone also features a camera that can record video and a microSD/SDHC slot that supports up to 32GB memory card for media storage. Support for 3G networks makes browsing faster, streaming music smoother, and gives users the ability to talk on the phone while they browse the web or instant message with BBM.
The launch was held at the NBC Tent. Guests included Tony Award and Laurence Olivier Award winner Lea Salonga, “Mr. Pure Energy” Gary Valenciano with his son Gab, Donita Rose, Janice de Belen, Aiko Melendez, Sherilyn Reyes, and Jean Garcia, models Phoemela Baranda, Mikaela Lagdameo-Martinez and Jon Avila. 
RIM flew in regional celebrities Eunice Olsen, best known locally as the host of AXN’s The Duke to play serenades with her piano against varied ambient video environments, and Erika Chen, an accomplished artist who creates beautiful images using sand and light.
RIM also offered guests the chance to take home the brand-new BlackBerry Torch smartphones with a quiz game segment challenging contestants with a diverse selection of world trivia and demanding time limits.
