BLACKBERRY UNVEIL LATEST SMARTPHONE

Research in Motion on Monday unveiled its latest BlackBerry smartphone with new styling and technology that aims to bite into Apple's juicy iPhone sales.

Called the "BlackBerry Bold," it is the first in the handset series to run on high-speed HSDPA networks and comes with integrated GPS, Wi-Fi and a "rich set of multimedia features," the Canadian-based firm said.

As such, users can faster download email attachments, stream video or render web pages. As well, its added processing power allows the BlackBerry Bold to run more sophisticated business software, said RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario.

In the United States, BlackBerry mobile devices, which combine telephone, email and Internet capabilities, have long been strongest among business users.

"The new BlackBerry Bold represents a tremendous step forward in business-grade smartphones and lives up to its name with incredible speed, power and functionality, all wrapped in a beautiful and confident design," said RIM president Mike Lazaridis in a statement.

The new BlackBerry smartphone, which will also allow users that manage their music collection with iTunes to sync with it, will be offered worldwide in the coming months, the company said.

Some 14 million people around the world use RIM's BlackBerry....CNA