U.S. Cellular Adds to its Smartphone Portfolio With the Launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9650 Smartphone

CHICAGO, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- U.S. Cellular today announced that the BlackBerry® Bold™9650 smartphone will be available online and in U.S. Cellular stores beginning Aug. 18. This much-anticipated smartphone is stylish and feature-rich, satisfying customers' needs to stay connected with their business and personal email, Internet and social networks, all on U.S. Cellular's nationwide 3G network. The BlackBerry Bold 9650 can be used around the world; it supports high-speed EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America, as well as UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad.

"When you combine the BlackBerry Bold with our industry-first programs such as Overage Protection and Battery Swap, our customers can have a powerful smartphone with a unique wireless experience," said Edward Perez, vice president of sales and marketing operations for U.S. Cellular. "The international voice and data capabilities of the BlackBerry Bold give our customers options while traveling for business or with their friends and families."

With its combination of quality, performance, functionality and entertainment features, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 appeals to both professionals and consumers. Customers can view videos and pictures on the brilliant 2.4-inch HVGA+ display and browse the Web at fast 3G speeds. The 3.2 MP camera features auto-focus and takes high-quality pictures that can easily be shared on popular social networking sites. Plus with a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards, customers have plenty of storage to take their music, pictures and videos with them wherever they go. And of course, customers get the convenience and reliability of BlackBerry email and access to instant messaging services like BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™).

Customers can use the BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone's built-in Wi-Fi® to connect to the Internet over wireless hotspots at home or on the road, and the built-in GPS along with BlackBerry® Maps offers step by step directions and easy searches for local points of interest. The full-QWERTY keyboard makes typing fast and comfortable and the optical trackpad allows fluid scrolling through menus and icons.  

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 includes easy access to a range of U.S. Cellular applications such as My Contacts Backup, Tone Room Deluxe and Your Navigator Deluxe. Thousands more applications are available on BlackBerry App World™, making it easy for customers to personalize their phone to suit their style.

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 ships with BlackBerry® 5 and is BlackBerry® 6 ready. BlackBerry 6 is a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones that was announced earlier this month.  It retains the trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh and engaging experience that is both powerful and easy to use. BlackBerry 6 is expected to be available for the BlackBerry Bold 9650, subject to certification by U.S. Cellular, in the coming months. For more information about the BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone, visit www.blackberry.com/bold.

About U.S. Cellular

The 9,000 associates of U.S. Cellular believe a wireless phone enhances people's lives and a wireless company should be in the business of bringing people together. U.S. Cellular has a wide range of monthly plans, including those with unlimited nationwide calling, unlimited free incoming calls and options to prepay. The company has a growing catalog of phones like the BlackBerry® Bold, the touch-screen LG Tritan and HTC Touch Pro 2 and the Android-powered Samsung Acclaim and HTC Desire, which offer e-mail and Web access. Those features are delivered 10 times faster over U.S. Cellular's 3G Mobile Broadband network. U.S. Cellular believes in the power of the community and has made a commitment to invest more than $4.5 million in teachers and schools during 2009 and 2010. Based in Chicago, the company serves 6.2 million customers across the country. To learn more about the company visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. You can also check out U.S. Cellular on Facebook.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.

SOURCE U.S. Cellular