As mentioned last week in a previous post, BlackBerry loyalists, who now use cell service for voice calls and e-mail, soon will be able to access wireless LANs and public Wi-Fi hotspots for e-mail and Web browsing, as well.
The BlackBerry 8820 will be available overseas in the coming weeks and from AT&T in the United States later this summer.
Since the BlackBerry 8820 – like the Apple iPhone – can only be used for Web access and data over Wi-Fi, it represents no immediate threat to Cingular/AT&T’s cellular voice business.
Nevertheless, AT&T has put the dual-mode wheels in motion and other cell carriers will be forced to get going with a technology that customers clearly want.
T-Mobile recently started a national rollout of a dual-mode service for consumers, HotSpot@Home, for the Nokia 6086 and Samsung t409 phones.
