Research in Motion (RIM) will launch its BlackBerry 8820 in the US in the next few months. This will be RIM's first dual-mode smartphone and the thinnest with a full keyboard. Apart from its push e-mail software which allows customers to access their e-mail on their wireless devices in real time, this BlackBerry 8820 also features Wi-Fi and GPS satellite navigation. This phone will compete with the Apple iPhone in the US.

RIM President and Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said "Hats off to Mr. (Steve) Jobs for growing the whole industry. We all knew the smartphone market was growing. Some of us believe that eventually all phones will be smartphones. I think what the iPhone announcement did was that it just accelerated the public's awareness and acceptance of a smartphone." on Tuesday night at RIM's annual shareholder meeting in Waterloo, Ontario.