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Canadian carrier Rogers Wireless became the second carrier in the world, after Cingular Wireless in the United States, to announce support for Research In Motion's latest BlackBerry handheld, the 8700.

Cingular calls its model the 8700c, while Rogers' model is not surprisingly named the 8700r. The 8700r has a darker color scheme than the 8700c (see image below). Otherwise, the specifications of the handhelds are the same.

RIM says the GSM/GPRS BlackBerry 8700 is a completely re-engineered device. It is the first RIM handheld to support high-speed (for cellular) EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) wireless networking, delivering average data exchange speeds of 135 kilobits per second (kbps).

The 8700 series uses a 312 MHz PXA9xx XScale processor, the result of a previously announced deal between RIM and Intel. At the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) 2005 trade show in San Francisco last month, the companies said RIM would turn to Intel microprocessors for its next generation of BlackBerry handhelds. The 8700c is the first of these devices.

It runs on 64 MB of flash memory and 16 MB of RAM. At 4.3 x 2.7 x 0.77 inches (110 x 69.5 x 19.5 millimeters) and 4.7 ounces (134 grams), the 8700 is slimmer, more compact and lighter than earlier BlackBerry models.

Additional 8700 series hardware includes RIM's signature 35-key QWERTY thumb-keyboard plus a QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) resolution display that supports over 65,000 colors. RIM says the BlackBerry 8700 incorporates intelligent light sensing technology that automatically adjusts both the LCD and keyboard lighting to provide an optimized view in outdoor, indoor and dark environments.

Call management features for the quad-band GSM/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) handset include “send,” “end” and “mute” keys plus a speakerphone, smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing and call forwarding. There's Bluetooth for connecting to wireless headsets.

For corporate users - as with past RIM handhelds - there's BlackBerry Enterprise Server to integrate with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise. The server also works with existing enterprise systems to enable secure, push-based, wireless access to e-mail and other corporate data. Enterprise customers can also use BlackBerry MDS for secure, wireless access to other back-office applications.

For individuals and smaller businesses, Rogers offers BlackBerry Internet Service, which allows customers to access up to ten supported e-mail accounts from a single device.

Rogers plans to ship the BlackBerry 8700r for $500 (Canadian) with a 3-year service agreement.