Research In Motion (RIM) and Orange UK today introduced the BlackBerry 8820 smartphone to the UK market.

The new smartphone features RIM’s thinnest handset design with a full and highly tactile QWERTY keyboard, large ultra bright landscape display, user-friendly trackball navigation system and best-in-class voice and data functionality.

The BlackBerry 8820 also includes built-in GPS (Global Positioning System), RIM’s latest media player enhancements, and a microSD / microSDHC (microSD High Capacity) expandable memory slot that can support the current and future generations of microSD memory up to 32GB.

The BlackBerry 8820 is the first dual-mode BlackBerry handset combining EDGE/GPRS/GSM cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity for data access and voice support through UMA (unlicensed mobile access) for fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) offerings, making it fully compatible with Unique, the innovative converged service for business customers from Orange. By offering a single handset that switches seamlessly between Wi-Fi and GSM networks, Unique offers users a solution to make use of home office Wi-Fi network coverage and allows business customers to use one device for all their calls – whether at home, on the road or in the office.