So the wait is over! Some of you may not be excited for this, but I think it’s time to look forward to new devices, even if we feel the design isn’t trendy and is based on something we don’t like.  The BlackBerry Style 9670 is RIM’s first flip phone BlackBerry with a QWERTY keyboard.  Today RIM and Spring have announced it officially.  Below are some spec highlights of the device:

• 5MP camera with flash, autofocus and support for video recording
• Available in Royal Purple and Steel Grey colors
• External high resolution display (240 x 320), internal high resolution display (360 x 400)
• Dual Band CDMA/EVDO Rev. A; CDMA 800; CDMA 1900
• Built-in GPS and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
• 512 MB Flash, microSDHC memory card slot (up to 32 GB)
• BlackBerry App World pre-loaded
• BlackBerry 6
• Graphical, context-sensitive pop-up menus and crisp visuals
• A robust WebKit browser for efficient browsing with support for tabbed browsing
• Redesigned core apps and new apps for downloading podcasts, watching YouTube videos, and integrating RSS and social networking feeds

The BlackBerry Style 9670 will be available for Sprint exclusively and launched officially on October 31st.  The going price will be $99 after rebates.  You can read more about the Style at sprint.com/bbstyle.  Alternatively, hit the jump for the full press release.

OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS and WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Oct. 18, 2010) – For the more than 100 million U.S. consumers who currently use a flip phone, Sprint (NYSE:S) and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced the much-anticipated BlackBerry^® Style™ 9670 smartphone. BlackBerry Style is an elegant, new flip smartphone featuring a full QWERTY BlackBerry^® keyboard, the new BlackBerry^® 6 operating system and a wide range of advanced communications and multimedia capabilities. It will be available in the United States only from Sprint beginning on Oct. 31.

The BlackBerry Style features a full QWERTY BlackBerry keyboard that makes email, messaging and real-time chats with BBM™ (BlackBerry^® Messenger) incredibly easy. It also comes with many advanced features, including a 5MP camera with flash and support for video recording, built-in GPS for location-based apps and geo-tagging, Wi-Fi^® for faster connectivity and extended data coverage, and an expandable memory slot for up to 32GB of additional storage.

“The beautiful and compact flip form factor on the BlackBerry Style smartphone makes it quite unique within the BlackBerry lineup,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development, Sprint. ”Customers will appreciate that the flip form factor is extremely easy to use for calls, and with a full QWERTY keyboard, it provides the same attractive features enthusiasts have come to expect from their smartphone. Also, with the enhancements available through BlackBerry 6, Sprint customers will love the new user interface and the enhanced Web browsing experience.”

The attractive new smartphone includes an optical trackpad for fluid navigation and boasts two large displays, an external screen for quickly viewing notifications and messages, and a high-resolution internal display that makes Web browsing or watching videos a pleasure. The BlackBerry Style smartphone will also be available in two fashionable colors – Steel Grey and Royal Purple.

“The flip form factor appeals to a very distinct but sizable set of consumers in the U.S., and we’re pleased to work with Sprint to bring this unique new BlackBerry smartphone to their customers,” said David J. Smith, vice president of Product Management, Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry Style smartphone is a feature rich, premium BlackBerry smartphone that makes the perfect choice for Sprint customers who love the flip form factor but want advanced smartphone features and a full QWERTY keyboard.”

First Sprint Smartphone with BlackBerry 6

BlackBerry 6 features a redesigned interface that retains the familiar and trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand, while delivering a fresh, approachable and engaging experience that’s powerful and easy to use. It includes expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds (Social Feeds) and provides integrated access to BBM, Facebook^®, Twitter™, MySpace™ and various instant messaging applications that are preinstalled on the BlackBerry Style smartphone.

BlackBerry 6 also integrates a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML Web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. It features tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, mouse-like navigation with the optical trackpad and a zoom feature that intelligently auto-wraps text in a column, while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements for easy viewing and navigation.

Universal search allows users to search through email, messages, contacts, music, videos and more on the smartphone, as well as extend searches to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World™. The BlackBerry Style also includes a preinstalled YouTube app and Podcasts app.

Worry-Free Pricing

The BlackBerry Style smartphone will be available nationally on Oct. 31 for $99.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement with activation on a Sprint^® Business Advantage Messaging and Data plan or Everything plan with data. Sprint’s industry-leading Everything Data or Business Advantage Messaging and Data plans include unlimited Web, texting and calling on the Nationwide Sprint Network to every mobile in America with Any Mobile, Anytime(SM). Everything Data plans start at $69.99 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges).

With the Sprint Free Guarantee, customers can take advantage of the BlackBerry Style smartphone for 30 days. If not completely satisfied, customers may return the device within 30 days to get reimbursed for the device purchase and activation fee, get both the early termination and restocking fees waived, and receive a full refund for the monthly service plan charges.¹

Sprint is also offering customers an opportunity to reserve the Steel Grey BlackBerry Style smartphone for purchase beginning Tuesday, Oct. 19, while supplies last. The Royal Purple BlackBerry Style smartphone will be available in November.

Customers can reserve their smartphone for purchase at www.sprint.com/bbstyle. Customers who reserve the BlackBerry Style smartphone will be able to complete their purchase beginning Sunday, Oct. 31, and must complete their purchase no later than 6 p.m. local time on Monday, Nov. 1. Through the reservation process, customers will be able to reserve their new BlackBerry Style smartphone online, pick it up in a Sprint Store and receive the full retail experience, including Sprint’s Ready Now service.

Application developers will have a chance to learn more about BlackBerry 6 at Sprint’s 10th annual developer conference. The Sprint Open Developer Conference, Oct. 26-28 in Santa Clara, Calif., is open to all attendees and will feature information on developing applications for a range of platforms, including BlackBerry 6. Developers can register for the conference at http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2010.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48.1 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. With its customer-focused strategy, you can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About Research In Motion (RIM)

Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry^® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ:RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

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