Digicel and M3 Wireless have both announced the launch of their new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone, the smallest BlackBerry smartphone yet, for customers in Bermuda.

The new handset, which will be available in Digicel's stores throughout the Island in the coming weeks, includes a number of top-of-the-line features, including the latest industry-leading BlackBerry e-mail, messaging and social networking capabilities.

M3 Wireless, which last month launched its new BlackBerry Social data plan offering unlimited instant messaging and social networking for $7 per month, is expected to be available in early September.

The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone measures less than two inches wide and weighs 3.3 ounces, with support for high-speed (UMTS/HSDPA) networks, Wi-Fi and GPS along with a processor that drives images on its sharp, high-resolution display.

It also features an optical trackpad for smooth navigation, dedicated volume and media keys for added convenience, a 3.2 MP camera with flash for quality pictures on the go, and support for up to 32 GB of personal content.

Digicel Bermuda director of marketing Shane Mora said; "Digicel prides itself on delivering the latest technology to its customers and is once again leading the way with the launch of the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G."

"Bermudians love using BBM and will love the elegance and compact design of the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G," said Lloyd Fray, CEO of M3.

"In fact, the latest State of ICT study from the Ministry of Energy, Telecommunications and E-Commerce shows that almost one third of people in Bermuda use BBM. With the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G and BBM on M3 Wireless, people can stay instantly connected anywhere."

The other major player in the Bermuda wireless services market, CellularOne, also offers BlackBerry products.

Rick Costanzo, managing director, Latin America, Research In Motion, said: "More and more people are upgrading from a traditional cell phone to a smartphone and the BlackBerry Pearl 3G is an ideal choice for people who are looking for a powerful 3G handset with a rich feature set and ultra-sleek design."