Alltel Wireless annouced today it is now carrying the BlackBerry 8703e.

It's available from Alltel for $249.99 after a $50 rebate mail-in. This price is available to new Alltel customers who sign two-year agreements as well as eligible current customers on qualifying rate plans.

The device will run on Alltel Wireless' Axcess Broadband network, which offers average data speeds of 400 to 700 Kbps with maximum speeds of up to 2.4 Mbps. Current Alltel markets meeting that standard include Cleveland, Charlotte,
Tampa and Phoenix.

The carrier says that "numerous additional cities" will be added in the next several months. For those markets not yet on line (or on air, I guess a better way of putting it would be), the BlackBerry 8703e operates seamlessly on Alltel's Axcess MobileLink 1xRTT network with average data speeds of 40-70 Kbps with bursts up to 144 Kbps.

Additionally, Alltel says that their BlackBerry 8703e's will be preloaded with Handmark Pocket Express and TeleNav GPS Navigator.

Alltel Wireless and mobile software developer and distributor Handmark say that Pocket Express services are now available on Alltel Wireless BlackBerrys.

Pocket Express delivers an assortment of content news, weather stock quotes, sports, weather, movie reviews, directory services and the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Alltel, which has more than 11 million wireless customers, sells the BlackBerry 7130e for $199.99 following a $300 instant rebate, and the BlackBerry 7250, for $149.99 also after a $300 instant rebate.

Dobson Cellular, which has service in 16 states, has begun carrying the BlackBerry 7130g.

Obligatory happy talk:

"The BlackBerry 7130g is an exciting addition to our BlackBerry product line, providing all the benefits of BlackBerry to users who prefer traditional phone-style designs," Dobson Cellular Systems Chief Marketing Officer Tom Roberts, said in a statement. "We expect this new handset will appeal to both our business and individual users looking to stay in touch and productive through an all-in-one mobile solution."

Alltel Wireless is implementing a solution in which field salespeople and service personnel can use their BlackBerrys to accept credit cards.

The solution includes a point-of-sale solution called MobileCharge from wireless applications developer Mobile Vision, along with a magnetic stripe reader and printer from mobile hardware and ecommerce solutios provider Infinite Peripherals.

The Alltel solution works on the BlackBerry 7130e and the BlackBerry 7250 (and on the Palm Treo as well, should you happen to care).

Gotta love that name SeaMobile. Not only does the corporate name reflect their Seattle base (which in turn gets it name from Chief Seattle, not the sea) nd the fact that SeaMobile is now enhancng its StayConnected brand ships-to-sea communications services.

SeaMobile made that step forward this week when they bought Miramar, Fla.-based Maritime Communications Network. MTM is a provider of satellite-based broadband communications and networking for the maritime industry.

"SeaMobile saw a strategic opportunity to combine the wireless and satellite expertise of the world's leading maritime communications companies to completely change the way travelers communicate at sea," said William Marks, CEO of Seattle-based SeaMobile, in a statement. " Cruise travelers can take their own cell phones, BlackBerry devices and laptops, read their hometown newspaper, watch live TV, access bank accounts through onboard ATMs and much more." 

How would you like BlackBerry access on the high seas?

Well, if you are Silversea Cruises announced this week that it will be adding phone and BlackBerry hot spots throughout two of its ships later this year, and will have them on all their ships next year.

The new service is now available onboard Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper, and will be expanded to be available on the line's other two ships, Silver Cloud and Silver Wind, in the coming months. The service will work with either GSM or CDMA handsets.

Ultra-chic Silversea is doing this via a partnership with SeaMobile, a global provider of advanced-at-sea wireless voice and data communications services.

Yes, I am impressed- but isn't the purpose of a cruise to get away from it all?

NTELOS is a telecommunications service provider that serves customers in six states from its base in Waynesboro, Va.

The company now says that they are starting to offer the BlackBerry 7250 to its customers in parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and North Carolina.

So how much for the BlackBerry 7250?

Two Year Contract:  Retail Price $499.99, Discount $200.00, discounted price $299.99.

One Year Contract: Retail Price $499.9, Discount $120.00, discounted price $379.99.
 
 
  

Canadian landline and wireless provider TELUS has now added Ottawa to its list of metropolitan areas equipped for its branded TELUS mobility Wireless High Speed service.

Among other BlackBerry products, TELUS carries the BlackBerry 7250 and the BlackBerry 7130e, both of which can be made compatible with Wireless High Speed.

The BlackBerry 7250 lists for $549.99 with no service contract to as low as $99.99 for some three-year TELUS service contracts. The BlackBerry 7130e ranges from $249.99 for some three year contracts up to $549.99 for the unit alone.

SunCom Wireless is a Charlotte, N.C.-based, digital wireless communications services provider to to consumers in the Southeastern United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Today, SunCom Wireless and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion announced the availability of the BlackBerry 8700g at all approximately 800 SunCom Wireless stores.

I'd love to include the price but I don't see the BlackBerry 8700c up for sale on the SunCom site just yet.

I've been to the British Columbia ski mecca of Whistler several times. Even went there in the summer of 1999 with my then-girlfriend The Marpet (a.k.a. "HeyMarpet").

Even took this pix from inside a Whistler ski lift.

That was a millennia ago, but in this millennia- one in which the 2010 Winter Olympic Games ski competition will be held in Whistler, the resort has a significantly higher profile.

A profile which, no doubt, has convinced Canadian telecommunications provider TELUS to introduce Wireless High Speed service to Whistler.

Announced today, the service will be compatible with the BlackBerry 7130e just released by TELUS earlier this week. In between sessions on the slopes, or even on the ski lifts, Whistler-visiting BlackBerry 7130e users who are TELUS customers will also be able to use the device to connect their laptops to the Web over TELUS' High Speed Network.

Atlanta-based cell carrier SouthernLINC Wireless today announced plans to offer BlackBerry devices and services to customers in the Southeast.

"BlackBerry has become a must-have for anyone on-the-go, which is why we're so pleased SouthernLINC Wireless's relationship with RIM will enable us to offer this exciting technology to our more than 300,000 customers," said Bob Dawson, president and CEO of SouthernLINC Wireless. "What's more, it's a tool that will appeal to every user segment SouthernLINC Wireless serves including public safety entities, businesses and consumers."

No word yet on model(s), pricing and availability.

In a new Forbes.com "Lifestyle Feature" entitled "Sold On These Cell Phones," writer Glenn Denene makes an interesting point.

He says that since most cell phones are alike, people generally know how to use them and advancements will be somewhat equally spread across competitors and most people who want a cell already have them, carriers are placing a greater emphasis on keeping the customers they have.

"So as the potential number of new subscribers diminishes and the effort to grow the coverage area of the networks nears completion, service providers are beginning to focus more on customer retention and technological innovation," Denene writes. "To that end, most providers have acknowledged their abysmal customer service records and are investing heavily in both manpower and technology to improve customer retention and satisfaction."

I don't know if I fully agree. Do you, readers?

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion and Little Rock, Ark.-based wireless services provider Alltel have announced that Alltel is now carrying the BlackBerry 7130e.

The device operates on Alltel's Axcess Broadband EV-DO network which supports Internet access at speeds up to 2.4 Mbps.

The BlackBerry 7130e is available in Alltel retail stores for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement. That price is based on a $200 instant rebate off the $499.99 list price.

Customers who add a postpaid voice calling plan when purchasing the BlackBerry 7130e receive unlimited data service for $44.99 per month. The unlimited data plan includes national data roaming at no extra charge when using the 7130e.

Dobson Cellular serves some 1.55 million wireless customers in 16 states.

Today, Dobson and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion announced the carrier would start offering the EDGE-enabled BlackBerry 8700g.

I looked on the Dobson site this morning and don't see the 8700g up there yet. But given that the announcement was made today, I'd expect the 8700g to be in the Dobson sales channel within a week or so. Probably sooner.

 

Not only is Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Joey Galloway a big BlackBerry fan, but he appeared at a "thumb therapy" promotional event held Tuesday at an Alltel store in near Tampa yesterday.

Galloway said he sends and receives a constant stream of text messages among his agents, friends, family and fellow players. He often talks on his cell phone and text messages at the same time.

An 11-year National Football League vet from Ohio State, Galloway, 34. said he barely remembers a life before text messages.

And no, he hasn't injured his thumb on his BlackBerry. But he has on the field. Those bruising tacklers, ya know...