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Taiwan Mobile and RIM Launch the BlackBerry Torch Smartphone in Taiwan


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First BlackBerry Smartphone that Combines Full Touch Screen Experience with Easy-To-Use Keyboard; First to Feature New BlackBerry 6 OS with Rich WebKit Browser and First with Chinese Handwriting Software

Taipei, Taiwan - Taiwan Mobile and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that the BlackBerry® Torch™ smartphone can now be pre-ordered by customers through Taiwan Mobile myfone stores with availability in early December.

Designed to satisfy the mobile needs of socially connected consumers and packed with the tools business customers love, the BlackBerry Torch smartphone is the world’s first smartphone to combine a BlackBerry® keyboard with a full touch screen experience. It is also the first to feature the new BlackBerry® 6 operating system and the first with Chinese handwriting software.

“Combining outstanding hardware design and the new BlackBerry 6 OS, the BlackBerry Torch is definitely a flagship BlackBerry smartphone and it will soon be available through Taiwan Mobile,” said Cliff Lai, Chief Operating Officer of Consumer Business Group, Taiwan Mobile. “This new smartphone tightly integrates the touch screen and BlackBerry keyboard capabilities, offering customer a brand new user experience. As RIM’s long time carrier partner in Taiwan, we are confident that the BlackBerry Torch will be a big hit with both consumers and professionals in the local market.”

“As part of the BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution, the BlackBerry Torch smartphone is a strong addition to the BlackBerry portfolio available from Taiwan Mobile for its enterprise customers,” said George Chou, Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise Business Group, Taiwan Mobile. “Taiwan Mobile is already addressing market demand and has deployed a number of value-added services with the BlackBerry solution for enterprise customers. For example, we have implemented an inventory management system for a famous food processing company, helping them gain instant access to product information and inventory status and simplifying the product catalog update process. We are also planning to introduce a mobile document approval system for the IT and bio-chemical industries, allowing enterprises to speed up workflow processes through mobile approvals. These customized services, combined with the BlackBerry solution’s renowned security and compression technology, is one of the best choices for enterprises to enhance operational efficiency.”

“The new BlackBerry Torch is one of RIM’s most important product launches in Taiwan. This powerful smartphone builds on the industry-leading strengths of the BlackBerry platform with an elegant handset design that offers top-of-the-line features,” said Norm Lo, Vice President of Asia Pacific, Research In Motion. “With its new operating system, including an enhanced user interface and rich WebKit browser, the highly anticipated BlackBerry Torch smartphone delivers smoothly integrated and uncompromising capabilities. We are very excited to bring the BlackBerry Torch to customers in Taiwan.”

The new BlackBerry Torch smartphone features an exciting combination of a large capacitive touch screen, optical trackpad and a backlit slide-out BlackBerry keyboard. It also offers support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks around the world, includes the latest generation in Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) connectivity, and features built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. Its 5 MP camera takes exceptional pictures with continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes and zoom, and it also supports video recording.

BlackBerry 6
The BlackBerry Torch comes with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system 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.

BlackBerry 6 integrates a new and rich WebKit-based browser on BlackBerry Torch 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, pinch to zoom for easy navigation and a zoom feature that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements (simply double-tap on the BlackBerry Torch).

BlackBerry 6 also 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™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), Facebook®, Twitter™ and various messaging applications available on the BlackBerry Torch smartphone. Its enhanced multimedia experience rivals the best in the industry and includes a dedicated YouTube app.

Universal search allows users to search through email, messages, contacts, music, videos and more on the smartphone, as well as extend search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World™.

Chinese Handwriting
The BlackBerry Torch is the first BlackBerry smartphone that comes with Chinese handwriting software. Users simply write on the screen to enter Chinese text. The software even provides suggestions for different Chinese phrases, making input faster and easier. Users can also write English, symbols and numbers within the same interface.

Pricing and Special Promotion
The BlackBerry Torch smartphone is expected to be available through Taiwan Mobile at a standalone price of NT$19,990 in early December. Individual customers who subscribe to Taiwan Mobile’s Myzone rate (NT$968) and BlackBerry 990 service plan (NT$990) will be offered the BlackBerry Torch smartphone free-of-charge*.

Taiwan Mobile is now accepting pre-orders of the BlackBerry Torch smartphone through nationwide myfone stores. The first 1,000 pre-order customers will receive BlackBerry Torch accessories, including a BlackBerry® Leather Pocket, limited edition battery door, screen protector and BlackBerry® Micro-USB Vehicle Power Adapter.

Taiwan Mobile offers a range of BlackBerry smartphones. For more information on BlackBerry products, pricing and service plans, please contact Taiwan Mobile myfone stores or the customer service hotline at 0809 000 852. For enterprise subscription, please contact Taiwan Mobile’s enterprise customer service hotline at 0809 000 809.

* Terms and conditions apply; please contact Taiwan Mobile for details.

About Taiwan Mobile
Taiwan Mobile Co., Ltd. (TWM) is a leading telecommunications company in Taiwan, with 30 percent of the market share, more than 6 million customers. It was incorporated in the Republic of China on February 25, 1997 and was the first non-state owned company to receive a GSM 1800 license.

TWM was the first private telecommunications company to go public and the first wireless operator to launch 3G services using Wideband Code-Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology.

To maximize customer value, TWM is committed to the era of digital convergence and dedicated to provide the “Quadruple-Play” services across mobile, fixed-line, cable TV, and broadband. Looking ahead, TWM will continue to strengthen its competitiveness to become the most reliable telecom operator in Taiwan. For more information, please visit www.taiwanmobile.com.

About Research In Motion
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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