BlackBerry Curve outsells iPhone 3G: Is it the best RIM series yet?

NPD's smartphone market research ranked Research in Motion's BlackBerry Curve (8300 series) as the best-selling smartphone for the first quarter of 2009. The device outsold Apple's iPhone 3G, thanks in part to its equal availability on all four major United States carriers and aggressive promotion from the Canadian smartphone company.

RIM has also been careful to offer exclusive devices to each carrier, such as the Verizon-exclusive BlackBerry Storm, which was also the third place best seller in the first quarter of the year, according to NPD. T-Mobile's exclusive BlackBerry, the Curve 8900, will be showing up on AT&T over the summer, the phone company said this weekend.

AT&T's BlackBerry Curve 8900 will be, judging by the brief information provided by the wireless carrier, identical to its T-Mobile counterpart. It is not a 3G device and will rely on EDGE and Wi-Fi for data, the display is 480 x 360, the onboard camera is 3.2 megapixel, and the microSD/SDHC slot supports cards up to 32 GB. So far, it looks to be the same phone.

The device has not yet received an official price, but T-Mobile sells its version of the 8900 for $149.99 after subsidies and rebates.

With the BlackBerry Curve 8300 now the top-selling smartphone series, the move to branch out the 8900's availability is well-chosen. The device shares the familiar BlackBerry style, and a similar price point.