SlashGear

We knew it was coming, but today RIM made it official with the announcement of their very first Wi-Fi BlackBerry phone, the 8820. The new phone will be compatible with 802.11 a/b/g wireless networks.

The great thing about the wireless capabilities of this phone is that it supports UMA, which essentially allows it to switch calls between the cellular network and a Wi-Fi connection. (Think T-Mobile’s HotSpot @Home service) In addition it will also have built-in GPS, so you’ll never be lost.

The BlackBerry 8820 is a quad-band phone that operates on GSM/GPRS and EDGE networks. You’ll get multimedia functions such as music and videos with and expandable microSD card slot. The phone has not been given an official launch date, though it is said to be released later this summer.

The First Dual-Mode Cellular and Wi-Fi BlackBerry Smartphone [via SlashPhone]