Bharti Airtel and Research in Motion (RIM) today unveiled the newest member of the BlackBerry Curve series- the BlackBerry Curve 8520.

The slim smartphone, touted to bring ease-of-use to email, messaging, social networking, music and entertainment while on the move, is slated to release on 7 August, at an uncharacteristic price of Rs. 15,990.

“It has been our commitment to introduce innovative and cutting edge technology to our users and we are delighted to be the first to introduce the new BlackeBerry Curve 8520 smartphone to all Airtel users at an aggressive price of Rs. 15,990,” said Raghunath Mandava, Chief Marketing Officer, Mobile Services, Airtel.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 represents the Canadian phone maker’s first offering with dedicated media keys, which are incorporated along the top of the handset, replacing the classic trackball navigator with a touch-sensitive optical trackpad.

Additionally, it also offers powerful multimedia features, useful applications to help users stay organized and productive, full HTML browsing and seamless Wi-Fi support.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 measures 109 mm x 60 mm x 13.90 mm (L x W x D) and weighs 106 grams (including battery).

Departing from its trademark black color, the BlackBerry Curve 8520 will be available in five different colorful skins.

Available to both postpaid and prepaid customers, Airtel’s prepaid customers can access unlimited emailing experience on the smartphone at a monthly rate of Rs. 299.

“RIM is delighted to introduce the new BlackeBerry Curve 8520 in India with Airtel. With its combination of industry-leading messaging capabilities, consumer-friendly features and Airtel’s aggressive marketing support, we are confident that the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 will help appeal to a much wider audience of customers in India,” said Frenny Bawa, Vice President, India, Research in Motion.

Meanwhile, maintaining a strict silence over the impending BlackBerry Applications stores in India, Bawa said, “Whenever it’s ready to launch, we will announce it. I am happy to announce to you that we are actively recruiting application experts in India.”

Speaking to TelecomTiger about the company’s plans towards the rural segment of India, Bawa added, “It is definitely not a segment that we will ignore. It’s very important to us. My colleague from Airtel talked about the fact that six to eight months ago we sold BlackBerry in 9 cities and have now moved on to 60 and then to 100 cities. Coupled with a focus on expanding our distribution, we will get to the rural areas.”