Verizon and RIM announce Blackberry 8703e

The Blackberry 8703e, the CDMA version of the 8700, has been officially announced today by RIM and Verizon Wireless. The device has EV-DO support and features a 65k color 320x240 display and full QWERTY keyboard, as the latter two incorporate a light-sensing technology that automatically adjusts the brightness levels according to the surrounding lighting conditions. Of course, as a Blackberry device it offers push e-mail support but it can also act as a modem and provide Internet access to a laptop.

The BlackBerry 8703e will be available with Verizon Wireless at a price of $349.99 with a two-year contract beginning on September 17.