That BlackBerry 8980 (Atlas) we saw in the Spring alongside the flip BlackBerry 9670, has been sitting in the FCC since September, as we found out. The interesting thing here, though, is that it is most probably hitting China Mobile, despite the fact that it has Wi-Fi onboard (which Chinese officials usually scoff at), and it supports only EDGE connectivity.
We've been waiting for this handset to be announced officially for a year now under the Atlas nickname, and the rumors were that it was meant for Verizon at first. How did it end up with China Mobile branding, only RIM knows. The other key features of the device should include a 3MP camera with LED flash, 480×360 display, A-GPS, a 624 Mhz processor, and 256 MB of memory, as well as a microSD card slot. Not exactly deserving the Atlas moniker, but BlackBerry 8980 sounds mysterious enough.
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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