Right ahead of CTIA WIRELESS 2008, Verizon Wireles announced the May availability of BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone, RIM's smallest and lightest full-QWERTY smartphone.

The phone measures only 4.2" x 2.4" x 0.6" and weighs only 4 ounces, but it has a 320 x 240 display, with light sensing technology that automatically adjusts brightness for optimal viewing in outdoor, indoor, and dark environments.

RIM has included in the BlackBerry Curve 8330 features like noise cancellation technology to offset background noise, Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), dedicated "send,""end," and "mute" keys, low-distortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth 2.0.

Nevertheless, the new phone can be also a source of entertainment thanks to its 2.0 megapixel camera with enhanced flash and 5X zoom and its advanced media player. BlackBerry Curve 8330 can store up to 8 GB of files thanks to its support for MicroSD/SDHC memory cards.

Packaged in a liquid silver-colored finish with chrome highlights, smooth edges and soft curves, the BlackBerry Curve 8330 is backed by Verizon Wireless' high-speed Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) network.

The smartphone is supported by BlackBerry Internet Service that gives customers access to up to 10 supported POP3 and IMAP personal and corporate e-mail accounts, including most popular ISP e-mail accounts.

The BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone will be available for $269.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.