T-Mobile will next month begin shipping Research in Motion's latest Blackberry, the 8700, in the UK, marking the device's debut in Britain.

The cellco will offer the device as the 8700g. The machine is the first Blackberry based on an Intel processor - the XScale PXA901 - and includes 64MB of Flash memory and 16MB of SDRAM. Crucially, the 8700 supports the EDGE bandwidth-boosting extension to GPRS. It's also a quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) device. It's got a 320 x 240, 65,536-colour LCD, along with Bluetooth to support headset and data-synchronisation connections.

Orange was first to bring the 8700 to Europe, pitching the 8700f to French buyers in November 2005. Earlier this month, RIM and Spain's Telefónica Móviles said the cellco would offer the 8700g in February. Vodafone Spain will also offer the machine, as the 8700v. Orange said it would bring the 8700 to other European nations, including the UK, early in 2006. ®