Sprint nabs BlackBerry Curve 3G with price hike to $49.99

Just a day after RIM announced the new BlackBerry Curve 3G headed to Verizon Wireless, Sprint reveals that it has one of its own - but with a higher price?

Also known as the 9330, the Curve 3G will retail for $49.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and with the signing of a new two-year service agreement. Users get to choose between graphite gray and royal purple exteriors. Compare that to Verizon's version for $29.99 with the same requirements.

[Image Gallery: BlackBerry Curve 3G]

An interesting point in the fine print is that the Curve 3G on Sprint requires the buyer to pick up either the Everything Data plan or a Business Advantage Messaging and Data plan. The former is actually quite a deal (if you're already going to go that route) because for $69.99 (not including taxes and surcharges) per month, the subscriber gets unlimited calling, text messaging, 3G usage, and MMS over any network.

Thus, it depends how much you really plan to be on the smartphone. Unless you never look up from the screen (and you're not already tied to Sprint), the Verizon version still sounds like a more affordable option.