Telecommunications services provider Sprint has kept its promise and has launched an inexpensive version of the BlackBerry Curve 8530, the latest Curve variant in a series of popular smartphones.

The debut price of the device has been set at a mere $50, bundled with a 2 year Sprint contract and $100 mail-in rebate. Most of the smartphones, especially on the day they are launched, actually cost much more than this.

Customer looking to buy the BlackBerry Curve 8530 for Sprint, the Curve 8530 can pick one up from Sprint. com, the carrier's retail outlets and through business channels.

The BlackBerry Curve 8530 is the latest version of RIM's popular Curve smartphone line, which is the company's most popular range of devices. With an updated and sleeker design, the phone is equipped with the latest BlackBerry OS 5.0, a full QWERTY keyboard and a QVGA display.

With the launch, Sprint has joined Verizon as the other network offering the Curve 8530, only the latter charges about 50% more than its competitor.