We’ve got a guest post from Thusenth about an important new feature in our latest OS update. Read on for more – Ed.

It’s no secret that BlackBerry® smartphones are known for their security. It’s baked deep into our BlackBerry OS DNA, and many features of the BlackBerry smartphone experience can be customized and managed by BlackBerry® Enterprise Servers and their administrators.

You might not think it obvious, but one segment of customers that can benefit from BlackBerry security are teens – they may even be children – with phones provided by their parents or guardian. You can see the parallels here with the Enterprise market – IT is now mom, and the Enterprise user is now little Jimmy.

If you provide a BlackBerry smartphone to a teen or child, you may want to set limits on what features or services your child has access to. We see there’s an opportunity here for us to leverage our expertise in security and manageability to help parents.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »

Hey #TeamBlackBerry, we’ve got someone we want you to meet –- the newest member of the BlackBerry® Curve™ family of smartphones! We’re very proud to present the BlackBerry® Curve™ 9320, a stylish new smartphone for the socially-connected. I’ve got my hands on one of these smartphones right now, and I wanted to give you the heads up on three things you should know about this new BlackBerry Curve smartphone:

Style meets practicality

The first thing I noticed was just how well the BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone fit in my hand, and how good it looks at the same time. If you’re someone who’s really into messaging and social networking this BlackBerry smartphone is a wise choice. You get the best in class QWERTY keyboard for easy typing, a dedicated button for BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) — !!! — and it’s available in multiple colors so you can express your personal style. (Note: Please check with your carrier for color availability.)

Next Generation BlackBerry 7.1 OS

After you turn the BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone on and start it up, you’ll notice that it’s running BlackBerry® 7.1 OS. It gives you a smooth and fast BlackBerry smartphone experience, which I noticed most while I was browsing the web. The new OS adds features like Mobile Hotspot (Wi-Fi® sharing), which allows you to connect up to five additional devices*. It also has FM radio so you can tune into your favorite local radio stations.

Peace of mind at your fingertips with Parental Controls

For you parents out there considering the purchase of a smartphone to stay in touch, rest assured that your child or teen can safely use their BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone to have fun while giving you peace of mind thanks to new parental controls. With Parental Controls, you have the ability to limit or restrict certain phone numbers, and various social networking apps.

Well, there you have it: three things you should know about the BlackBerry Curve 9320. It’s designed to make messaging and accessing social networks incredibly easy, it’s running the latest BlackBerry OS, and it features handy parental controls for peace of mind. I think this may just be one of the best BlackBerry Curve smartphones for someone who is considering their first smartphone.

Pricing and availability of the BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be announced in conjunction with RIM’s distribution partners. For more information please check here.

Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

* Mobile hotspot feature may require an additional data plan. Please check with your service provider.