New BlackBerry smartphone to hit U.S. market

Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of Research in Motion, smiles after talking about the messenger capabilities of the new BlackBerry 10 at the BlackBerry Jam Americas conference in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012. (AP / Eric Risberg)

TORONTO - A new BlackBerry smartphone is headed to stores later this month, but it'll look especially familiar to most users.

Research In Motion (TSX:RIM) says it will launch the BlackBerry Curve 9315, a slightly updated version of the keypad phones already on the market.

The launch is exclusively through U.S. carrier T-Mobile, with a release date set for Jan. 23.

The phone runs on RIM's existing BlackBerry 7 operating system.

The company is putting the finishing touches on its BlackBerry 10 operating system and a new slate of touchscreen and keypad smartphones that are expected to hit stores early this year.

The updated phones are considered by industry observers to be a last ditch effort by RIM to recover its eroding market share in key markets like North America and Europe.