New BlackBerry to go on sale in S. Korea

Research In Motion Ltd. began receiving pre-orders for its latest BlackBerry smartphone on Monday in a bid to challenge the success of the Galaxy smartphones and the iPhone in the country's vibrant wireless market. Thinner than any of its predecessors, the new BlackBerry 9900 will be officially launched on Sept. 19 via South Korea's largest carrier SK Telecom, according to the Canadian handset maker. The latest BlackBerry model will be available through an array of retail channels from a leading online social commerce site to brick-and-mortar stores. Ticket Monster Inc., the country's most-visited online daily deal site, said it started receiving pre-orders through its Web site but is not offering half-priced discounts. LivingSocial agreed last month to buy Ticket Monster pending regulatory approval. The new gadget from Research In Motion features a slim body at 10.5 millimeters thick and is powered by the Canadian company's updated operating system that helps run programs at a faster speed.