'Berries are sweet ...
will Putin bite?

Research in Motion Ltd., parent company of the Blackberry mobile phone, has partnered with carriers Mobile TeleSystems OJSC and Vimpel Communications to bring the device to Mother Russia in '08.

The Globe and Mail observes Russia's population of 140 million is currently enjoying a booming economy. The country also led European online adoption growth in a recent survey. However, wireless carriers will only be able to import 2000 Blackberries in its debut year.

Concerns about convincing the Federal Security Service of the phone's data security has been one obstacle to the 'berry's migration into Russia.

In July, Research in Motion introduced the Blackberry to China. This followed an eight-year battle for the right to enter the country.