It looks like a BlackBerry, feels like a BlackBerry, however, it is not a BlackBerry.

Lookalike BlackBerry phones have leaked into the Jamaican mobile market and are creeping into the hands of several consumers.

These phones, which are made in China, bear a striking resemblance to the BlackBerry which is developed by the Canadian company, Research in Motion (RIM).

THE STAR recently found a number of stores in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, that are selling the lookalike instruments.

At first glance, one would automatically assume the phone to be a BlackBerry. However, further inspection shows the phone does not display the BlackBerry trademark nor logo. Although the phone resembles the BlackBerry, it does not possess its software functions.

The BlackBerry 9500 or Storm is sold for $34,750 on Digicel's post-paid package and $27,800 on the pre-paid. LIME sells the same phone for $63,995 post-paid and $69,495 pre-paid. The lookalike BlackBerry Storm can be purchased for $25,000.

not aware of it

When THE STAR contacted Digicel about the instrument, the company's corporate affairs manager, Jacqueline Burrell-Clarke, said she was not aware of it.

"... It is important that customers are not only aware of these phones, but they should also be aware that these devices are not compatible with the BlackBerry services provided by Research In Motion, the makers of BlackBerry," said Burrell-Clarke.

LIME's Vice-President of Corporate Communications, Errol Miller, told THE STAR he recently heard about the devices but was unable to talk much about its impact on the market.