A brand new, exclusive BlackBerry handset has been developed through a partnership with manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) and the fashionable folks at Porsche Design.

The BlackBerry P9981 is being introduced initially in the Hong Kong market, but could eventually make an appearance overseas if it proves to be popular amongst high-end users.

Since the P9981 is a BlackBerry under the skin you still get the full physical QWERTY keypad you would expect from other models in this family. However, the beautiful metal frame, angular chassis and unique leather carry case are all on hand to make the phone look and feel very special indeed.

Porsche Design spokesperson Dr. Juergen Gessler said that the P9981 is in keeping with the ethos that has driven the group over the years, with luxurious elements on the outside disguising the power and performance which resides under the skin.

Since the BlackBerry P9981 is unlikely to be available in the kinds of numbers that will make it widely used, RIM is making sure that some of its products do get mass market appeal thanks to the announcement that Angry Birds Space is launching for the BlackBerry Playbook tablet this month.

Angry Birds Space is the major follow-up to the multi-million selling franchise that helped propel developer Rovio into the spotlight. While it launched recently for Android and the iPhone, a Playbook iteration was initially rumoured but confirmation was not given.

With 60 levels and an entirely reworked physics engine which is based on the pull of gravity surrounding planets in space, the new Angry Birds title looks even better on the larger, more detailed seven inch display of the Playbook.

For the moment it is not possible to get Angry Birds Space from the BlackBerry App World store if you have a mobile handset. This is because the Playbook runs a custom operating system not shared with its smaller siblings. However, given the success of this franchise it is likely that the developer is working on a port for standard BlackBerry models like the Bold and Curve ranges.

Although RIM has been struggling somewhat at the upper end of the mobile market, it looks like its latest model to emerge will be aiming to please those customers located in developing countries where the high end handsets are prohibitively expensive.

The BlackBerry 9220 has recently had its price announced ahead of a launch in India, where it will sell for the equivalent of around $210 (£130). This is the lowest price point for any new BlackBerry device released so far, which indicates the lengths that RIM is going to in order to court emerging markets.

The Curve 9220 will echo the way a typical BlackBerry deals with things like connectivity, email and web browsing, with a full physical QWERTY keypad and all the trimmings. Its 800MHz processor will make it a little less powerful than its contemporaries, but this is all necessary in the name of keeping the price low.