We were all expecting it and it was just a matter of time, but thank God RIM has decided to finally make things official with the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220.
Yup, they got rid of the Kickstart name and opted to go with the less flashy and familiar Pearl name instead. So, aside from the clamshell form factor, what can you expect from the Pearl Flip 8220? The standard full QWERTY SureType keypad is obviously there as well as an external display, 320x240 internal display, 2-megapixel camera with flash, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, and microSD/SDHC card support. It will be available in the US this fall exclusively at T-Mobile and, while there is no confirmation yet, we believe that Rogers will be the one to sell it with the usual 3-year lock-in period of course.
Personally, while some have criticized the clamshell design, I think its a good implementation that will capture a particular segment of the market that RIM has alienated through the years with their choice to stick it out with one form factor. How about you guys? Does the Pearl Flip live up to your standards or does RIM get a failing mark on this one?
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