RIM finally comes clean with BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220

We'll be honest -- KickStart just had a nicer ring to it, but we suppose Pearl Flip will do. RIM's long-awaited (and not-at-all veiled) BlackBerry flip phone has finally arrived, weighing just 3.6-ounces and boasting a 320 x 240 internal display, Bluetooth 2.0, built-in multimedia player, 802.11b/g WiFi and a SureType keypad. The battery promises four hours of talk time / over a fortnight of standby life, and while pricing and exact release details are still hush-hush, Americans can count on seeing it "this fall" exclusively on T-Mobile. In related news, RIM also announced support for AIM / ICQ on all BlackBerry smartphones, though it's only available for USers at the moment. Feast your eyes on the links below for more, more, more.

Read - BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 release
Read - AIM / ICQ for BlackBerry
Read - BlackBerry Flip dedicated site

[latinoedge @ Sep 10th 2008 12:58AM]

Do you think these will be in demand, given non flip phones have become the tread

[hungry @ Sep 10th 2008 12:56AM]

ok that's DISCUSTING I'm not even hungry anymore and carpal tunnel anyone

[gad get @ Sep 10th 2008 4:28AM]

Are you 8 years old, or what?

[Jon Samuelsson @ Sep 10th 2008 1:03AM]

ABOUT FUCKING TIME FOR A PROPER AIM APP

Sorry about the caps :]

[gad get @ Sep 10th 2008 4:30AM]

Well, to be honest, it wasn't exactly the most offensive aspect of your post.

[)law( @ Sep 10th 2008 1:09AM]

i wonder if there going to come out with a pearl neckalce model hehe but on a serious note this would be nice for the teen or tween crowd. I dont think many business people would use this but thats the arm chair analyst in me speaking.....

[hungry @ Sep 10th 2008 1:11AM]

Ehh iPhone testing sucks u need a wide phone to text

[tom @ Sep 10th 2008 1:11AM]

Just a heads up for everyone, Rogers in Canada is selling this for $199 on a 3 year. Friends south of the border should be able to get it for the same price on 2 years?? (my guess)

[Montusama @ Sep 10th 2008 1:12AM]

I think flip phones are still in "style" but most of them are rich in features like the slider and candy-bar counterparts, maybe this will start a new trend with "smart flip phones"....might even have me change providers if i wasn't in a damn contract... with a provider that doesn't use GSM

[tom @ Sep 10th 2008 1:12AM]

TROLL ALERT!

[hungry @ Sep 10th 2008 1:15AM]

@tom
Who me or ierik

[tom @ Sep 10th 2008 1:19AM]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/09/palm-now-happy-to-take-your-549-for-a-treo-pro-preorder/#comments

-Read comments

[giantenemycrab @ Sep 10th 2008 1:19AM]

Sorry, how much is "over a fortnight of standby life"?

[stealth658 @ Sep 10th 2008 1:20AM]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fortnight

Two weeks.

[)law( @ Sep 10th 2008 1:22AM]

fortnght=14 days

[generally @ Sep 10th 2008 1:22AM]

"The battery promises four hours of talk time / over a fortnight of standby life"

I like the word "fortnight".

[)law( @ Sep 10th 2008 1:23AM]

damn *fort night

[hungry @ Sep 10th 2008 1:26AM]

ok ierik and I wonder what the outside looks like thickness etc

[hungry @ Sep 10th 2008 1:29AM]

how does that trackball feel on your face?

[hungry @ Sep 10th 2008 1:29AM]

how does that trackball feel on your face?

[Gav @ Sep 10th 2008 2:26AM]

This thing is ugly. They've taken the styling of the Bold, then ruined it with this weird form factor. I'm sure, if they left out a few of those features, like Wi-Fi, they could have had a much sleeker device.

[gad get @ Sep 10th 2008 4:40AM]

RIM's not into this whole sacrificing features for skinniness thing.

[jay.viz @ Sep 10th 2008 10:34AM]

I am very glad they included wifi. This will be my next phone if wmwifirouter or joikuspot make their way to the platform.

[pcgecko85 @ Sep 10th 2008 2:41AM]

damn, the AIM feature uses a data plan. Why can't it just use texts? =(

[wild bill @ Sep 10th 2008 4:31AM]

I bet that would fit nicely jammed in my ass

[XenoX101 @ Sep 10th 2008 11:50AM]

This looks like the kind of phone that girls and teens would love for its small size, texting capabilities and potentially cheap price. Just curious as to how easy it is easy to type on that keyboard.

[Alex Padilla @ Sep 10th 2008 2:43PM]

Great to finally see it officially announced. The only problem is that it's not on AT&T and it's not 3G. That's disappointing.

[paul @ Sep 11th 2008 5:10AM]

Flip-phone eh, nice.

If it was 1995, this thing would be way up on my list.

zzzzzz.

[engadget @ Sep 11th 2008 9:41PM]

I'm excited about it this phone for a number of reasons... I hate soap-bar phones, where you're constantly having to lock and unlock the keypad, etc. The current Pearl has tiny little keys that I just don't find comfortable for texting - the 8220 looks much more spacious. Both screens on the phone look great and I love that you can review texts without even opening the phone. Lastly, my house is in a dead spot for cell coverage - I don't live in the boonies, half a block away you get 4-5 bars, I'm simply in a bad spot - and the wi-fi capability sounds like the answer to my constant issues with receiving calls when I'm at home. I can't wait to check it out in person.

[gavin @ Sep 15th 2008 1:54AM]

ohhhh the irony!!!!
i want the bold so badly, but it's supposed to be exlusive to at&t in the states (for at least a few years), but i can sure thank t-mobile for bagging this piece of crap rip off, bulky, cousin to the pearl, which i already own!!!
so no thanks, i'll stick with my 8100, and buy an unlocked bold off of ebay or something ¬.¬