T-Mobile posts BlackBerry Pearl 8220 to online store, not yet available
By Will Park on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 7:15 PM PST In BlackBerry, T-Mobile
It’s a small step, but a step forward nonetheless, for flip-phone fans looking for a clamshell BlackBerry handset. T-Mobile, long expected to be the official launch-carrier for Waterloo’s first BlackBerry flip-phone, has finally posted the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 flip-phone on their web-store. The BlackBerry Pearl 8220 is still “coming soon,” according to T-Mobile, but it’s good to see T-Mobile giving consumers an official sneak-peak at the first-ever clamshell BlackBerry handset.
The BlackBerry Pearl 8220 features a bright and crisp internal LCD display that should measure up to even BlackBerry Bold-standards. And, with a 2 megapixel camera and microSD slot, the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 will satisfy that multimedia-fix you’ve been craving.
As we noted from CTIA SF 2008, the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 is both solid-feeling and well-balanced in the hand. The BlackBerry Pearl 8220 also feels (and looks) a lot slimmer and portable than pictures of the clamshell BlackBerry might lead you to believe. The recessed trackball “pearl” takes a little getting used to, but quickly becomes comfortable and easy to use in navigating through the BlackBerry Pearl 8220’s menus. The SureType keyboard will take some getting used to, although, we’re not fans of the two-letter-per-key setup.
The BlackBerry Pearl 8220’s WiFi radio, as we mentioned earlier, will allow the new flip-phone to work with T-Mobile’s HotSpot @Home UMA service. And, when in reach of a WiFi hotspot, the Pearl 8220 will surf the mobile web with abandon. Unfortunately, the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 is limited to EDGE-only data speeds on T-Mobile’s wireless network. Power users are going to want to look elsewhere for their push-email needs, but if sub-3G data speeds are more than enough for your needs, the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 will likely suit you just fine.
T-Mobile should go live with the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 in the near future. Look for an affordable price-tag to accompany RIM’s inaugural flip-phone. The T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearl 8220 will launch in your choice of understated Red or business-friendly Black.
T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearl 8220
