Presale BlackBerry 8220 up for auction

Rogers (NYSE: RCI) has already announced it, but maybe you just can’t wait to get your hands on RIM’s latest and greatest leap in form factor: the flip BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Pearl. Bids are around $455 right now, which isn’t nuts considering the device will be going for $150 on a 3-year plan when it’s released in Canada, but might not be worth it when you consider RIM tends to lock down pre-release devices that are in the public’s hands (one of the many perks of funneling all device traffic through their own servers). The device is unbranded and unlocked, so no hints on any carriers other than Rogers or T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) carrying it.

Overall reactions have been mixed on the device, which isn’t surprising considering your average diehard BlackBerry user will scoff at anything shy of a full-on QWERTY keypad, and guffaw outright at a flip form factor. However, there are those hip high school kids who are all about incessant wireless communication, and if anyone can handle that, BlackBerry can – it’s just a matter of packaging.

[via BlackBerry News]