RIM goes flipping crazy with the new BlackBerry Pearl

Davey Winder
Wednesday, 10 September 2008 15:57

Your IT - Mobility

Is it not more accurate to talk in terms of smartphone users, need my email phone users, just want to talk users, doubles up as an iPod users?

"You can send a message to your friends or family, make a call, browse the web, snap a picture, watch a video or listen to your favorite song" the RIM press release proudly announces.

And? The waiting world responds.

Yes, the Pearl Flip is small-ish at 3.9” x 1.9” x 0.7” and weighing 3.6 ounces. Yes it is a quad-band EDGE phone. Yes it has dual colour displays.

Yes it does the BlackBerry thing. No, it does not excite me like the iPhone excites me, like the Nokia N96 excites me.

"The BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone is a top of the line mobile phone that flips open and cradles the face naturally and comfortably during phone calls" counters the press release.

If 'it cradles your face' makes it onto the marketing sheet for a smartphone, then you just know there could be trouble ahead.

I would have concentrated more on the microSD/SDHC clot for up to 16GB of media storage, the sync with iTunes facility, the 2MP camera. OK, maybe not the camera but certainly the built-in WiFi with support for unlicensed mobile access.

Availability and pricing have not yet been announced, although you can see what a Pearl Flip looks like here.

The big question is, would you want one?