Rumor
has it Verizon Wireless will become the next U.S. carrier to offer RIM's first clamshell smartphone, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip. This is supposed to happen sometime this summer.
Unlike T-Mobile, which has been the exclusive provider of the Flip since launching the handset launched last September, Verizon is a CDMA/EV-DO carrier. That means a Verizon version of the Flip would rely on EV-DO Rev. A technology for 3G connectivity, a gain over the T-Mobile model, which has no 3G whatsoever. It appears, however, that the Verizion edition will drop the T-Mobile Flip's Wi-Fi technology.
The Flip is more consumer-orientated than many other RIM smartphone models. And, at 3.9 x 1.9 x 0.7 inches, it is relatively compact. The flip is designed to cradle the face naturally during phone calls.
It features two high-resolution color displays. Messages, Web pages and videos are displayed on the large -- internal -- 240 x 320 pixel resolution screen, while the external display allows users to preview incoming messages and calls without opening the handset.
The Flip also sports an improved Web browser over earlier BlackBerry models that is capable of displaying Web pages in column or page view. It gives users the option of viewing pages in desktop-style HTML content or the mobile version.
As with past BlackBerry Pearl models, the Pearl Flip integrates a keyboard/keypad hybrid supported by RIM's SureType technology. A keyboard system that now includes better word completion, in addition to a spell checker and a user-customizable dictionary.
Additional features of the Pearl Flip include DataViz Documents to Go for reading and editing Microsoft Office files, RIM's BlackBerry Maps application, a microSD slot for storage expansion, and a media player with support for RTSP for watching online streaming video. There's also Bluetooth 2.0 for use with hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals, such as a GPS accessory.
The removable/rechargeable 900 mAhr battery specs out for four hours of talk and over 14 days of standby time.
