Conclusion: To Flip or Not to Flip?

The BlackBerry Pearl 8220 Flip is a truly sexy smartphone. Its modern, minimalist design is sure to draw stares—from men and women alike. But it also feels light and flimsy and the shiny black external display panel, the real focal point of its design, scratches easily.

The Pearl Flip also features a larger version of the SureType keyboard found on existing BlackBerry Pearl devices, and while the keyboard is admittedly better than those on older Pearls, it's still not as efficient as many of the full QWERTY keyboards found on RIM devices like the Curve 83xx and Bold 9000. Many tried and true shortcuts for BlackBerrys with full QWERTYs also don't work on the Pearl.

And the lack of a full keyboard and questionable durability mean the Pearl 8220's not an ideal smartphone for demanding businesspeople or power users.

But that's okay, because RIM has clearly shifted its enterprise-specific focus toward consumers over the past couple of years, and the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 Flip is the company's latest attempt to woo the non-business-oriented masses. And it's a valiant effort.

The current price of $150 with a two-year T-Mobile contract is a bit steep, but that cost may fall closer to $100 after the holidays. So while the most demanding businesspeople and advanced users won't likely want to rush to the mall to pick up RIM's latest gadget, you can bet lots of feature-phone-users looking to make the transition to a smartphone will. The flashy device might even steal away some would-be iPhone buyers.

BlackBerry Pearl 8220 Flip

Research In Motion (RIM)

Price:
$149.99 with two-year T-Mobile voice and data contract

Pros:
Beautiful design and form factor; compact; runs new BlackBerry OS v4.6; external display lets you view new messages without opening the device; microSD slot supports up to 16GB external memory; Double the amount of flash memory as earlier Pearls; T-Mobile Fave 5 Plan and HotSpot@Home save valuable wireless minutes.

Cons:
Feels somewhat flimsy and breakable; external display scratches easily; at $149.99 with two-year service contract, a bit pricey; no full QWERTY keyboard; no 3G; no GPS; LCD screens are noticeably pixilated; doesn't come with carrying case/holster; micro USB cord renders mini USB cords from older BlackBerrys useless; ships with only two themes.

  BlackBerry Pearl 8220 Unboxing Image Gallery >>