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Alltel's RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip with be the first CDMA version of the phone.

(Credit: RIM)

On Thursday, Alltel announced that it will begin offering the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 starting in early May. Alltel's Pearl Flip is the first CDMA version of the smartphone (a GSM model has been available on T-Mobile since October 2008) and will go for a very reasonable $79.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates.

The Pearl Flip, of course, is the first BlackBerry to have a clamshell design and has a 2.25-inch, 240x320-pixel internal display and a SureType keyboard. Features include built-in GPS, a 2-megapixel camera, a full HTML Web browser, stereo Bluetooth support, and a microSD/SDHC expansion slot, among other things. We'll take a closer look at the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 when we get it in for review.

T-Mobile Shadow II

(Credit: Phone Scoop)

In recent months, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint have done a pretty good job updating its smartphone lineups, but T-Mobile seems to be lagging in this area. Aside from the T-Mobile G1 and the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip, we haven't seen anything new and there are some aging Windows Mobile smartphones that need refreshing, namely the T-Mobile Shadow, T-Mobile Dash, and the T-Mobile Wing. Well, it looks like at least one of those devices will soon have a replacement.

Phone Scoop spotted the T-Mobile Shadow II on FCC's Web site Tuesday, complete with specifications and a draft user manual. As expected, the Shadow II gets updated with Windows Mobile 6.1 and has a faster processor. The smartphone also sports rounded edges but keeps the slide-out keyboard and 2.6-inch, nontouch QVGA display. Other features include integrated Wi-Fi, a 2-megapixel camera, a microSD expansion slot, quad-band world roaming, and possible support for T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service. No official word yet on availability or pricing.

(Credit: T-Mobile)

A short, but sweet, news bulletin for BlackBerry fans: on Wednesday, T-Mobile announced the immediate availability of the red RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphone. It joins the black version, which has been on sale since October 13. You can get either colors for $149.99 with a two-year contract. The Pearl Flip is the first BlackBerry to sport a clamshell design. For more information, read our full review of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220.

The RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120 now comes in frost to match the season.

(Credit: T-Mobile)

It's officially fall. The leaves are changing colors, and apparently, so are the colors of smartphones. Just one day after Sprint announced two new colors for the Palm Centro, T-Mobile introduced three fresh hues for the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120.

Available immediately, you can now get the Pearl in emerald black, indigo, or frost, in addition to the current titanium offering. All versions will cost $149.99 with a 2-year contract and will include integrated Wi-Fi, a 2-megapixel camera with video recording, instant-messaging clients, and a microSD expansion slot. To learn more about the smartphone, please read our full review of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120.

It's been quite a year for Research in Motion. In 2008, the company has unveiled its premiere touch-screen BlackBerry, the RIM BlackBerry Storm, as well as its first clamshell model, the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220. While it didn't draw quite the oohs and ahhs of the Storm or the , there are still plenty people of who really like the flip-phone design. In fact, according to RIM, about 70 percent of the cell phone-owning population in the United States have clamshell phones, which is why the company wanted to provide this option to customers and now you can have it.

On Sunday, T-Mobile announced the immediate availability of the Pearl Flip 8220 for $149.99 with a two-year contract. Admittedly, the overall design of the BlackBerry Pearl Flip isn't the flashiest, but it is functional. Plus, there's plenty to like inside the device. Check out our full review of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 to get all the details.

It's not the RIM BlackBerry Storm or the BlackBerry Bold, but it looks like the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 might be nearing its release date. Early unboxing videos and photos of the smartphone have started appearing on the Web, including those from the Boy Genius Report and PhoneDog.com, complete with T-Mobile packaging, so we'd say you'll see this sooner rather than later.

If you'll recall, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 was announced at CTIA Fall 2008 and is the first BlackBerry with a clamshell design. T-Mobile will be the first U.S. carrier to offer the model, and though we can't say much right now, rest assured that a full review is coming soon. In the meantime, you can check out our First Look video of the Pearl Flip from CTIA.

Palm Treo Pro

On Monday, we reported on some rumors that Best Buy would offer the RIM BlackBerry Bold (in addition to AT&T) after the Boy Genius Report site posted some screenshots of the retailer's computer system showing an October 26 in-stock date for the smartphone.

Well, it seems BGR has uncovered more information that suggests Best Buy will also carry the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, the Palm Treo Pro, and the T-Mobile G1.

According to the story, the red BlackBerry Pearl Flip and the Palm Treo Pro will be available on October 26, though you can actually buy the Treo Pro now from Palm's Web site. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip has been confirmed for T-Mobile, but we've yet to hear an official availability date. As for the carrier's other big release, the T-Mobile G1 will also be in stock at Best Buy on the same date, but won't go on sale to the public till November 16. No word yet on pricing.

RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8220

(Credit: RIM)

While the fall CTIA show isn't really known for handset announcements, Research in Motion paid no mind and started the show off with a bang by introducing the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 on Tuesday night. While much of the attention has turned to the rumored BlackBerry Thunder as of late, the Pearl Flip 8220 shouldn't be forgotten, as it's the first BlackBerry to sport a clamshell design.

The flip phone, which comes in black or red, measures 3.9-inches high by 1.9-inches wide by 0.6-inch deep and weighs 3.5 ounces. It features a 65,536-color, 128x160 pixel external display and front-facing 2-megapixel camera, while you get a 65,536-color, 240x320-pixel TFT display on the inside. As part of the Pearl series, you get the SureType keyboard (groan) and trackball navigator. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 also comes equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack and an external microSD expansion slot.

Moving onto features, the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE) Pearl Flip 8220 offers true world roaming, a speakerphone, smart dialing, and background-noise cancellation. Wireless options include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support. There's no GPS, but the BlackBerry Maps application is onboard to at least provide you with maps and text-based directions.

Supported e-mail solutions include BlackBerry Enterprise, Microsoft Exchange, IMB Lotus, Novell GroupWise as well as POP3 and IMAP4 accounts. There's also an attachment viewer for Word, Excel, PowerPoint files, PDFs, and JPG images.

(Credit: RIM)

When you're done working, you can enjoy MP3, WMA, AAC, MPEG4, WMV, and other music and video formats with the built-in media player. In addition, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 has a 2-megapixel camera with flash and video-recording capabilities.

In all, there aren't a whole lot of surprises, as the smartphone keeps very much in line with the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120. Research in Motion was a little vague as to release date, but it will be offered by carriers worldwide sometime this fall and the company did confirm that T-Mobile will be one of the U.S. carriers. No word on pricing.

Now, here's the question: Will the flip-phone form factor work for BlackBerry? There's only been a handful of smartphones to come in the clamshell design, such as the Pantech PN-820, but they never seem to really take off. Will the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 be any different?

Q: I need to replace my Palm Treo 650. Here's what I need. I need the organizing/calendar as well as contacts features. It needs to be a quad-band phone; have a screen similar in size to the Palm 650; a camera so it can record video clips and photos. It also needs to send text messages with photos attached and a QWERTY keyboard.

I'd buy another Treo, but I hear that Windows Mobile 6 works really slowly and is unreliable (at least on the Palms). I've also heard that Treo keyboards tend to die (like mine has). I've definitely ruled out the BlackBerry Pearls. Have I heard wrong about the Treos and/or Windows Mobile? What else is out there that fits my demanding feature list? Thanks greatly! -- thracker11 via e-mail

(Credit: Microsoft)

A: I'll be honest (and I don't think I'm in the minority here), the Windows Mobile operating system has its fair share of problems. It's not the most intuitive OS in the world, and it has a checkered past of stability issues and slow performance. So thracker11, you have reason for concern. That said, I feel like Microsoft has made strides in improving the OS.

Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Mobile 6.1 brought a number of enhancements, such as a Getting Started menu for quicker device configuration, a more robust Microsoft Office Mobile Suite, and new app shortcuts, that improved overall usability. In my opinion, performance has been more stable, but there's still some of that sluggishness that plagues the WinMo devices. The delays aren't so crippling that it prevents you from working, but it can be frustrating. Still, no operating system is perfect, and Windows Mobile offers plenty of good points as well, particularly for the business user, so don't discount it.

As for a Treo 650 replacement, I've listed some of my recommendations below based on your requirements. And a quick note on the Treo's keyboard. I haven't really heard that the Treos' QWERTY keyboards die quickly; I'm not sure how long you've had your Treo 650 but the model is at least three years old so it just may be a normal wear and tear. I'd also like to invite my readers to share any of their recommendations or Windows Mobile success/horror stories. After all, you're the ones using these devices day in and day out.

My picks:

AT&T Tilt
Palm Treo 680
T-Mobile Wing
Nokia E71
Samsung BlackJack II