The BlackBerry Pearl 8220 runs neck-and-neck with the Storm for the title of "most leaked RIM device of 2008," but for what it's worth, T-Mobile is just now getting around to announcing a date and price for the most fliptastic phone in Waterloo's ever-expanding lineup. That's good news -- but perhaps the best news is that the launch date just happens to be today (for one of the two available colors, anyhow). The black version of the 8220 will be appearing online and in T-Mobile stores today, while the dark red will be following on a week later on Monday, October 20. Both will run $149.99 on a two-year contract.

We've been toying around with the black 8220 for a few days now, and our emotions are mixed. With WiFi, support for T-Mobile's HotSpot unlimited calling service, a 3.5mm headphone jack, 2-megapixel cam with flash, support for microSD cards up to 16GB, and everything that makes a BlackBerry a BlackBerry, there's little question that it's got some horsepower under the hood, but there are a couple odd personality quirks that we'd personally have a tough time getting used to. First off -- something we first noticed when we played with it at CTIA last month -- the keys are completely flush and tucked up next to one another, making it nearly impossible to type confidently (of course, we weren't huge fans of SureType to begin with, so experts might have an easier go of it). Along the same vein, the trackball is deeply recessed, so your thumb is constantly rubbing against the chrome well surrounding the ball; not a dealbreaker by any stretch, but annoying after a while. On the plus side, we think it's a pretty striking (albeit beefy) phone, the exterior display is both beautiful and functional, and we really think this is going to appeal to a whole bunch of folks who'd otherwise be considering a Pearl candybar. We'd once heard rumors that RIM and T-Mobile were going to try to launch this at a $50 price point, and by golly, if they could actually make that happen, they'd have a monster seller on their hands. Check out our hands-on shots in the gallery!

While many of you may be waiting for some other handset to launch on T-Mobile, BlackBerry addicts may very well be counting down the hours 'til this one lands on the aforesaid carrier. If we just rang your bell, chances are you'll be extremely interested in this here preview, which delivers a whole gaggle of photographs, a decidedly ho hum video (hosted after the break) of the Pearl Flip 8220 in action and a lengthy writeup explaining the ins and outs of RIM's first flip phone. As for highlights, this thing turns into a real monster (read: it's big) when opened, but when closed, it's a real looker. For more on the aesthetics (not to mention some shots beside a few other BlackBerry siblings -- Bold included), head on down to the read link and dig in.

There's no telling what sort of crazy behind-the-scenes negotiations had to take place in order for our good friend Boy Genius to get his hands on the very first retail T-Mobile-branded BlackBerry 8220 we've seen in the wild -- and let's be honest, the whole unboxing takes on a sexier tone when there's an element of intrigue to it, doesn't it? Mr. Genius flatly pans the thing for having a pair of awful screens and a prototype feel (despite the fact that he's got a final production unit), so odds are the Bold owners out there aren't going to be throwing fits of jealousy any time soon. To top it off, the contents of the box are about as exciting as flannel underwear (we guess it's cool that RIM saw fit to throw in a pair of headphones), so don't expect too much. At least it'll be available in a few colors, right?

T-Mobile USA's busy with... ahem, another launch at the moment, but Italians on TIM now have access to RIM's first and only clamshell (TIM, RIM? Coincidence?). The Pearl 8220 is ready for shipment to the Mediterranean villa of your choosing for 269 (about $372), though TIM's only offering black at the moment -- so maybe T-Mobile's taking so long because they have to prepare some specially formulated dyes for that red version. Or something.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

We've already known about burgundy and black versions of RIM's first flip, but silver? Sure looks like it from new images posted on Spanish site miblackberry.com, and frankly, we think it's the most flattering color combo we've seen to date. Then again, the phone is so frickin' huge in person that it could end up being a totally excessive amount of shiny, metallic plastic in your face when you crack it open -- but from the press shots, at least, color us impressed (pun intended). T-Mobile, any interest in this one, too?

[Via CrackBerry]

Don't go grabbing your plastic -- the darned thing isn't for sale quite yet -- but at least T-Mobile's giving us something to ogle on its site now with an official placeholder page for its Pearl 8220. The red shown on the site does a good job illustrating that it's toned down enough to pass as a business device, but for anyone still worried they're going to blind their coworkers, black should be available, too. It's not as deeply satisfying as an "In Stock" sign, but T-Mob's offering a link to preregister for the phone, which'll presumably give you first dibs when it launches in the next few weeks.

[Via Cell Phone Signal]

It's all very confidential -- the FCC has really clamped down on that of late -- but one diagram slipped through the filter, which seems to protray the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 in technical drawing fashion. There's literally nothing else to say about the thing, unless you're itching to hear the IMEI number off the FCC label, but with the FCC barrier out of the way, we could see the Flip landing at T-Mobile any week now.

We'll be honest -- KickStart just had a nicer ring to it, but we suppose Pearl Flip will do. RIM's long-awaited (and not-at-all veiled) BlackBerry flip phone has finally arrived, weighing just 3.6-ounces and boasting a 320 x 240 internal display, Bluetooth 2.0, built-in multimedia player, 802.11b/g WiFi and a SureType keypad. The battery promises four hours of talk time / over a fortnight of standby life, and while pricing and exact release details are still hush-hush, Americans can count on seeing it "this fall" exclusively on T-Mobile. In related news, RIM also announced support for AIM / ICQ on all BlackBerry smartphones, though it's only available for USers at the moment. Feast your eyes on the links below for more, more, more.

Read - BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 release
Read - AIM / ICQ for BlackBerry
Read - BlackBerry Flip dedicated site

Not that you won't be able to buy this thing from carriers here shortly, but there's just nothing quite like being the first on your block to own a new handset. For those with cash to burn and an insatiable desire to play with RIM's forthcoming Kickstart 8220, look no further than eBay. Up for auction right now is an unlocked version of the aforesaid mobile, but it looks as if the final bid will end up well over a grand. Good luck (being patient).

[Via CellPhonesMarket, thanks ghengis]

Along with the all-new form factor will come an all-new -- well, kinda new -- software build for RIM when it releases the BlackBerry Pearl (or KickStart, or whatever the hell they decide to call it) 8200 series later this year. The most fliptastic of the Pearls will join the Bold in sporting BlackBerry OS 4.6, and shots are surfacing of what exactly that'll look like once it gets grafted onto T-Mobile's WiFi-equipped 8220 model. As one might expect, it looks like it's taking a lot of UI cues already seen and enjoyed on the Bold with the usual T-Mobile twists added in like myFaves support; in particular, we're loving the insanely slick stopwatch display. Too bad we'll use it... oh, never. Cell Phone Signal likes October for the 8220's release, which runs the risk of burying it beneath the Dream -- maybe that rumored $50 out-the-door price can move a few, though. That, or overflow once the Dream stock dries up.

Okay, pretend you had absolutely no inclination that this so-called KickStart was real. Surprise! E-tailer expansys has spoiled RIM's thunder (no silly, not that Thunder) by posting up detailed product pages for both the BlackBerry 8220 (WiFi) and BlackBerry 8210 (GPS). The current specs list points out a 2.6-inch 320 x 240 primary display, 160 x 128 pixel secondary display, 2-megapixel camera (with LED flash), video recording and a microSDHC slot. There's no price or release date listed for either, but at least you can shelve those worries of this thing never making it to market.

[Via Cellpassion]

Read - BlackBerry 8220
Read - BlackBerry 8210

We've been calling the KickStart "KickStart" for so long now, it's going to be awfully difficult to call it anything else -- even if it's just another name already in RIM's toolbox. Cell Phone Signal seems to have stumbled across some sort of internal documentation that suggests that the first BlackBerry flip on the market will go by the "Pearl" name, an admittedly logical choice considering its seemingly consumer-oriented slant. As we've heard before, there'll be both GPS (8210) and WiFi (8220) versions on tap; the document actually indicates that only the 8220 will go by Pearl, we'd be hard pressed to believe that they'd break it up in such a nonsensical way. But seriously, RIM, think twice about ditching the KickStart moniker, yeah?

Sure, you've read the KickStart 8220 preview and seen plenty of snaps, but video is still the only way to demonstrate some features of a device. Especially when it's not yet available in shops. Fortunately, Kevin Michaluk over at CrackBerry put together almost 9-minutes of moving pictures demonstrating two-handed Suretype thumbing, the 8220's more deeply inset trackball, and slick OS 4.6 action. He even went head-to-head with the iPhone 3G to demonstrate the KickStart's Internet browser. But enough with the words eh, video after the break.

The Bold is still stealing the overwhelming majority of RIM's spotlight at the moment for a handful of pretty good reasons: one, it's actually been announced; two, it's 3G; and three, it falls in line with the traditional (and loved) BlackBerry form factor. Lurking in the shadows, though, is the KickStart, RIM's very first flip phone, and a device that could end up making a huge splash if it actually manages to launch at the sub-$50 price point that's been making the rounds on the rumor circuit. CrackBerry got a way-early peek at the 8220 version of the device, which follows RIM's typical naming convention by packing WiFi while an 8210 will hold up the GPS side of things (seriously, RIM, how hard can it be to do both?), and overall it seems that the R&D team did its homework from the quick impressions. The SureType keyboard is huge and apparently quite easy to use without making the phone excessively large, though the trackball rests deeper in the shell making it a bit trickier to operate -- you win some, you lose some. The QVGA display is said to be just shy of Bold quality (which is a compliment, considering the killer screen on the Bold), and it's always hard to argue with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Come on, T-Mobile, let's make this happen.