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.

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.

A pretty believable roadmap for upcoming BlackBerry devices on Rogers has surfaced, and by and large, we're looking at a whole bunch of good news here. First, let's start out with the best: the rumor that Canadians will be able to pick up their Bolds before the month of July is out is still holding strong, with this particular document suggesting that the 25th will see an official announcement followed by in-store availability on the 29th. Next, the KickStart -- RIM's first flip -- should make an appearance in the second half of September, and finally, the Javelin is targeted for the tail end of the year in late November or early December. Happily, this is one of those rare situations where it looks like we'll be getting the good stuff (read: the Bold) first, since the Javelin's rumored to keep 3G out of the equation.

We could tell by looking that RIM wouldn't think of charging too many hundies for its still unannounced BlackBerry KickStart, but $49.99? CrackBerry has it that said flip phone will be selling at T-Mobile for a penny under $50 on a two-year contract, which certainly seems smart given the competition. 'Course, we've nothing to substantiate this with just yet, but take one more look at that chubby side and tell us this thing deserves a triple digit price tag. That's right, you can't.

Seriously, RIM, at this point you might as well just announce the Kickstart flip phone and let us officially request something more than EDGE data, because this thing isn't exactly under wraps any more. The latest set of photos by our pal Mr. Blurrycam don't really reveal anything we didn't know apart from confirming that the Kickstart is still something of an ungainly beast -- especially when set down next to the Bold. Oh, and there's the first picture we've seen of the front 160 x 128 LCD display and 2 megapixel camera. Yeah, it looks like just every other flip phone with an external display and a camera -- but if you're a Berryman (or Berrylady), there's a couple more shots at the read link to keep you warm until this thing finally hits.

Don't be ashamed, you're out to get every last morsel of Kickstart goodness before RIM's first flip phone ever hits the market. On the docket today is a half dozen slides detailing the Flip Experience, essentially spilling the painfully mundane minutiae of how the handset will function while talking, receiving a text message, showing alerts and playing music. Nothing too mesmerizing or unexpected, but the Matt Damon hateration is totally out of left field.

TmoNews has published a laundry list of devices that it says will launch between June 16 and August 1 -- 13, to be exact, with another three that aren't listed. That's a positively Japan-esque release pace, a breakneck schedule that we're having a hard time believing. To its credit, several launches that are known or well-rumored to be in the pipe are listed here, including the Motorola E8, Shadow II, Samsung t229 and t339, and Nokia 5610, but to its discredit, fanciful devices like an alleged Shadow III are also in the mix along with the BlackBerry Bold, which AT&T has an exclusive on following its launch over there that should easily prevent T-Mob from picking it up by August 1. Of course, there could be some wiggle room on those dates, and again, most of these devices seem totally plausible -- but for now we've got to file this squarely in the "we want to believe" category.

[Thanks, Chris W.]

If it weren't for RIM's "help, we're stuck in 2006 and can't get out!" approach of topping this thing out with EDGE data, we'd be all over its warm embrace of an all-new form factor -- but yeah, seriously RIM, what's up with that? Boy Genius Report has outed a few more alleged specs of Waterloo's first foray into the clamshell market, the Kickstart -- and it looks like we can expect a 2 megapixel cam, SureType (as though we couldn't have figured that out ourselves), internal QVGA and external 160 x 128 displays, WiFi, and a true 3.5mm headphone jack. We're also seeing some new shots with T-Mobile branding, which makes sense considering the carrier's longstanding efforts to be on RIM's bleeding edge. Oh, and just for the humor factor, RIM appears to be drawing parallels between the Kickstart and a few... uh, "objects," such as the "anodized color" similar to that found on an "urban nomad tool." So this is how product development goes down -- explains a lot!

[Via phoneArena]

Ready to have your brain blown out through the top of your head? Look above -- you're staring at the heretofore unseen BlackBerry clamshell, the Kickstart. The Boy Genius snagged a handful of photos of the device (which apparently he's known about for "a while"), and has decided to share his good fortune with the rest of the world. The phone sports a Pearl-esque keyboard, typical trackball navigation, and apparently utilizes both an internal and external LCD screen. No word on specs, carriers, or a release date, but BGR is saying this puppy is due before the end of the year. You'll know more when we know more!