BlackBerry Flip Phone Arrives
Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on September 10
I had a quick look at the new BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, announced Sept. 9 and available later in the fall from T-Mobile in the U.S. Think of it as a BlackBerry Pearl recrafted into a flip phone industrial design.
Pricing was not announced, but since the Flip is intended to appear to the same demographic as the original candybar Pearl, I expect it to come in close to the Pearl’s price of $100 with a two-year contract.
The Flip should help Research In Motion extend BlackBerry’s reach into consumer markets, especially among younger customers. While BlackBerry’s traditional market is mobile executives who prize the devices primarily for their e-mail features, T-Mobile confirmed that a substantial number of Pearls are being sold without data plans, mostly to young buyers who value them as texting tools.
