New BlackBerry Bold and Pearl with Wi-Fi Announced
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CREDIT: Research in Motion |
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) has announced new phones for the Bold and Pearl smartphone lines, capitalizing on two of its most popular models.
The basic design for both phones have remained nearly the same, but there are some important changes. The BlackBerry Pearl 3G is designed to be ultra-portable and is the smallest BlackBerry yet. It retains the slim design of its predecessor, but adds an unexpected feature: the latest Wi-Fi configuration. This is the first BlackBerry phone to have 802.11n wireless support, which is the most current form of Wi-Fi.
The BlackBerry Pearl 3G also comes with the optical trackpad, which has replaced the little white trackball that was the inspiration for the Pearl moniker. The move makes sense though, considering that the Pearl has become a brand in its own right and the optical trackpad is gaining popularity over the trackball.
Also included in the Pearl 3G is a 3.2 megapixel camera and a microSD card slot. The Pearl 3G also comes in two different models, one with a standard 14-key T9 keypad seen on "dumbphones" everywhere, and one with a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard.
There are no pricing or availability details for the Pearl 3G yet.
The new Bold 9650, on the other hand, has already been announced for Sprint (May 23, $200 after rebate) and will likely be coming to Verizon soon. The Bold 9650 is very similar to RIM's BlackBerry Tour that has been out for some time now. However, it features the optical trackpad instead of a trackball, just like the Pearl, and it adds one of the most asked-for features among Tour users: Wi-Fi support.
