BlackBerry Kickstart emerges as Pearl Flip 8220

Research in Motion (RIM) has finally released the handset mooted for the last three months or so, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220.

Though many of you BB fans might have known it as the Kickstart, this phone marks RIM's first effort into flip-phones for the business market.

And it's done well to pack a full SureType QWERTY keyboard under the lid without making the handset into something of behemoth proportions, coming in at 99 x 48 x 17.8 mm.

Easy switching

We also see UMA support for switching between GSM and the integrated Wi-Fi connectivity when available, which is a handy money saver. No 3G here, so EDGE and GPRS will have to do for the mobile internet lovers.

A microSD slot is included for up to 16GB of storage, though there's no mention of how much is available on the handset itself, so this isn't the media-friendly device the BB Bold appears to be, though iTunes syncing is present.

The camera comes in at 2MP (paltry for some, not so for most business users), with a video recording functionality as well. Apple, take note, RIM can record video with a 2MP sensor... why can't you?

Looks likely the Pearl Flip 8220 will be coming this autumn some time, though we don't have word on which network will be carrying it as yet. But we will, BB fans, we will...