BlackBerry To Introduce New ‘Flip Phone-like’ Model

Now there’s something you don’t see everyday – a BlackBerry that flips like a phone. But come the fall, you may be able to see one everywhere.

Research In Motion, the manufacturer of the do-everything portable, is set to introduce its latest model, called the Pearl Flip.

And while it will be new, don’t be surprised if it looks old – it resembles a more conventional flip-closed cell phone. It’s the first time the Waterloo, Ont. company has ever produced such an item and it may make this next generation of the device a little easier to carry around.

Traditional BlackBerrys have always been more boxy in shape. Why change now? The answer is in the sales of previous versions of the Pearl.

The model has been a huge success for the firm, attracting what it calls “non-enterprise” customers, a euphemism for small businesses and regular consumers, who wanted the convenience of a cell phone with more practical applications.

So what does this flip look like?  The keyboard and the display are separated by a hinge, just like on most cell phones (top left). It has 20 keys, but because of its more compact size, some of those letters are doubled up, making it slightly more difficult to type with.

It also comes with the standard video and music player, a 2-megapixel camera with a built-in flash and a Web browser.

Executives think it’s another step forward in the never ending war for your dollar loyalty. “Bringing this form factor to the smart phone category is, we think, very special,” CEO Jim Balsillie explains, noting he hopes to get a bigger slice of the North American pie, as the ubiquitous device goes from business to consumer applications.

“Seventy percent of the mobile phone users in the United States use a flip,” he notes. “There’s never been a smartphone or a BlackBerry option for that.”

RIM currently has a customer base of 16 million, and 40 per cent of those are non-business users. The company is locked in a battle with Apple’s iPhone for market supremacy and Balsillie admits the firm isn’t done changing the way you look at its products.

Asked if there were more innovations coming this year, the CEO was brief – just the kind of message you’d expect to be sent from a BlackBerry. “We’re far from done,” he assures.

You’ll be able to ‘flip’ over this new model come the fall.

Photo courtesy: RIM