The BlackBerry Pearl Flip: Wi-Fi, no 3G, doc editor

The long-rumored, now-official Pearl Flip—the first-ever BlackBerry flip phone—lacks 3G access, but it packs in features like Wi-Fi, a 2MP camera, and a full-on document editor. But how's the keypad?

Rumors about a BlackBerry flip phone have been making the rounds since May (when it was known as the Kickstart), but RIM finally made the handset official early Wednesday. It'll debut on T-Mobile sometime this fall—sorry, no pricing details yet.

The 3.9 by 1.9 by 0.7-inch Pearl Flip isn't the slimmest BlackBerry on the market—the original Pearl, for instance, is just 0.57 inches thick—but it still looks relatively compact. The Flip also has a color external screen and a 240 by 320-pixel internal display, and just beneath lies the SureType keypad, the same pseudo-QWERTY thumbboard as on the Pearl.

So, how does the Flip's keypad feel? I haven't had a chance to test it yet, but let's just say this: If you're OK with the predictive text-aided SureType keys on the Pearl (with each key sharing two letters), you'll probably be fine with the Pearl Flip's keypad. But if you're used to a standard RIM full-QWERTY keypad, prepare for a learning curve on the Flip.

The quad-band GSM Pearl Flip should work on most worldwide phone networks, but it won't do 3G—just EDGE. That should be just fine for checking e-mail and light Web browsing, but if you were hoping to pull down non mobile-enhanced Web pages or stream video, well … prepare for a long wait.

That said, the Pearl Flip comes with Wi-Fi, along with UMA support—which means the phone may well be compatible with T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home Wi-Fi voice calling service. I've got a call in to T-Mobile asking whether the Pearl Flip will, indeed, work with @Home—I'll update this post as soon as I hear back. Update: Yep, it works with @Home—which is now called "Unlimited HotSpot Calling Service," I'm told.

Another open question: GPS. The RIM press release notes that the Pearl Flip will let you connect to a GPS receiver via Bluetooth—and that leads me to the conclusion that the Flip won't do GPS on its own. Again, more on this once I get some clarification.

Those looking to edit and/or compose Office documents on the go will appreciate the bundled DataViz Documents to Go application, which lets you open and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Also on board: a video/music player, as well as an "enhanced" HTML browser.

Other features: a 2MP camera (yes, including video recording), voice commands, and microSD memory expansion (up to 16GB).

Overall, looks good—but does the world really need a flip-open BlackBerry? I've heard comments both ways: Some say they couldn't imagine a non-candy bar BlackBerry, others only feel comfortable with a clamshell in their pockets. What's your take?