The lustrous and super stylish Pearl series is back with another installment after the Blackberry Pearl 8120. The Blackberry Pearl Flip 8220 is another one of RIM’s deviations from the typical, an indication of the changing times at the company, if you will. It wasn’t too long ago with the introduction of the Bold, that RIM started marketing their BlackBerrys as media centric handsets for the business person. To sum it up, RIM is leaving no stone unturned to reach out to, not just the CXO community but to the general masses at large.

Form Factor
As the name indicates, the 8220 Flip is a clamshell handset. It employs the black glossy finish of a traditional BlackBerry with silver lining. On the outside is a small 1.2-inch TFT color LCD that sports a 128 x 160 pixel resolution. Mails and messages can be read off this display by accessing the keys located on the side of the device that are also used for volume and Zoom control of the 2 megapixel camera (LED flash) that’s located just above the external display. A dedicated camera key is located just below these. The microUSB and 3.5mm earphone socket are located on the others side. The Flip is also thankfully fitted with a Hot Swap microSD card slot.


On the inside is a large and very clear 2.6-inch TFT LCD display with a 240 x 320 pixel 65k color resolution. It’s very easily visible in all lighting conditions, which is great. The Flip is also equipped with a half QWERTY Sure-Type keypad and the Pearl trackball for smooth navigation. The SureType is Blackberry's new avatar of having QWERTY letters share the same key. But we found that it can get a bit annoying at times when you’re typing emails, and when you want to add specific words, but you can get used to it, especially if you’re switching from an older version to this.


The Flip 8220 exudes a refined, well designed form factor with a hint of femininity. Not that that’s been stated officially by the company, but we do feel that this BlackBerry would be something the ladies would really like more than the gents. But that’s just our opinion.

Features and Performance
Interface
There’s nothing new about the interface, if you’re already familiar with that of the Bold or the Storm. It’s just a little smaller considering the screen size and shape. Personally we’re big fans of the new OS (v4.6) and UI. It’s smooth and fluid with trackball navigation. The external display is convenient enough to get a gist of incoming mails so you won’t necessarily need to open up the handset to read every unimportant message that could come in.


One of the biggest issues with the BlackBerry OS is that it has no file system option wherein one can simply transfer files from the device memory onto the memory card.

Connectivity Options
RIM has really done a good job adding the Wi-Fi feature to this phone, as the Pearl series usually isn't complete without that. During testing we found Wi-Fi to be extremely superior to the other BlackBerrys that we have used in the past. The Flip is not 3G compatible but GPRS and EDGE are available for your regular connectivity and the presence of a secondary browser for a WAP profiles is always handy. Using BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service) from your service provider is definitely a faster way though.


Other connectivity also includes Bluetooth with an A2DP profile for a truly great audio experience, provided you get yourself a good Stereo Bluetooth headset. USB 2.0 for PC connectivity works like a charm and is quick when it comes to data transfer.