The Pearl adds glamour features to an essential corporate tool, writes STEPHEN FENECH

THE new BlackBerry Pearl 8220 Flip is the first Research In Motion (RIM) device to adopt the clam shell form. 

This BlackBerry is a smartphone in a party dress. It is just as narrow as the original Pearl but, because of its flip form, there is more room for a larger internal 6.1cm (2.4-inch) screen and a larger keypad. 

There’s a secondary screen on the outside.

RIM has taken a gamble with the Flip design at a time when the world’s leading manufacturers, Nokia and Samsung, are moving more towards slider designs.

Yet in many markets, including Australia, the flip style is still popular with users who relish the tactile feel and action of opening and closing the phone.

The Flip’s shape in the open position places the earpiece and microphone comfortably closer to your ear and mouth during calls. 

The Flip incorporates the now trademark BlackBerry trackball to navigate the device’s functions. 

This time, the area around the trackball has been sunk even further to allow greater range with each roll – handy when scrolling through lengthy emails or webpages. 

It is compact and light enough to fit into a pocket or the smallest of handbags.

The Flip can still match it when it comes to the major features. 

Email access is still the product’s major strength as it is easy to sort through and reply to messages on the move. 

For corporate users it offers the same level of security to comply with even the strictest company IT policies.

For casual users, the device can be used to keep track of popular free email accounts such as Yahoo and Windows Live Hotmail. 

As with the original Pearl, the Flip uses a keypad which has two letters assigned to each key. 

But the Flip has a built-in predictive text program called SureType, so it’s easy for the user to type a message with the evice accurately working out the likely combination of letters to form the word they want to use next. 

It can also present the closest alternative, thanks to a 35,000-word vocabulary.

The keyboard surprisingly is easy to use even when typing out lengthy responses to messages.

The external screen is also a handy way of checking emails. 

When a new message is received an envelope is displayed for a few seconds, before the sender’s identity and the first few lines of the message are displayed, allowing the user to tell at a glance if the message is urgent. 

Unfortunately, this also gives others the same preview so privacy may be a concern.

In standby mode the outside screen displays a clockface. 

But the Flip is as much about play as it is about work. 

All of the features you’d expect from a regular handset are also available on the Flip smartphone. 

Today’s connected user needs to be able to access the internet and the built-in browser and its ability to connect to Wi-Fi networks makes this an easy exercise. 

On the downside, the Flip is only 2G, which means it operates much slower on the cellular network than 3G devices. 

This is OK for receiving relatively small packets of data such as an email.

It comes with a 2-megapixel camera for capturing images or shooting video, with dedicated applications available to download to make it easy to upload content to social networking sites such as Facebook and Flickr.

The Flip also provides built-in maps with information about local points of interest as well as driving directions if needed.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8220 Flip offers an excellent new look and feel. 

It is ideal for those who want a good-looking device with all the features of a smart phone.

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