Kingston, Jamaica and Waterloo, ON – Digicel and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the availability of the BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip 8220, the first BlackBerry® smartphone to come in the popular flip form factor.
The new BlackBerry Pearl Flip provides flip phone fans with all the power of a BlackBerry smartphone in a fun and familiar design. One quick flip of the handset opens up a world of possibilities with the industry’s leading mobile messaging solution and a wide range of impressive Internet and multimedia capabilities – all in one powerful smartphone. Sending a message to your friends or family, making a call, browsing the web, snapping a picture, watching a video or listening to your favorite song – it’s all just a flip away.
The quadband BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone presents a sophisticated look with a sleek design and a chrome-finished frame. Packed with an abundance of powerful features, it weighs only 3.6 ounces and measures approximately 3.9” x 1.9” x 0.7”. Featuring two high-resolution, light-sensing color displays, the external LCD makes it easy to preview incoming emails, text messages and phone calls without opening the handset, whilst the large 240 x 320 internal LCD displays messages, videos and web pages with impressive detail and contrast.
Director of Products at Digicel, Ralf Ohlhausen, said “Digicel prides itself on giving customers the very best choice and a cutting-edge range of handsets. With the addition of the BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone, our customers have eight BlackBerry models to choose from so there’s a suitable BlackBerry smartphone to satisfy the varying needs and preferences of our customers.”
Mark Guibert, Vice-President Corporate Marketing at Research In Motion, also expects the new smartphone to be a hit with consumers. “The BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone is a natural choice for customers who are looking to replace their existing flip phone with something more powerful,” he said.
FIRST CLASS PHONE
The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphone is a top of the line mobile phone that flips open to deliver exceptional voice quality and includes many premium phone features, including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), support for MP3 ring tones, smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing, call forwarding, voicemail attachment playback and enhanced background noise cancellation. It also features a speakerphone and Bluetooth® 2.0 for use with hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals. The removable/rechargeable 900 mAhr battery provides four hours of talk time and over 14 days of standby time.
FULL FEATURED FLIP
The BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone packs an impressive range of features into its compact design, including phone, email, messaging, organizer, browser and multimedia applications, and it can also support thousands of other mobile lifestyle and business applications. It features a 2 megapixel camera with flash, zoom and video recording* to capture memories while on the move. An enhanced HTML browser displays web pages in either “Column View” or “Page View” and different emulation settings allow users to choose between desktop-style HTML content and the mobile version of web pages. The browser also supports RTSP for watching online streaming video from sites like m.youtube.com. In addition, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip features built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g) , extending wireless email and data coverage over home Wi-Fi networks, enterprise wireless deployments and Wi-Fi hotspots.
For more information please visit www.BlackBerryPearl.com.
Media can access images and video of the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphone at www.rim.mediaseed.tv.
* Video recording requires microSD card, which may be sold separately.
ABOUT DIGICEL GROUP
Since its launch in 2001, Digicel has become the largest wireless telecommunications operator in the Caribbean with more than six million customers. After seven years, Digicel is renowned for competitive rates, unbeatable coverage, superior customer care, a wide variety of products and services and state-of-the-art handsets. By offering innovative wireless services and community support, Digicel has become a leading brand in the Caribbean and has placed the region at the cutting-edge of wireless communications.
Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and has operations in 23 markets, including Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, Curacao, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks & Caicos. With new launches planned for the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Honduras and Panama, Digicel expects to be in 26 markets in the next 12 months. The Caribbean company also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barths.
Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean sports teams including the West Indies Cricket Team and Special Olympics teams and is title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Football Union Cup and the Copa De Naciones, the Caribbean and Central American qualifiers to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. .
