
The BlackBerry Pearl first hit the market last year and everyone seemed to enjoy the much more compact form factor found on the Pearl compared to BlackBerry devices in the past, which were traditionally quite chunky and clunky to carry around. The sacrifice for the near “normal” phone size was the fact that the Pearl did not have a conventional QWERTY keyboard, opting instead for what Research in Motion — makers of BlackBerry PDA phones — calls the SureType keyboard. This is where two letters are mapped to each button.
Up until now, the Pearl has only been offered as a GSM unit, working with service providers like Rogers Wireless in Canada and T-Mobile in the United States. Thankfully, if you’re a subscriber on Verizon, for example, you will now be able to enjoy in the slim compact shape offered by the Pearl because the BlackBerry Pearl 8130 will soon be available as a CDMA variant. Nothing has been confirmed yet as to which mobile operators will pick up the CDMA Pearl, but the most likely candidates include Verizon, Sprint, Bell Mobility, and Telus Mobility.
Research in Motion has shoved several upgrades in the CDMA version of the Pearl compared to its GSM cousin. In terms of features, you get high-speed EVDO connectivity, streaming 3GPP videos via YouTube Mobile, real GPS with BlackBerry Maps and driving directions, music support, a 3.5mm audio jack, microSDHC expansion, and 2 megapixel camera.
The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 is expected to launch this November. The likely price with contract will be around $200.