RIM's First Clamshell: BlackBerry KickStart

There have rumors that RIM is planning to launch their first clamshell smartphone. Recently, those rumors were confirmed when images of a new BlackBerry device circulated on the web.

So what? Images of new BlackBerry devices are always pop up online. Well, these new images show a BlackBerry CLAMSHELL ! It's the photographs of a flip phone that RIM has codenamed the KickStart.

These initial pictures informed mobile phone enthusiasts that the BlackBerry KickStart uses a SureType keyboard. They also suggest that the clamshell will sport a camera, external LCD, and a TrackBall devoted for navigation. It is expected that this handset will be launched in the third quarter of this year.

Updates and new photos immediately followed the first images of RIM"s BlackBerry KickStart clamshell. These new photos and information strengthened the idea that a clamshell BlackBerry is being prepared for launching this year. Let's explore the juicy details of this exciting and new mobile device.

One of the most intriguing aspect of the new photos is the T-Mobile brand on the phone. That obviously suggests that the Blackberry KickStart will be offered by T-Mobile. The new info also suggests that T-Mobile will launch the clamshell smartphone sometime on September.

There were also some additional details on the physical design attributes including some interesting information the the screen. The details describe that the border around the KickStart's screen will "glow" different colors and will become invisible once the outer display is turned off off.

Customers will have their pick on the colors set to launch with the KickStart and they’ll be anodized. The back battery cover will either be a soft-touch rubberized finish, or a low gloss finish. Perhaps customer will have some sort of customization opportunities for the end user with the low gloss finish.

The BlackBerry KickStart will be a Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE device and the "Next Gen" SureType keyboard has been confirmed. It will run on OS 4.6 and offer a 2 Megapixel camera, 3.5mm headset jack, WiFi and sport 16-bit color LCDs. The internal LCD offers 240×320 resolution while the external one is 160×128.

I expect that more details and information about these device will come out in the near future. I guess T-Mobile subscribers will be proud to get access to the first clamshell by RIM.