The new BlackBerry Pearl 9100 seems to have lost its pearl

It’s been a while since Blackberry last released a Pearl family member. Well, the silence has been broken by some leaked images and even a video clip demonstrating the unannounced BlackBerry Pearl 9100. And the strange thing about it is that the new Pearl is pearl-less.

That may not make any sense but we actually find the idea of dropping the trackball over a touch sensitive optical trackpad quite logical since the trackballs were often a reason for people to take their BlackBerry for servicing.

BlackBerry Pearl 9100 (image source)

The Pearl lineup was created to change the way how people looked at BlackBerry devices. Those devices were not only business oriented but offered a wider range of multimedia capabilities. Luckily, that trend spread and overtook all the latest BlackBerry phones so the Pearls had lost their edge.

Like its predecessors, the BlackBerry Pearl 9100 will also feature a SureType keyboard (read: half-QWERTY) which isn't as comfy as the full QWERTY keyboards but allows the smartphone itself to remain pocketable enough.

We managed to find even more images of the still unannounced BlackBerry smartphone as well as some specs. The phone (nicknamed as "Stratus" or "Striker") is expected to feature 3G and Wi-Fi support and run the latest version of the BlackBerry OS (v5.0). The close-ups reveal a microUSB port, a standard 3.5mm audio jack and a camera with LED flash.

More images of the Pearl 9100

And on top of all that we have a short video of the Pearl 9100 for you. It doesn't reveal any more details on the new mobile phone but at least you can see the device from all angles.

Unfortunately, there is still no clue when the device will be officially revealed, when it will hit the market and at what price.

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