More details have emerged about RIM’s first flip BlackBerry, the KickStart, and it seems to be something of a mixed bag. This time shown with T-Mobile branding, the handset is quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE - sadly no 3G - has a 2-megapixel camera and WiFi b/g. According to BGR, while not confirmed the estimated release date is September.

The images suggest that the outer display - which is 160 x 128 resolution - is monochromatic, and that the edges of the screen (usually invisible behind the high-gloss plastic) actually light up according to different events and changes in status. Both it and the 320 x 240 internal display are 16-bit color LCDs. The handset uses the BlackBerry 4.6 OS and features, as indicated in the last images, RIM’s SureType keyboard (which is referred to as “next gen”).
A 3.5mm headphone socket, soft-touch rubberized battery cover and anodized casing in a variety of colors rounds out what’s an interesting, though not spectacular, handset. RIM also seem to be getting in on the handset personalization trend (only a few years behind everyone else) with some alternative battery cover graphics. Is it enough to make BlackBerry cool? We may have to wait until September to find out.
























