BlackBerry 8800 : Like the Pearl, but bigger and better

I've never gotten along with the SureType keyboards on some of RIM's BlackBerry devices. You input a couple of letters, get a list of possible words, scroll over to the correct one, then select it--yeah, no thanks. I know it gets easier to use over time, but it really shouldn't be so much work. It's a shame, too, because they're found on some of the company's best smart phones, including the sexy BlackBerry Pearl. I really like the design and functionality of the Pearl, but much prefer to have a full QWERTY keyboard. What's a girl to do? Well, it seems all my troubles may be over. New pictures and details of the BlackBerry 8800 have leaked onto the Web, and it looks pretty sharp. The BlackBerry 8800 gets rid of the more corporate look of past full QWERTY BlackBerrys, such as the BlackBerry 8703e, in favor of the more polished and aesthetically pleasing look of the Pearl. You'll also see it has a trackball for four-way scrolling. According to the Boy Genius Report, the BlackBerry 8800 will be sold through Cingular around mid-February. However, it won't have a camera or integrated Wi-Fi.

So are you prepping yourself to go grab the BlackBerry 8800 when it's released? Not so fast. There's an additional rumor that RIM is working on a BlackBerry 9xxx series that will feature a new processor, a revamped user interface, and the ability to back up to a microSD card. It'll also be 3G-capable and available through Cingular in Q4. Again, all speculation at this point, but still fun to think about, no?