New BlackBerry Pearl Flips up on T-Mobile

T-Mobile will be the first to carry the folding version of RIM's popular Pearl.

BlackBerry’s much-anticipated Storm may still be weeks away, but a less-groundbreaking but still anticipated new BlackBerry has just cropped up at T-Mobile. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8820, announced last month, officially launched for T-Mobile on Monday, making it the first network to get the slim new folder.

The big news, of course, will be pricing for the device. The Flip version of the Pearl will carry the exact same price tag as its predecessor the Pearl 8120: $150 with a two-year contract. Initially, the phone will only be available in black, but a red version more suited to its consumer-centric marketing push will launch on Oct. 20.

In addition to the specs RIM unveiled earlier, the T-Mobile version will pick up support for UnlimitedHotSpot calling, which allows unlimited nationwide calling through Wi-Fi, and myFavesSM, which adds a list of five frequent contacts to the phone’s main menu.