Research In Motion (RIM) officially announced the 3G BlackBerry Pearl 9100 this morning at its annual Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES) event in Orlando, Fla., and I was lucky enough to get some hands on time with both versions of the new device: the SureType-keyboard Pearl 9100 and the Pearl 9105 with RIM's new T9 keyboard.
This new 3G Pearl has been expected for some time now, and as such, there really aren't too many surprises. The most notable things about the smartphone are the facts that it comes in two versions and it's the first BlackBerry to support 802.11n Wi-Fi for faster and more reliable connectivity. And though only the Pearl 9100 sports RIM's well-known SureType-style keyboard, both devices uses SureType predictive text software to speed up typing. (For more on the Pearl 9100 read, "BlackBerry Bold 9650, Pearl 9100 Finally Get Official at WES 2010" and "BlackBerry Pearl 9100: T-Mobile USA's Second 3G BlackBerry?")
The Pearl 9100 will initially be available in four different colors, though it's unclear which carriers will offer each specific color option. Both T-Mobile and AT&T are expected to begin selling the 9100 in May. The four Pearl 9100 colors on display at WES are black, purple, pink and silver and a cool new two-tone black-to-red fade.
While showing off the new devices to the media at WES 2010, RIM also displayed a variety of new accessories, including silicone "skins" and number of leather holsters.
Check out the pictures below for specifics.
AS
