While the smartphone world is moving toward touchscreen technology, Research in Motion on Monday partnered with T-Mobile to announce the first BlackBerry flip phone.

According to Leslie Grandy, vice president of product development at T-Mobile, the flip phone remains the preferred design for mobile phones in the United States. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 offers the same core features other Pearl models offer, but adds a few new bells and whistles.

At a glance, those features include a

large keyboard that aims to invent it easier for consumers to type and dial. The flip design seeks to protect the large screen and offer consumers assurance the signal is by when they close the device. The Pearl Flip 8220 additionally offers an external display for previewing calendar reminders, e-mail, text messages and phone calls without having to flip the phone open.

RIM Pushes ‘Refined Usability’

The Pearl Flip 8220 boasts […]

Orginal post by dhiram