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As you probably know, BlackBerry Pearl is Research In Motion's (RIM) first device with multimedia capabilities. Although it has done well so far, Pearl isn't going to be to everyone's taste. That's because it is more smartphone than handheld, leveraging a keypad/keyboard hybrid rather than a full QWERTY thumb-keyboard like the 8700 series, such as the new 8307e from Verizon and Sprint in the U.S. Pearl relies on RIM's SureType software technology to help users accurately input text.

The Internet rumor mill over the last several weeks has been batting around pictures and specifications of a new cellular-wireless handheld with a full QWERTY thumb-keyboard from the Canadian vendor that implements the new multimedia features found in the BlackBerry Pearl and more. Called the BlackBerry 8800, the upcoming model most likely won't arrive until spring of next year.

Like the Pearl, the 8800 features a camera (a 1.3-megapixel type with 5x digital zoom, flash and video recording) and a full multimedia feature set. These would include audio and video playback/streaming and stereo headset compatibility.

The GSM/GPRS/EDGE quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) 8800 also supports Wi-Fi 802.11b/g (a first for RIM, not available in Pearl) and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity. It has a largish 320 x 240 color display, 64 MB of flash memory, a microSD slot, speakerphone, voice activated dialing and a new trackball like the Pearl.

Because it'll run the latest BlackBerry OS, version 4.2 (or higher), the 8800 will include RIM's new BlackBerry Maps application. RIM told PDAStreet not too long ago that the software, which can be used as a standalone app or along with the native PIM applications, would become a standard part of its platform.

The design of the 8800, like the Pearl compared to the 7100 series, is sleeker and more slimmed down than previous keyboard-based RIM models. It is supposed to measure 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches (106 x 60 x 15.5 millimeters).