Click to View

We know RIM's got new BlackBerry smartphones planned for this year; the often rumored about 8900 model and 9000 touch-screen series, for example. While these devices are eagerly-awaited upgrades, they won't vary much from the usual tablet-style BlackBerry design, though. Today comes word, through a series of pictures posted to The Boy Genius Report, that RIM's got a new BlackBerry with a radically different design the pipeline, however.

Code-named Kickstart, this BlackBerry model is a flip phone, making it the first BlackBerry model of its type from RIM.

It's a smartphone move by RIM, as clam shell phones are among the most popular types of feature phones on the market. With the BlackBerry Pearl series, RIM kick started its entry into the consumer arena. A flip phone-style BlackBerry can only help in this endeavor.

Like the BlackBerry Pearl model, the Kickstart sports a keypad/keyboard combo rather than a full QWERTY thumb-keyboard. So kickstart must use RIM's SureType predictive text software to help text entry along. RIM recently improved the word completion functionality of the SureType system, which also features spelling checker and a user-customizable dictionary.

As you can see, the Kickstart's keyboard rests on the bottom half of the clamshell, along with a trackball navigation system and four additional buttons, while the screen takes up the top portion. A camera is also present.

Like many other flip phones, Kickstart sports a small external display for delivering time, date and caller related information.

No word on pricing or what carriers may offer Kickstart. It is, according the The Boy Genius Report, supposed to ship later this year.

See here for more Kickstart pictures.