First Clamshell BlackBerries Now Available for Pre-Order

The mere fact that RIM hasn't announced the BlackBerry 8210 and 8220 -- this company's first smartphones with a clamshell shape -- isn't stopping the online retailer eXpansys from posting them on its site.

Rumors of these products have been around since May, but this is the first time they have been listed by a major retailer.

They aren't available for purchases, though. Instead, eXpansys is just taking pre-orders for the BlackBerry 8210 and BlackBerry 8220. The retailer doesn't even have pricing yet. 

More about the BlackBerry 8210 and 8220

Like most clamshell devices, the 8200 series will have a small external display, which in this case will have a 160-by-128-pixel resolution.

When the clamshell is opened, a SureType keyboard will be exposed, as well as a 2.6-inch QVGA main screen. Above the keyboard will be the trackball that has become standard on BlackBerries.

The versions of these devices being offered by eXpansys are unlocked, quad-band GSM phones. No mention of 3G support is made on the site.

They will run BlackBerry OS 4.6, have 75 MB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot.

Naturally, they will support RIM's push email system, and include viewers for many types of file attachments.

These two models will be almost identical. The only significant difference is that the 8210 will have a GPS receiver, while the 8220 will have Wi-Fi instead.

RIM seems to be targeting the 8200 series at consumers, and both devices will have 2 MPx cameras, stereo Bluetooth, music player, and the ability to show YouTube videos.

They will also have 900 mAh batteries.

 
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