Sprint Is 'Stylin'' With BlackBerry 9670 SmartphoneSprint Is 'Stylin'' With BlackBerry 9670 Smartphone

BlackBerry Style 9670

The BlackBerry 9670 Style is the first smartphone to run the BlackBerry 6 operating system on Sprint's network. It goes on sale October 31 for $99 after rebate with a new contract.

The 9670 Style is the second clamshell smartphone from RIM, which follows the much-maligned 8220 Pearl Flip. It has large 240 x 360 pixel external display, which will show messages and other alerts. It also has a larger, 360 x 400 pixel internal display.

The 9670 improves upon the Pearl Flip in that it ditches the trackball for the now-standard optical trackpad for on-screen navigation. It also loses the SureType keyboard and instead has a fill QWERTY stuffed into the flip form factor.

It carries all the other amenities expected of a modern smartphone including EVDO Rev. A 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. It packs a 5 megapixel camera with flash and video capture, and can support microSD storage cards up to 32GB.

Perhaps the best news is that it is the second device from RIM to run BlackBerry 6, complete with the new WebKit browser, BlackBerry Messenger, Universal Search, and improved user interface.

Do U.S. users still like the flip form factor? Sprint and RIM think so.

"The flip form factor appeals to a very distinct but sizable set of consumers in the U.S., and we're pleased to work with Sprint to bring this unique new BlackBerry smartphone to their customers," said David J. Smith, vice president of Product Management, Research In Motion in a prepared statement. "The new BlackBerry Style smartphone is a feature rich, premium BlackBerry smartphone that makes the perfect choice for Sprint customers who love the flip form factor but want advanced smartphone features and a full QWERTY keyboard."

The 9670's most attractive feature? The $99 price point. Interested customers can pre-order the 9670 Style starting October 19. It will be available on Halloween.