Verizon Wireless continues to expand its portfolio of smartphones, and it will soon offer the first clamshell BlackBerry from Research In Motion.

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip was originally released on T-Mobile last fall, and it offers users a strong messaging device with a form factor that could be more appealing to the casual market. The external display can display incoming calls, texts, and e-mails, and the internal screen offers crisp detail and contrast.

The handset is still a BlackBerry, which means it will fit in well in a corporate environment for push e-mail services. Verizon's Pearl Flip will provide over-the-air syncing that works with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus, Novell GroupWise, and a host of other Web-based e-mail providers like Gmail and Yahoo Mail. Like the BlackBerry Pearl, the Flip has a SureType keyboard for composing messages.

Some users might be turned away by the fact that the Verizon version of the Flip won't have integrated Wi-Fi like the T-Mobile version, but it will have access to 3G services. Neither company responded to inquiries on why the Wi-Fi was left out, but most of Verizon's smartphones don't have Wi-Fi in them. The handset also will have quick mobile access to popular social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, Verizon said.

The Flip should be a capable multimedia player as well, as it can play multiple types of video and audio programs. The handset comes with the BlackBerry Media Sync software, which enables customers to use iTunes to transfer unprotected music to the device. There's also a 2-megapixel camera and Bluetooth, and the memory can be expanded up to 16 GB via the microSD slot.

The Flip will be available to Verizon customers June 19, and it will cost $129.99 after a mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract.
With mobile devices taking on increasingly important tasks for enterprises, some companies may be facing trouble without a mobile device management plan. InformationWeek analyzed this issue in an independent report, and it can be downloaded here (registration required).