Check Out The BlackBerry Gemini

May 01, 2009

Buckle your seatbelts, BlackBerry fans, as some photos have leaked of a brand new smartphone from Research In Motion. Naturally, the good folks at CrackBerry got their hands on it, and this stylish new handset may solve a major problem that's plaguing BlackBerrys.The BlackBerry Gemini, or the Curve 8520, looks incredibly sleek and reportedly will have a rubberized coating to protect it from wear and tear. There are also dedicated media buttons on the top of the phone, which should make it easier for you to ditch a separate music player.

Of course, the biggest change is that the Gemini ditches the track ball for an optical mouse. This could be a great decision by RIM, as I know at least ten people who have had to repair the track ball in their BlackBerry. It's not about the build quality or anything, but the chances of failure are higher with the more moving pieces you have. I tested an optical mouse on a Samsung Innov8 a few months ago, and it's a solid navigation system once you've gotten used to it.

It looks like a really nice member of the BlackBerry family, but it appears that it won't have 3G connectivity, which is a bummer. We may see this sooner than you'd think too, as there are rumors RIM will announce a new device or two next week in conjunction with its Wireless Enterprise Symposium.

The good guys at CrackBerry have a few more pictures of the Gemeni, as well as some in-depth analysis.