The BlackBerry Pearl 9105 Sticks With A Numeric Keyboard. But Why?

The BlackBerry Pearl 9105 follows the same path laid out by the Pearl 9100 model, but with some design changes. The main difference between these two phones is that the BlackBerry Pearl 9100 features a Half-QWERTY keyboard while the BlackBerry Pearl 9105 has the old and nostalgic numeric keyboard (also called a T9 keyboard).

While nothing is official, the Pearl BlackBerry Pearl 9105 rumored specs include 360×400 screen resolution, a 3.5mm jack, expandable memory through microSD card, and high 3G speed (via HSDPA). The Pearl 9105 might also come with WLAN connectivity, Bluetooth, GPS and a 3.15 MP camera with autofocus and flash.

There is no release date out there yet, as the phone has not been officially announced yet. I guess RIM will be announcing the Pearl 9105 alongside the Bold 9650 at the WES 2010 event that will take place from April 27 to April 29.

Frankly speaking, I think the only reason why RIM will be releasing the 9105 could be their ambition to penetrate a more mainstream sector than the usual BlackBerry targeted users. But does that make the Pearl 9105 a dumbphone ? I hope not.