Like its predecessor, this handheld will have a QWERTY keyboard, but it will also include some of the new multimedia features that debuted on RIM's latest smartphone, the Pearl.

BlackBerry seems to realize that the consumer market is poised for Smartphone growth.

What the Rumors Say

According to the latest reports, at 106 mm by 60 mm by 15.5 mm the BlackBerry 8800 will be thinner than previous handhelds from this company, but still use the same general design It is rumored to have a 320-by-240-pixel display above its keyboard.

This model will supposedly have a 1.3 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and flash. This will include support for image and video recording ? just like the Pearl.

This handheld is expected to offer a Media Player that can handle both audio and video playback/streaming It will allow people to use stereo headsets.

The 8800 will reportedly include a miniSD card slot to supplement its 64 MB of internal storage. Perhaps the biggest news is that this BlackBerry will offer numerous options for wireless connectivity. In addition to be a quad-band GSM device with EDGE, it will also have Wi-Fi b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. Yes, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in the same device!

At this point, the BlackBerry 8800 is expected to debut in spring of 2007. It is not yet known what carriers will offer it.