Claiming it's a "little too tiny," fondler Salomondrin says it's still slightly bigger than previous Pearl models, keeping in mind it's been styled after the latest Bold. The camera has been updated to 3.2-megapixels with a flash, and has Wi-Fi along with that much-needed 3G. Running on BlackBerry OS 5.0.0.350 in the video below, you can see the trackball has been swapped for the optical trackpad seen on the Curve 8530 and Bold 9700, and it's also got the new multimedia buttons on the right side.

I'm far too attached to QWERTY to even consider this new Pearl 2, but if you're looking for something slimmer and more candybar-like, schedule April in for a potential launch date. [Salomondrin via PhoneArena and CrackBerry]

Sprint customers have long gotten the shaft on new phones, so what do you think? Are technology offerings looking better for subscribers? And is it me, or is the Centro getting less ugly by the day? [engadget]

Still not much information on pricing or a release date, aside from the Thanksgiving rumor, but we're definitely liking the slimmer body  it's something we could really see ourselves settling down and starting a family with. [Pinstack]

Even if these dates are solid now (assuming these are actually real), providers are known to switch up dates for various reasons. Use the schedule as a guideline more than a definite calendar. [Phone News via Gadgets on the Go]

First off, BGR is saying the Pearl 2 will have a 3.2-megapixel camera instead of a 2-megapixel camera like we said. Very interesting. Also interesting is the 3.5mm headset jack, as well as an improved Voice Notes app and media apps.

Here are the preliminary, unconfirmed specs:

* 3.2 megapixel camera * Flash improvement and 6x digital zoom * 3.5 mm Headset Jack * External MicroSD slot * SureType device * New keypad technology * 240×260 LCD display * Wi-Fi capable * 64MB of memory * Streaming media support * 4.5 hours of talk time/15 days of standby * Stereo Bluetooth * Windows Media DRM & MTP * New metallic colors * "Top and rear loudspeaker port" * Voice Notes enhancements * A new battery door latch * "Improved Front Receiver Porting" * Improved Lanyard design * Improved Mic with wind protection * Motion Lock * Improved SIM card holder * High speed USB * Improved mechanical design, and build quality

– Jason Chen

Boy Genius Report

The biggest update? High speed EV-DO. And a new unbelievable form factor.

If you thought the first Pearl was small, then know that the Pearl 2 will be even smaller, shaving nearly 8mm in depth and 30% of its weight to be competing with RAZRs. Still, the Pearl 2 manages to squeeze in a 2MP camera (upgraded from 1.3) and a MicroSD card.

The Pearl 2 is coming in Q4 of 2007and it's looking to be a worthy successor to its little brother. (That picture is not the unit, as talked about in our rumor post.)

The trackball may see some adjustments, though we have no word on specifics at this time. Overall, we're extremely excited if the leak pans out to be true...and we're fairly certain that it will. For now, to be safe, chalk it up as a rumor, but we've seen some very convicing docs that tell us it's real.  Mark Wilson