BlackBerry Gemini Loses its Shyness and Poses for a Pic!

By Kevin Michaluk on 17 Mar 2009 08:01 am

First BlackBerry Designed With Easily Changeable Face Plates?!!

When it rains it pours! The Boy Genius just posted a sweet shot early this morning of one of the many new rumored devices in the BlackBerry pipeline, the BlackBerry 8325 "Gemini." You'll remember the Gemini codename dropped to the blogs a few weeks back among some initial confusion, but the quick concensus became that it was another "lower end" Curve. Looking at the photo above (which isn't some photoshop rendition of a photo of an image on a piece of paper lol) you can see that it kinda looks like the 8900 and 8300 Curve gave birth to something that ended up looking...well.. a bit weird (but we think there is an explanation for that!).

The re-capped specs according to BGR look like this:

OS 5.0
320×240 resolution screen
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (n, not confirmed)
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
2.0 megapixel camera

Sounds about right! If you listen to the latest CrackBerry Podcast, you'll know we spent some time talking about the Gemini and the two coolest rumored specs about the Gemini haven't been mentioned yet.... one, that this device should have changeable face plates (no need for ColorWare, you'll be able to easily change up what your device looks like in literally a snap!) and two, this device should also debut with a new and improved trackball. Looking at the photo you can see how the whole area above the keyboard is made of one piece - the buttons tie into frame around the screen, which adds some logical visual proof that the faceplates will be easy to swap in and out. Word is the back plate can also easily be swapped. Whaddya think??

Now that we got a sneak peek (thanks BG!), lets hope the information keeps flowing as it has in the past where once a device shows up we get loaded with more details and better pics and hands-on reviews. I have faith in RIM not being able to keep their secrets hidden from the BlackBerry World for too long ;)

[ Boy Genius ]

Topics: News & Rumors

Kevin Michaluk 3680 (articles) 3021 (forum posts)

29 comments

MarcusAurelius Mar 17, 2009 at 8:44 am

If that menu is any indication of how different OS 5.0 is going to look then RIM has utterly failed at creating a new UI that makes all trendy buyers go "oooooohhh."

user0011 Mar 17, 2009 at 8:45 am

If the radio tops out at EDGE, why does the top line of that screen say, "Radio 3GPP"?

jonp Mar 17, 2009 at 9:03 am

why would anyone buy this and not the 8900???

kph85 Mar 17, 2009 at 9:08 am

i just checked my calendar to see if it was april fool's day yet... it's not but it sure feels like it

this is clearly some photoshop creation of what someone THINKS this new "Gemini" will look like and they did a pretty horrible job... its an old curve's keyboard with a new curve's trackball and a bold's screen/frame... this franken-berry is disgusting and whoever created it needs some photoshop lessons ASAP!

bx2md Mar 17, 2009 at 9:10 am

I kinda like the titanium look
and 5.0 os ..wow
it should have had a 3.0 or 3.2 camera camera

PRC Mar 17, 2009 at 9:16 am

Looks like a monkey Effed a goat, thing is horrible looking. This is a step in a completely different(and awful)direction. I would love to find out this is a photoshop.

PRC Mar 17, 2009 at 9:19 am

And for god sakes, does every person who leaks a photo of a device carry around a 1x megapixel camera?! Get a real photo not something that looks like it was taken with a kids camera from Toys R Us. Jesus!

Nyce-Daytona Mar 17, 2009 at 9:27 am

LOL!! This is cleary a photshopped image of a Blackberry curve. Just look at how the screen has been painted over with silver. the lines are all crooked. Poorly done.

I wasn't fooled one bit.

meta_kaizen Mar 17, 2009 at 9:37 am

Why do these pics always seem to be taken by the same photographers who supply the grainy footage of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster? Oh wait, I just answered my own question.

chosen1_88 Mar 17, 2009 at 9:37 am

Maybe I'm missing the point of this post, but what real difference does the Gemini have over an 8320? Interchangeable faceplates, 802.11n and OS5 are all cool, but it doesn't seem like a substantial improvement over an 8320, especially when I can just change the housing for a new colour.

PRC Mar 17, 2009 at 9:42 am

I love Crackberry.com, but this post? (makes weird face) Just let BGR look like idiots, don't join the club!

SLVR6 Mar 17, 2009 at 9:52 am

So everything is the same as an 8320 except the faceplate and OS 5.0? I guess if you want to keep it around as a dirt cheap entry level device......but I will stick with an 8900 thank you very much!

PRC Mar 17, 2009 at 10:11 am

I call BS. What is the coincidence that NOW this device shows up. Why not before? Bot now when there is actually talk about it, and oh my god, a pic shows up. Someone has a little too much time on there hands, video with walk through or I call Bullshit!

Nelimungous Mar 17, 2009 at 10:27 am

F U G LY ! all I got to say.

mrsFAB Mar 17, 2009 at 11:03 am

That phone is ugly.

Jackal Mar 17, 2009 at 11:21 am

OS 5.0 WIN!

2 mp camera FAIL!

EDGE no 3G FAIL!

Meh... its alright this'll make up for it I hope.
Nothing for us core users to oogle at.

yahtriccluhdis Mar 17, 2009 at 11:37 am

eww look at that horrible photoshop job.
part of the ring around the trackball is painted over, must be the crappiest camera ever cause parts of it are more clear then the rest..haha

joepocky Mar 17, 2009 at 11:44 am

Ug. Lee.

coldconfession13 Mar 17, 2009 at 12:19 pm

not photoshop

timbatty Mar 17, 2009 at 12:43 pm

If you can prove to me that it isn't, ill buy the device when it comes out, but as for my eyes, that is a terrible photo shop, granted I may not be that great at shoops myself, i have seen much better...such as the "99xx" yes, you can tell its shopped, but it at least looked reasonable, this device looks like the illegitimate child of a 8900, 8300, and goat sex orgy.

If this phone looks this crappy then there are quite a few people across the crackberry nation, my self included who will not be clamoring for this device to be in their pocket, or on their hip, or even to show it to anybody, even if it had OS 5.0 and the 3.2 MP camera, hell even if it had 3G i wouldn't want to take it out to show people how fast it was...

all in all, this device better pic its socks up.

P.S. photo shopped

c_86 Mar 17, 2009 at 12:31 pm

looks like it has a front facing camera as well... look at the top middle right, beside the ear piece... you can see a round blcak sot, i'm guessing a secondary camera

jembo Mar 17, 2009 at 12:44 pm

wow wow wow... another baby appeared to the surface...

mookish Mar 17, 2009 at 12:54 pm

Why are we still talking about old curves? If this thing sells, I'm gonna put 2010 headlights on a 2008 car and see if I can get people to buy it as a new model.

NASCAR20FAN Mar 17, 2009 at 1:03 pm

If this is a real phone that has changeable faceplates why not picture it with at leat one of the faceplate on it... That thing looks like it should shot in the back of the head and left in a ditch... If this is a real phone, bad form for whoever leaked this pic! Makes me want to puke not purchase one...

shaydakiss23 Mar 17, 2009 at 1:06 pm

lol...this picture looks like some doo doo. Cant wait to get some CAMERA READY images of this phone. lol. Good work gettin us the info tho...always a treat!