Research in Motion on Monday partnered with T-Mobile to announce the first BlackBerry flip phone.

According to Leslie Grandy, vice president of product development at T-Mobile, the flip phone remains the preferred design for mobile phones in the United States. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 offers the same core features other Pearl models offer, but adds a few new bells and whistles.

Beyond the flip design, the new model also boasts advanced multimedia capabilities through video recording and playback, a 2.0-megapixel camera with digital zoom, stereo Bluetooth support, and an external memory card slot.

The phone sells for $349.99, but T-Mobile customers can buy the phone for $149.99 after a $150 instant discount and a $50 mail-in rebate.