RIM has announced the launch of the much-rumoured Pearl 2 in the UK.

Coming with a blue rather than black exterior, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 is described by its makers, Research In Motion as "incredibly sexy, small smartphone that helps you stand out from the crowd".

As well as allowing you to stay in touch while on the go, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 comes complete with Wi-Fi which means you can quickly browse the Internet at work or home.

The 91g handset also includes a number of enhanced features beyond the Wi-Fi, including a 2-megapixel camera with flash and zoom that is video capable too.

The "intuitive" multimedia player claims to make it quick and easy to transfer your favourite songs over from your PC to smartphone, create MP3 music files from CDs, and create play lists that you can listen to on your existing headphones, thanks to the inclusion of a 3.5mm jack.

Like the previous Pearl, the 8120 looks more like a mobile than a traditional BlackBerry in order to appeal to that crucial consumer audience, but RIM promises it's still a BlackBerry at heart.

Which means you can send, receive and manage emails from up to ten different accounts wherever you are in the world, make phone calls, send text and multimedia messages, surf the internet and manage your schedule with an electronic diary and organiser.

Other features of note include built-in light sensing technology, which automatically adjusts screen and keypad brightness to the environment around you, an external microSD card slot, as well as the same SureType keypad the original boasts.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone will be available in a range of colours, however only blue in the UK on O2.

Exclusive to the network for the next couple of weeks, O2 has confirmed that it will be available "from free" if you sign up to the right tariff.

You can read our exclusive review on Pocket-lint.co.uk.

>> Reviewed - BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone review