Virgin Mobile Canada has just released its first-ever BlackBerry smartphone, the Pearl 8130. The handset comes not long after the Canadian division of the global MVNO (Mobile virtual network operator) launched the popular full-QWERTY LG Rumor phone.

BlackBerry Pearl is a quite popular device itself, and it's presented by Virgin as being "jam-packed with everything you want". Of course, the smartphone might not actually satisfy all of your mobile needs, but it's still a pretty good handset.

The features of 8130 include: dual-band CDMA connectivity with EV-DO, a 240 x 260 pixels display with 65K colors, a sure-type QWERTY keyboard, trackball navigation, email, Web browser, document viewer, MMS capabilities, Media player, Bluetooth 2.0, a 3.5mm headset jack, a 2 Megapixel camera with flash and video recording, speakerphone, USB and support for microSD / microSDHC cards.

Measuring 107 x 50 x 14 millimeters (4.2 x 1.97 x 0.55 inches) and weighing 96 grams (3.4 ounces), the handset packs a 900 mAh battery said to provide a talk-time of up to 3.7 hours or a stand-by time of up to nine days.

The new BlackBerry Pearl 8310 can be acquired from Virgin Mobile Canada even for free, but only by users who sign a contract agreement for three years and also opt for a BlackBerry bundle and any of the operator's myPlan offerings. With a contract for two years, the Pearl is priced at $299, while with a one-year agreement users will get to pay $349. Furthermore, the handset can also be bought with a 30-day plan, for the higher price of $399.

Virgin Canada offers the BlackBerry smartphone with a stereo headset, a USB cable and - more importantly - a 1GB memory card in the package.

Canadian users interested in getting the Pearl 8130 can find it as of today, both online, on Virgin's official website and in the MVNO stores across the North American country.