Verizon has joined T-Mobile's announcements earlier in the week with news of its own special colors for its BlackBerry smartphones. Both the Curve 8330 and the Pearl 8130 now come in pink versus the conservative silver that was the only previous choice. The extra hue is pitched at girls going to college in the fall who may want a fashion-savvy device but also a smartphone they can use to keep track of classwork.

Both phones are identical in hardware and share 2-megapixel cameras, 3G Internet access over EVDO, and 3.5mm headphone jacks for listening to music.

The carrier in its back-to-school push emphasizes price and is selling all colors of the Pearl for $80 when signed with a two-year plan and a rebate; the Curve's QWERTY keyboard design raises the price to $100 under the same terms. Verizon says both pink devices are available online and in its official stores today, while the new Curve color is due in other stores by August 15th.