Research In Motion’s (RIMM) consumer-focused BlackBerry Pearl is about to get some help, as RIM tries to gobble up more of the mobile market: RIM’s new “KickStart” flip-phone is expected to launch early next month on T-Mobile’s network, priced as low as $50-$99, RBC analyst Mike Abramsky notes today.

While smartphones — like

RIM’s bulkier, more expensive handsets — are growing in popularity, Abramsky says 50% of phones sold in the U.S. are still flip-style phones, like Motorola’s (MOT) RAZR. As a result, he says, “Kickstart is well positioned to become a ‘must-have’ consumer handset, in our view.” Some 13% of participants in RBC’s latest tech survey said they’d buy a BlackBerry flip phone, and more than 85% of those were new to RIM, he adds.     Read more on Alleyinsider