So check this out:  Apparently some BlackBerry 9000 pre-production samples turned up on eBay, and before RIM could get all of them pulled off, Kevin from CrackBerry.com bought one.  And he actually got it in the mail.  So awesome.

Being the pillar of the blogosphere that he is, Kevin tested, photographed, and reviewed his secret new toy and posted the results for all to see.  Check out Part 1 of his very in-depth look at the next-Gen Blackberry over on CrackBerry.  Or read my Cliff's Notes:

• OS 4.6, apparently, is "WHERE IT IS AT!" (caps his).  I love the fact that a BlackBerry fan is so excited by the BB OS getting a face lift.  Words like "smooth," "fast," "and pretty," used in conjunction with a BlackBerry make me happy.
• The 9000 Kevin got is all plastic.  The iPhone-esque chrome strip around the side?  Plastic, not metal.
• The keyboard "seems pretty good!"  It's more like a refined 8800 keyboard than a 8700/Curve keyboard, which means larger buttons arranged in a grid with no spaces in between - unlike the Curve, which has smaller, more spaced out keys. 
• 480 x 320 LCD display. 
• 3G!
• New design makes the phone feel thinner in hand than the Curve, even though it's actually thicker.

But, hey, enough with the Cliff's Notes.  Hit that link up there and read the full review.  Nice work, Kevin!