Let the hive mind of Engadget get that for you.
"I just switched to Sprint from Verizon about three months ago for the Pre. Then I went for the Hero about a week ago. Now, I miss my hardware keyboard and am thinking about switching to the Moment. I am still able to switch back to Verizon if I want and get the Droid when it arrives. Should I just trade up to the Moment when it comes out, see if I like it, and if not switch to the Droid? Or something else entirely? Help!"
RIM is based out of waterloo, ontario. So it makes a little sense for them to go to the big canadian carrier first.
Also, I was at a convention and I asked a blackberry rep about the kickstart and he seemed pretty offended and assured me the name was the pearl 8220 NOT the kickstart.
The phone does look ugly, but I'll have to play around with it first before making any real judgment.