It’s time for another cell phone review from your boy Douce. No, it’s not the iPhone. You know that thing isn’t out yet, silly. I’m talking about the popular Blackberry Pearl. It’s more than just your average Blackberry.
I’ve been using the Blackberry 8100, a.k.a. the Pearl, for a few months, and I can say that it’s one of the best phones I’ve ever owned. I’ve been through every Blackberry since the 7290 and the additions and changes to the Pearl are very much welcomed so if I sound a little biased as you read on then I assure you that …you are not mistaken, but I’ll TRY to call it right down the middle.
The first thing you’ll notice is that RIM has designed the Pearl to feel and look more like, well, a cell phone. It’s no longer wide and bulky like the older models. The phone is now about the size of Motorola’s SLVR and fits comfortable in the palm of your hand due to the consolidated lettering on the keyboard for Suretype functionality. With the older models, if you didn’t have massive Andre The Giant-sized hands then you’re holding the phone with two hands to get anything accomplished. The Pearl’s new size fixes that problem allowing operation of the phone with one hand, whether it be typing an email or dialing a number.
Another noticeable change on the Pearl is the removal of the scroll wheel on the right side of the device. It has been replaced with a trackball on the front of the phone which also functions as your select button. Many people will say they prefer the wheel on the side, but if you ask me, I think the trackball makes navigation just a tad easier. On the left side of the trackball is the options/menu button and right of it is the back button which was formerly under the side-mounted scroll wheel.
I was extremely happy to see a media functions added to the device such as a 1.3 MP camera and upgradable memory via a micro SD card positioned underneath the battery. I think that 1gig is the most the phone can handle because when I put a 2gig card in and powered it on, all the screen did was blink on and off. That’s cool though, because if I want to carry around 2gigs of media, then a Blackberry isn’t what I need.
My favorite feature of the phone is the voice-dialing. Voices Signal’s software is extremely accurate when recognizing spoken names programmed in the address book or a series of numbers for dialing. Voice Signal will be right on the money at least ninety-five percent of the time unless you’re trying to call someone with a name like “Shaniequa Fayed”. In that case, you might experience a little technical difficulty.
I’ve used AT&T and T-Mobile’s Pearls and the only major difference I’ve found between the two phones is the PTT (Push To Talk) on the AT&T model and the Instant Messenger via AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and ICQ on T-Mobile’s model. Personally, I’d rather have the instant messenger because the AT&T Push To Talk is only useful if the other person has a PTT phone and the feature as well, but with instant messenger, I can send and receive messages to and from people on their phone or computer.
All in all, the Pearl is another solid phone. It has always been a superior emailing device, but now with the addition of media features, RIM has a definite winner on their hands. With the iPhone releasing in June, all cell phone manufacturers are going to have to step up their game to compete. Maybe the upcoming Blackberry Curve will give Apple a run for their money. I said MAYBE.
I’ve been using the Blackberry 8100, a.k.a. the Pearl, for a few months, and I can say that it’s one of the best phones I’ve ever owned. I’ve been through every Blackberry since the 7290 and the additions and changes to the Pearl are very much welcomed so if I sound a little biased as you read on then I assure you that …you are not mistaken, but I’ll TRY to call it right down the middle.The first thing you’ll notice is that RIM has designed the Pearl to feel and look more like, well, a cell phone. It’s no longer wide and bulky like the older models. The phone is now about the size of Motorola’s SLVR and fits comfortable in the palm of your hand due to the consolidated lettering on the keyboard for Suretype functionality. With the older models, if you didn’t have massive Andre The Giant-sized hands then you’re holding the phone with two hands to get anything accomplished. The Pearl’s new size fixes that problem allowing operation of the phone with one hand, whether it be typing an email or dialing a number.
Another noticeable change on the Pearl is the removal of the scroll wheel on the right side of the device. It has been replaced with a trackball on the front of the phone which also functions as your select button. Many people will say they prefer the wheel on the side, but if you ask me, I think the trackball makes navigation just a tad easier. On the left side of the trackball is the options/menu button and right of it is the back button which was formerly under the side-mounted scroll wheel.
I was extremely happy to see a media functions added to the device such as a 1.3 MP camera and upgradable memory via a micro SD card positioned underneath the battery. I think that 1gig is the most the phone can handle because when I put a 2gig card in and powered it on, all the screen did was blink on and off. That’s cool though, because if I want to carry around 2gigs of media, then a Blackberry isn’t what I need.
My favorite feature of the phone is the voice-dialing. Voices Signal’s software is extremely accurate when recognizing spoken names programmed in the address book or a series of numbers for dialing. Voice Signal will be right on the money at least ninety-five percent of the time unless you’re trying to call someone with a name like “Shaniequa Fayed”. In that case, you might experience a little technical difficulty.
I’ve used AT&T and T-Mobile’s Pearls and the only major difference I’ve found between the two phones is the PTT (Push To Talk) on the AT&T model and the Instant Messenger via AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and ICQ on T-Mobile’s model. Personally, I’d rather have the instant messenger because the AT&T Push To Talk is only useful if the other person has a PTT phone and the feature as well, but with instant messenger, I can send and receive messages to and from people on their phone or computer.
All in all, the Pearl is another solid phone. It has always been a superior emailing device, but now with the addition of media features, RIM has a definite winner on their hands. With the iPhone releasing in June, all cell phone manufacturers are going to have to step up their game to compete. Maybe the upcoming Blackberry Curve will give Apple a run for their money. I said MAYBE.
Labels: Blackberry
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