BlackBerry Pearl 8130 Phone, Silver (Verizon Wireless) Review

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(More customer reviews)For years I could not drink the "BlackBerry Kool-Aid" and thought many of my BlackBerry-toting friends were over-the-top zealots until I had my share of PDA follies and resigned myself to trying a BlackBerry. I speak from experience, having owned a Treo 700, a UT Starcom 6700 and a Motorola Q--I have experience with three of the top PDA and SmartPhone platforms.
If you are seeking a compact cellular phone that can keep you organized, keep you in touch, and entertain you without the great expense of other devices (iPhone), you've found a superbly functional tool in the BlackBerry Pearl.
Overall I have been quite impressed with the performance of the Pearl, which I obtained through my employer in February of 2008. At the time Verizon did not offer the BlackBerry Curve, which I had originally sought and could not wait for. I had a BlackBerry World Edition phone, but hated the fact that it lacked the basic multimedia recording abilities every cell phone in the world now has, making it not so...worldly.
I have found the Pearl to be a great organizational device, syncing perfectly with my office desktop. Mail push is flawless and reliable, messaging is simple and the trackball allows you to navigate with one hand quite easily. If you have been used to touch screen devices, this will take a little time to adjust to, but you will find in time that a stylus was a real pain to keep track of and you will no longer fret over having to buy screen protector covers that soften your screen images.
You would think that such a small screen would make for difficult viewing, but I have had no trouble reading any of my emails or messages and there are numerous typeface families available to customize the look. The screen is bright and crisp; video plays well and colors are vibrant.
There are two features that carry the "wow factor": BlackBerry instant messaging and the still camera performance. RIM (Research In Motion) has its own messaging system, free to all BlackBerry owners no matter what cellular provider you are with. You can send text, pictures and audio messages between BlackBerry owners free of charge. The still camera is rated at 2 megapixels and takes great pictures where there is decent light, good pictures where the light is moderate (indoors), and acceptable pictures in lower light levels. A built-in flash is okay within three feet, but outdoors in good light is where this camera shines. I haven't been that impressed with the video camera, but it is, after all, a cell phone posing as a multimedia device and one needs to be realistic about this.
Currently I am using a 2 GB microSD card in the Pearl and I have been able to keep a good amount of still pictures saved in high quality, mp3 music files with album art, videos, and miscellaneous files such as Word and PDF documents.
The one thing I feared was the predictive text powered by the SureType keyboard. I've been a QWERTY keyboard fan ever since I learned to type in college back in 1982, so selling me on predictive text wasn't easy. Basically, the SureType layout doubles-up the keyboard, putting two letters on each key. When you tap (type) your words, the Pearl will instantly give you a pull-down menu of several words it thinks you are trying to type. You have the option of saving yourself some time by using the trackball to scroll and select the correct word before you type the rest of it, or take your chances and see what comes out. Most of the time I get what I meant to type.
I have adapted pretty well to this concept, but have been aggravated on many occasions when I can't get the right letter to come up where I need it, or I am in a hurry and the predictive text function has put in a nonsensical word I overlooked before I sent the message or email. This has sometimes wasted more time where a QWERTY keyboard like the one on the Moto Q gives you exactly what you type faster and without having to go back to retype.
Don't be discouraged: a custom dictionary function automatically saves words you type and you can go back and edit it or add words you often might use, like trade names, abbreviations, or names of unique towns. Eventually, it seems to learn what you type most frequently. Smart device...
Call quality is very good, though the microphone hole is at the bottom of the phone, on the side, instead of at the bottom of the phone and on the front face by the keyboard. The earpiece produces good sound, though I am not totally sold on the speaker phone. It tends to sound hollow and not as clear as on Motorola phones. I think Motorola has the best quality there with its Sprint i-series phones and the Q. The Pearl does offer a mini stereo audio jack, which is standard for many small headphones and earpieces, so hats off to RIM for not making something proprietary that requires an adapter.
Bluetooth features with this phone are solid, allowing you to use either a hands-free device or stereo headset. I have my Pearl paired with a Motorola S9 stereo headset that has acceptable music quality and good call quality, but I am not 100% pleased with Bluetooth abilities here. I have been able to pair it with my MacBook laptop, but Object Push (OBEX) isn't functional. I've tried to send photos and other files to the laptop and other Bluetooth enabled devices with no success. I've had to remove my microSD card or pull objects from it by searching from the laptop. I think this is more of an issue with Verizon disallowing that particular feature than it is with the device itself.
So here is my synopsis of this device:
GREAT:
* Compact, sleek device loaded with features.
* Inexpensive to buy with a new plan on Verizon.
* Fantastic still camera quality.
* Backlighted keyboard is very easy to read in the dark.
* BlackBerry's messaging system.
* Bright, crisp screen that's easy to read.
* Universal USB charging port that is not finicky about which Verizon USB charger you use (it's recommended you use the Verizon charger that comes with the phone, but can be charged with other USB chargers in an emergency)
GOOD:
* Call quality.
* Music playback quality.
* Overall multimedia performance (voice notes, too).
* Trackball makes it easy to navigate browser screens.
* Predictive text works fairly well.
* The BlackBerry leather holster with magnetic flap. It holds the device securely and protects it well...you must buy separately, but is available on Amazon.com at a discount.
AGGRAVATING:
* Predictive text can sometimes be stubborn. There is an adjustment period if you've been full QWERTY before owning a Pearl.
* It doesn't happen often, but the device can get stuck in "annoying hourglass mode" where a rotating hourglass appears in center screen while the device tries to get out of a constant cycle of processor functions. There is a remedy for this: remove the battery once a day. Verizon tech support told me the Pearl was not made with an automatic "memory cleaner". Doing a hard reboot, they said, will help the device start fresh and avoid that perpetual hourglass mode.
* The leather pouch that comes with the device. Maybe it's good for women who carry their cell phones in their purses or bags, but it's useless for men who like to carry the phone on their belt. RIM or Verizon should include a pouch with a removable clip...everyone would be happy.
Overall, this is an excellent value with a superb price-performance ratio. It does many things quite well, especially email and messaging, and is a stable performer. If you are in the market for your first SmartPhone or PDA purchase, you really should consider the BlackBerry Pearl.


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Bringing the acclaimed style and svelte body of the Blackberry Pearl to Verizon's CDMA network, the Pearl 8130 comes packed with new features including a striking new software interface, rich multimedia capabilities, built-in GPS and support for Verizon's high-speed EV-DO data network--perfect for surfing the Web. The Pearl 8130 continues to offer all the communication features that you've come to expect from Blackberry smartphones, including email served up by the BlackBerry Internet Service and a full menu of messaging options (SMS, MMS, and IM). Other features include a 2.0-megapixel camera with video capture, Bluetooth for both communication headsets and stereo music streaming, MicroSD expansion, digital audio player, speakerphone, and voice-activated commands and dialing.
Verizon Service Options With support for the EV-DO high-speed data standard, you'll enjoy fast access to the Internet and Verizon's multimedia services (additional charges applicable), with average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps and peak rates up to 2 Mbps. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.) Getting on the Internet is easy using Verizon's Mobile Web 2.0 package, which allows you to read and send e-mails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. Verizon's Get It Now wireless download service is also fully compatible with this phone. This pay-per-download service features application downloads, games and productivity tools. You can also personalize your handset with ringtone downloads using the Get It Now service.
With this GPS-enabled phone, you'll be able to access Verizon's VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps.
With BroadbandAccess Connect (subscription required), you can use your smartphone as a modem for your notebook when you connect the two using a USB cable--or open a Bluetooth connection--enabling you to access the Internet or your company intranet. The tethered modem capability is ideal when you're traveling and need to use your notebook to check email, access corporate networks, or download large files like presentations and reports. And with BroadbandAccess Connect, you won't have to buy an extra PC Card or other devices.
Phone Features Weighing just 3.38 ounces and just 0.55 inches thin, the Pearl 8130 manages to fit a QWERTY keyboard onto the handset's slim frame. Each button on the keyboard shares two letters and the unit automatically determines which letter is the intended one based on what it predicts you are trying to spell. This unique predictive text technology, known as SureType, makes the Pearl 8130's diminutive size possible. SureType also learns the words you use most often, further enhancing your typing speed.
It sports a large 240 x 260 screen that supports over 65,000 colors--plenty of real estate to view your e-mails, Web browser content, messaging sessions, and attachments. The venerable BlackBerry trackwheel has been replaced on this model with an innovative four-way trackball placed below the screen. On the rear of the handheld, you'll find a 2.0-megapixel camera and a self portrait mirror. The handheld's MicroSD memory card slot is located inside the device, behind the battery. There's also a standard 3.5mm headset jack that can be used with the included headset, as well as a mini-USB port for data connectivity.
The Pearl 8130 features an updated visual interface and integrates a new font rendering technology that displays characters with enhanced legibility at even the smallest point sizes. The BlackBerry Browser is further improved with a new "Page View" option that displays a full web page on the screen along with a magnifying glass that allows the user to quickly and accurately point and zoom in on a specific area of the web page. It also provides quicker access to Bookmarks and History, and supports the 3GPP RTSP Streaming protocol via EV-DO, so you can view streaming video from sites like m.youtube.com.
With a BlackBerry data plans from Verizon, you can receive e-mails instantaneously from up to 10 e-mail accounts (personal and enterprise). And with BlackBerry push technology, you don't need to retrieve your e-mail. BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, allowing you to be discreetly notified as new e-mail arrives. Support is also built-in for viewing e-mail attachments (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and PDF formats).
This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity, and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, audio/video remote control, and printing. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. The integrated media player allows you to create and edit playlists right on the handset. The Pearl 8130 also features a 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and enhanced flash. The new camera also supports video capture in two resolutions: 240x180 or 176x144 for sharing via MMS.
Other features include:
Phone as Modem Capable: Use the included USB cable to connect to laptops for a wireless modem, or choose to run this capability via Bluetooth with no USB cable requirement.
Voice Command and Voice Activated Dialing: Built-in speaker independent voice command allows users to look up contacts, place phone calls and access key information from the device.
Voice Notes: Make a voice note and send as an email .wmv file attachment.
Productivity Tools: View and update your calendar, schedule appointments, checks your task list and more while you're on the go. Also includes a calculator, alarm clock and memo pad.
Notification: Polyphonic, MIDI, MP3 ringtones plus vibrate mode
Rating for hearing aids: M3, T3
Instant Messaging: Connect with your IM contacts using popular applications like Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk
64 MB internal memory
3.5mm stereo headset capable
Built-in speakerphone

Vital Statistics The Blackberry Pearl 8130 weighs 3.4 ounces and measures 4.2 x 1.9 x 0.55 inches. Its 900 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.6 hours of talk time, and up to 216 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA frequencies and is compatible with the EV-DO data network.

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