Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have never used blackberry before this one. I was looking for a cellphone with multimedia capabilities and with which I can check my email. BB Pearl fit that profile very well. I did read some reviews before getting it. Most of the reviews were very positive with one concern that was raised in some reviews that voice quality was not as good as reviewers expected. It was a concern to me but I thought that I could always return it if I noticed voice problems.
Here are some of my impressions from three weeks of use:
* Voice quality is excellent (I am in twin cities on t-mobile network). I haven't taken it outside the metro area or to another city yet. So, I don't know if that would effect voice quality
* I agree with couple of other reviewers that speaker phone is not the best quality. I only expect to use it on rare occasions.
* Phone paired easily with my samsung and motorola blue tooth headsets. I also have a stereo overhead bluetooth headset and when I paired the stereo bluetooth headset it worked great. It is amazing how clear other side sounds with a good quality stereo bluetooth headset.
* The back cover of the BB pearl seems to be made of flimsy plastic and I am afraid that if I removed cover too many times it might break and I will have to buy a replacement cover. When you open the back cover, you will see the battery. Underneath the battery are two slots. One for sim card and one for the micro sd card. You have to lift the latch and then insert the cards and close it. I am concerned that if I am not careful these latches to secure the cards may break. Seems to me a bit over engineering on BB's part. Because I was concerned about the durability of the outer back cover, I bought 1 GB micro sd card with plenty of storage, so that I don't have to open the back cover often to replace the micro sd card. You can transfer data to micro sd card either thru the supplied usb cable or thru bluetooth.
* Mp3 music: I transferred mp3 music files to micro sd and the player played without any problems. There are two issues to be aware of. One, the jack on the phone is 2.5 mm. Most stereo headphones are 3.5 mm. So, if you want to listen to stereo music on your favorite headset, you would need a small 2.5mm to 3.5mm converter. I bought mine from target for few dollars. The second issue is that I was unable to listen to music in stereo using my bluetooth stereo headphones (though I was able to listen to phone conversation in stereo using the same bluetooth headset). I don't know at this point why it was. I called t-mobile BB tech support but they were not able to give me a satisfactory answer.
* During the first week, I got number of "java null pointer exception" error messages during conducting different operations. The errors have decreased but I still got one couple of days ago. I am thinking these are software bugs, that t-mobile/BB need to fix.
* I am very happy with the email. It arrives instantaneously and I see a red blinking light when there is an email message in my mail box. Setting up email thru BB internet server was a breeze
* While email is great on BB. Web browsing leaves much to be desired for. Part of the problem is that t-mobile's network is slow (in the process of being upgraded), and then navigation on the BB browser is not easy. Perhaps, I will get used to it, but for right now I don't enjoy it much.
* Key pad is bit crowded. After three weeks of use, I still mistype a key once in a while, because the keys are so close to each other. I can't imagine using it for typing long messages. Just short quick notes. Perhaps, if you have more nimble fingers it may work better for you.
* Screen is very vibrant and clear. You would not be disappointed. I have had no problem reading messages, emails.
* Camera is ok quality. I would not throw my regular camera. I expect to only use it rarely
* Navigation ball is excellent and you would definitely like it to move "cursor" from application to application. I did notice one day that I could not move up the screen with the navigation ball. I turned off BB and started it again and the problem went away.
* As I said this is my first BB and before buying it I heard that you could read (not edit) microsoft documents plus pdfs. The gottacha here is that you can do that only if the documents are part of email attachments. So, for instance, you cannot upload a MS word document on your micro sd card and view it. I am disappointed with this limitation.
* The extra battery for BB pearl is being sold for approx $50. I consider it a highway robbery by RIM (maker of BB) to sell a $5 battery for that much. I am disgusted by this level of greed.
* I have noticed that after about a month of it's release still it's difficult to find accessories specifically for BB pearl like a leather cover. I liked the leather cover advertised at the official BB shop at shopblackberry.com but it's not going to be available until mid november. Meanwhile, beware of web sites which are re-marketing their existing products as made for BB pearl to make a buck.
Overall, I am very happy with the BB Pearl. Many of my complaints are minor to me and do not materially effect my decision to buy this BB. I hope my two cents will help you in making a better decision if this phone is for you or not. Goodluck
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BlackBerry Pearl 8100 Phone, Black (T-Mobile)This major update to the popular 7105t brings the BlackBerry experience to a whole new level. The BlackBerry 8100 Pearl is not only thinner and lighter, it also sports a memory card slot, a music player, and voice dialing. Other features, such as Bluetooth 2.0, EDGE high-speed data, and the popular SureType keypad make this a complete mobile office solution. And of course, legendary BlackBerry push email is fully supported on the BlackBerry 8100 Pearl.
DesignLike the BlackBerry 7105t, the BlackBerry 8100 Pearl is a departure from the form factor of previous BlackBerry devices. This BlackBerry handset is far more phone-like, and RIM's engineers have managed 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 BlackBerry 8100 Pearl's handset's diminutive size possible. SureType also learns the words you use most often, further enhancing your typing speed.
The BlackBerry 8100 Pearl 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 1.3-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 2.5mm headset jack that can be used with the included headset, as well as a mini-USB port for data connectivity.
Calling FeaturesAll the calling capabilities folks have come to expect in a wireless phone are present in the BlackBerry 8100 Pearl. The handset's speakerphone makes it easy to use the device hands-free, or if you prefer, you can use a wireless headset via the BlackBerry 8100 handheld's built-in Bluetooth capability. A vibrating alert, speed dial, and a contacts list/address book (limited only by the unit's 64 MB of internal memory) are also included. Any of the phone's 32 included polyphonic ringtones can be used to create caller-specific ringers, so you can know who's calling without having to look at the handset. More ringtones are available from T-Mobile's t-zones mobile Web service. A new feature, speaker independent voice dialing, allows you to call contacts with the sound of your voice. No prior voice training is required; you can just say a contact's name to call them.
Messaging, Internet, and ToolsWhile the BlackBerry 8100 Pearl is a different kind of BlackBerry device, it still delivers the legendary BlackBerry e-mail experience. With BlackBerry service plans from T-Mobile, you can receive e-mails instantaneously from up to 10 e-mail accounts (personal and enterprise). 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).
If your company has a BlackBerry Enterprise Server installed, you can take advantage of the power of wireless calendar synchronization. Your calendar events are exchanged wirelessly and automatically so that your desktop calendar and BlackBerry handheld calendar are synchronized. All your Outlook meeting requests, changes, and updates are instantaneously synchronized instantaneously with your desktop. Make meeting requests, invite new attendees, and more, all on your BlackBerry 8100 Pearl. Users without BlackBerry Enterprise Server support can manually sync with their desktop calendars and contacts via Bluetooth or USB using the included BlackBerry Desktop Software.
Use the BlackBerry 8100 handset's Web browser to access the Internet from the palm of your hand. Browse Web sites, get up-to-date stock quotes, read the latest news, check weather reports, and more--all at fast speeds, thanks to support for T-Mobile's EDGE high speed data network. Instant messaging and wireless messaging are also built into the BlackBerry 8100 Pearl. The handheld supports AOL, Yahoo, and ICQ instant messaging, as well as SMS text messaging. MMS messages can be received and forwarded.
The BlackBerry 8100 Pearl ships with a number of tools, including a calculator, a calendar, an alarm, and a to-do list.
Imaging and Entertainment The BlackBerry 8100 Pearl really kicks the fun up a notch with the inclusion of a 1.3-megapixel camera that features an LED flash and white balance controls. How about some music? The handheld's music player supports playback of your tunes in MP3, AAC, AAC+, and eAAC+ formats. The handheld is also compatible with Java application and game downloads (available via the t-zones service).
Vital Statistics The BlackBerry 8100 Pearl weighs 3.16 ounces and measures 4.2 by 2.00 by 0.57 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.5 hours of digital talk time and up to 360 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies. The phone comes with a one-year limited warranty.
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