Review: BlackBerry Pearl Flip
Calls
The Flip performs similar to most other BlackBerries when it comes to the phone features. Press the green send key and a list of recent calls appears. If you start typing a name or a number, the Flip will sort through all your contacts. Most times, you can get away with only typing three or four letters/numbers before the Flip finds the person you're hoping to contact. Press the BlackBerry key to open up a list of options for reaching out to that person, or simply hit the green send key to call them. In the call log, you can scroll up and down through logs quickly. Pressing the trackball once with a number selected brings up a set of actions to take (call, SMS, MMS). Press the BlackBerry key to get the full menu.
Contacts
If you open the address book from the home screen, there is a search function built into the top of the app, and is the default action. Start typing a name, and the app sorts until you find the contact you want. You can also scroll down using the track ball, but for large contact lists, this can be time consuming. Once you've found the contact you want, hitting the BB key again opens up a magical, extensive list of actions you can take concerning that contact, including dialing them, sending them an SMS, or editing their information. Each contact can hold a wealth of information about that person, including far more phone numbers and email addresses than any normal human being should have. You can also choose to save them directly to your SIM card.
The integration between the calling features and the contacts program is designed around one-handed ease-of-use and minimizes typing to almost zero. It may not look pretty, but it is far more functional than many other phones on the market.