BlackBerry Pearl 8130
Average Ratings
Best BB to date...
I am with Verizon and I gott tell ya.. I have used and admired all BB's prior to this. I kept saying, man... if RIM can only add video and pics to this device and shave some of the "waffle" feel to it, it would be the best PDA smartphone to grace the wireless industry.
They did it.
+Suretype is as easy to use as the full qwerty. (Hint for you. Never look at the screen when typing, just type your email, then check for errors. I would gaurantee that 99% of what you typed is correct and does not need adjusted.)
+The speaker phone is office quality.
+Typical BB email quality (The Best)
+Excellent idea with the larger jack for computer speakers to play your mp3's and videos.
+Verizon's network is the best around. Adding this Gem, or Pearl is just the icing on the cake.
The small, and light weight handle of this is also great for the phone user.
No flwas to date and have had it for about a month.
I recommend it highly!
great phone
Time for a new ph & I narrowed it down 2 the smt5800 & the pearl. I went with the pearl & am VERY happy with my choice. I had a wm2003 phone in the past & had a bad experience. This phone is rock solid. I had a few lockups but those were due to buggy apps (BBToday). There are plenty of good free apps & games out there to use. Reception is great. I get EVDO n areas that my old phone (LG V) would not. The SureType keyboard is great. Took a few days to get used to, but am now typing with no issues. It queries your adr book for names & auto-adds them n2 the dictionary. The headphone jack is great. Has standard size 3.5mm jack. I plug it up to my car stereo's aux input for handsfree operation. Sounds great over the car speakers. The Music player is ok. After loading music on your microSD card & inserting into the ph, it takes a few min. for the ph to catalog the music. So it may appear that some of your songs are missing, but eventually they appear. I wish u could view the files in directory mode instead of only reading the ID3 tags, but that is minor. I don't carry my MP3 player as much now.
Pro's:
*Great reception & antenna.
*SureType keybd is great for the ph this size
*Size. Fits in your pocket
*Good ol' reliable blackberry email. I usually get the emails on my ph b4 seein on my computer.
*Trackball is great. I'm not a fan of touchscreen. The trackball is sensitive enough to make it easy to maneuver.
*You can setup the software to auto backup your ph every xx days or when u plug your ph into the computer.
Con's
*Battery life is not that great. I usually have to charge every day. BUT!!! there is a extended battery that you can get online that is the same size that will give longer life.
*Phone's back cover is not very sturdy. I bought a hard shell cover & screen protector to combat that issue.
*Phone is slippery. The hard shell cover also helps with this.
Overall, very happy w/ ph. i give it 4.5 out of 5 stars only because of the battery life. Hope this helps
Great phone!
I knew from the moment I handled the device at a training prior to its release that I was going to purchase one. It's a great organization tool for my business, helps me keep track of my emails, message my friends, and fits comfortably in the palm of my hand (and doesn't take up much space in my pocket!).
PROS:
The size
Multimedia (photo, video, music, voice rec)
2 Convenience keys (Yes, I love that fact)
Sure-type is great (once you're used to it)
8GB of extra storage capability
Sound quality
Reception
CONS:
Only CDMA capable (I'm with Verizon)... hoping they produce a Pearl version with global capabilities
The music playlist feature seems to not work properly, but I can live with it until a newer software version is released
This is by far the best phone I've owned, and will continue to stick with BlackBerry devices as long as they are as excellent as this.
WOW! This BB is Amazing!
Phones I have owned within past 2 years:
Sprint TREO 650
VZW LG EnV
VZW BlackBerry 8830
VZW BlackBerry 8130
The 8130 beats them all...I was skeptical about the SureType, but after a few days, I have gotten used to it pretty easily.
I am very satisfied with the device. Transferring my email accounts to the new BlackBerry was a breeze...all I had to do was click a few dialogue boxes from the 8130, and BOOM, all of my account settings transferred. Also, this thing is TINY! It is the size of a candybar Nokia, but it does sooo much more.
Emailing on a BlackBerry is a breeze...the keyboard shortcuts allow me to email faster from the BB than from my laptop. Also, I receive emails on my BB BEFORE my laptop...I will NEVER go back to a non-BlackBerry device.
The keyboard has a satisfying "clicking" sensation during use, and it memorizes new words instantly...I would go as far to say that the SureType keyboard is better than the full QWERTY keyboard on the 8830.
Ringers are MUCH louder than the ringers on the 8830.
Camera works very, very well.
Pros:
SIZE!
Ringer volume
Keyboard feel
Functionality (keyboard shortcuts, for example)
Ease of email
Trackball
VZW Theme (yeah, I said it...I think it is the best theme)
3.5mm Standard headphone jack...Awesome!!!
Cons:
Included case is a piece of junk
Crippled GPS...C'mon, VERIZON!!
This is an excellent device for those seeking ultimate email connectivity...If you want a "powerhouse" device/mini laptop, then go for Windows Mobile.
If you want an ultimate media device, get the Voyager.
Crackberry my love...
I did a borderline embarrassing about of research on this phone before deciding to buy. The phone I had prior to this was the LG V on verizon. I had that thing for 2 years! One of my biggest concerns was going from a full qwerty keyboard to this modified version. I originally wanted the curve but it was not available on verizon at the time of purchase (december 07).
I started off putting a rubber case around it because the phone is so sleek it borders on slippery. however this detracts from the slim size because its hard to get in and out of my pockets. I just put a lanyard on it now.
I'm a moderate to heavy user. I use my phone mostly for txting, checking email, taking pictures, keeping track of upcoming events, and as an alarm.
Pros:
-phone looks "highend" (I have the silver version)
-charges very quickly
-much better camera than my last phone!
-the video feature is fun.
-email to my phone, I wont be able to live without this feature now.
-suretype is actually pretty good. a bit of a learning curve but I type faster with suretype than with qwerty now.
-fast web browser. not sure if this is verizon or the phone.
-easy to add mp3's as ringers
-different ringer/sound settings including one that silences everything but the alarm.
-bluetooth works very well for image transfers to my mac.
-2.5 headphone jack
-customizable shortcut buttons
-tiny size! honestly sometimes i lose it in my pocket!
Cons:
-not usb/MAC compatible out of the box. honestly, if i'd known that before i purchased I would have likely gone with a different phone.
-the phone has deleted my entire message history on 3 different instances. maybe user error... but pretty annoying.
-lack of more than one alarm. my "V" let me set 3 different alarms, each with individual settings.
-i'm pretty tech savvy, but i still had to bust out the manual the first couple of weeks. not that big of a deal tho, its been worth the effort.
-the back battery door does feel pretty flimsy.
My first Blackberry and Im In love
I recently return my Voyager for my pink Blackberry 8130, and I don't regret it one bit. It have alot of spunk for a small size which I love.
Pros
* The camera is great takes beautiful pictures .
* The scroller in the middle is very unique it's easy to scroll to different options.
* Very simple to use
* I've heard various comments about the bluetooth losing it's connection. I've personally had no problem with my bluetooth. It was easy to connect and disconnect.
* The speaker phone is off the chain !! Various people I've spoken to didn't know I was on the speakerphone which is wonderful.
* Easy to access email and browse the web.
* Easy to text had to get use to the multi tap which I disabled if you text fast for the size and the two letters on each key, it's something definetely to get use to.
Cons:
My only complaint on this was the sales person knew I've never had a blackberry and he failed to tell me I had to contact them to get my internet up and running. It took me some hours trying to figure out where was the browser icon was on the phone until I called. Other than that the phone is flawless. I recommend anyone to buy one..
Blackberry's Cherry
Over the last 2 years I have had a total of at least 7 phones, including a treo, the moto q and the blackberry 8830, and this one sits above the rest in every category. I have used it for two months, and here is my review:
The Pros:
3.5 millimeter headphone jack....well overdue
Excellent sound quality for phone and speakerphone
Incredibly customizable UI
Great internet browser
Phenomenal email integration with easy set up
Scroll ball rocks
Keyboard is easy to use
Excellent media experience, I have not used my MP3 player once since getting the pearl.
The phone itself is tiny, if you haven't seen one you'll be amazed. The keyboard is also easy to use. If you are debating on getting a blackberry from verizon get the pearl. I've tried both the pearl and 8830 and the keyboard on the pearl is just as easy to use as a standard qwerty after a couple days of use.
Cons:
There aren't really any cons i have. Any phone could have a longer battery life, this one is good, but if you're using it day in and day out like me it's best just to charge it at the end of the day.
In summary this is the best phone I have ever owned and would recommend buying one to anyone. I used the 30 day trial with Verizon to check the phone out, and after day one I knew they would not be getting their pearl back.....
The pearl truly is a pearl.
Great at first, but disappointing
When I first got the phone it was great. Fast internet browser (for a phone), great features and extra-ordinary organizational ability, great for people who have trouble remembering their entire schedule or just simply want to get more organized. After after around a month of use, you see the phones true flaws...
(In no particular order)
Pros:
-great at helping keeping life organized
-browser will play almost anything (including youtube) except flash images.
-suretype is great, even allows you to add words/slang you may use.
-adding quicklinks to your favorite places makes it quick and easy to get to ESPN, weather.com or others with simply one button.
-Auto on/off is awesome.
Cons:
-UNRELIABLE AT SENDING/RECEIVING MESSAGES!!! Numerous times I couldn't recieve texts when i had full antenna. also may only get a call for 1 ring, not enough time to answer it before it goes to voice mail.
-Battery Life Sucks, didn't use the phone all day except to check the time occasionally and the battery wouldn't last a day. Turns out if you delete all your messages constantly you can get it to last a 1.5 days w/o much use.
-Browser has gradually gotten slower and slower the longer I've had the phone.
-Sometimes websites will cause an error in the browser making it unviewable. But you can restart the phone and they'll work fine.
-Takes forever to power down.
-Numerous times the phone will freeze or run extremely slow, forcing you to restart it in order for it to work agian.
-Phone sound quality pretty poor.
Overall I'm very disappointed. I'm going to take it to Verizon tommorrow to see if I can get it fixed or a replacement, but its passed the 30days so I doubt anything will be done. Hopefully they will be kind and allow me to swap it out for another phone. I wouldn't recommend this phone unless your only using it for occasional/casual phone calls/texts and want it more as a daily planner. If your calls are important I suggest finding something else.
Instant Addict.
The 8130 is my first Blackberry device replacing a Treo 700P on Verizon. I liked the Treo I really like the Blackberry. I used the Treo for just under a year and I've had the pearl for about a week now.
Pro's
-Clear sound coming out of the speaker no feed back on the unit I have.
-Good camera takes excellent pictures that are uploaded to various blogs.
-Intuitive interface if you have ever used a smart phone before.
-Email setup was a breeze
-Your own MP3 ring tones! (if your a Verizon customer this is a big deal)
-Alot of free software and native Google Apps.
Con's
-I can't stop messing with the thing which has already led to early case of blackberry thumb.
-I can't get my home screen picture to stay put.
The reception has been good all over the East Valley in the Phoenix Metro area. I even get service in the basement of a couple of buildings which up until this phone was unheard of.
Would recommend this phone to anyone in the market for a smart Phone on Verizon in a heart beat.
Blackberry Pearl [sprint]
This phone is AMAZING!
I recently had a fusic
when my moto q broke
so yesterday [1-26-08] i got the pearl
pros:
camera takes great pictures
the battery life is great
thin and sleek
has a "pearl"
download your own ringtones
play mpeg-4 video
mp3 audio
calling qaulity is better than landline
the keyboard is better than any phone
there are probably many more that i forgot
Cons:
there are none
[seriously]
buy this phone if you havnt already
