BlackBerry Pearl 8100
Phone Scoop Review
Oct 26, 2006 by Eric Lin
Our In Depth review of the sleek BlackBerry Pearl consumer messaging phone. NEW: video review added. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
YUP!
i have never, ever, ever loved a phone until now. this is my first blackberry and i will tell you it's amazing.
PROS:
:* SureType, amazing once you get used to it (it took me about 2 days)
:* big, crystal clear, vibrant screen! even in daylight!
:* LOUD playback, my mp3 ringers are all on low because it's so loud! stock ringers are a bit quieter.
:* PC-sync, even if you are not a business user, being able to sync your calendar is still useful. also LOVE the ability to transfer files between phone and PC via USB.
:* text messaging reads in a (reverse) conversation format.. this is helpful!
:* email, comes virtually in real time, and can be deleted from both handheld and inbox simultaneously.
:* virtually LIMITLESS customization possibilities with the addition of a data plan to add applications, many of which are free. if you dislike something about the phone, chances are there's an app to correct it.. these includes things as useful as turn by turn GPS and call blocking!
:* owning a BlackBerry has its own perks, BB messenger and online communities such as CrackBerry to help with anything that may be wrong.
:* let's just face it, it's beautiful.
CONS:
:* do not like to have to fork over another $20 to T-Mobile each month, but the unlimited data is the cheapest of all carriers, and definitely worth it.
:* sleek, i'm worried it will slip from my hands.. it has not, but i will be purchasing accessories for the first time in my phone-owning history, just in case!
i will NEVER go back to a regular cell phone again. ever. this phone has every capability you need. it has basically replaced my computer, excepting that i have to write papers for school. all the chat, email, web browsing, directions, scheduling, and daily reminders i will ever need is right here. my friends are even happy without data packages (i.e. texting, brickbreaker --the game-- and calling only).
form and function collide in this blackberry. you won't be sorry.
BlackBerry Pearl 8100
The BlackBerry Pearl 8100 is such a cool phone it gets great reception it is very easy to use the keyboard and the battery life is outstanding. The camera is not a very good camera but this phone is very user friendly. I love my BlackBerry Pearl. The very enthusiastic customer service team at shopwirelessbuy.com made my online shopping experience wonderful.
Excellent
I've had mine for about a week now and it is really surprising me. I was assuming it would be a lesser version of the 8800 series, but is has pretty much everything that the 8800s do, less the large QWERTY keyboard.
FINGERPRINT MAGENT!!
Scratches very easily.
Camera is a little weak, but other than that, I have no complaints...
Think twice
Pros: I like how the phone looks. I used to like the idea that it supposedly had tons of "useful" features.
Cons: More than I could ever list. It has horrible software issues and numerous other problems. I have come to loath and hate this phone. I thought things would change after I exchanged my first phone with problems...I'm now on my 5th (Yes, FIFTH) phone and they seem to be getting worse! Personally, I would spend your hard earned money on something else. This phone is not worth a penny. As soon as my tax return gets here, I am getting a new phone and giving myself the pleasure of destroying this one for all the aggravation it gave me.
Mah 1st "Blackberry"
so this is mah 1st blackberry!
i decided to try out a smart phone.
i was attracted to the Pearl and besides i've used the pearl times before due to mah Auntie having one. i didnt want a smart phone because of the size and i wouldnt be able to to txt at school on the low with 1 hand.
i just love the Pearl its mah fav phone and ive a few phones lately!
*Pros*
3s's(small,slim,sleek)
sure type(1 hand txtn on the low)
big screen
glossy
etc. etc.
~Con~
have to have the blackberry data plan to send and receive mms.
TOO PERFECT!!!!
love it
I just got this phone two days ago I started off with the sidekick id which had nothing on there at all boring phone I ever seen in my life....
So I returned it and got this one and I must say I am so happy with this phone...
Pros:
screen is huge
totally customizable
great pictures for a phone
loud speaker
pretty much everything on this phone is a pro
Cons:
Can't figure out how to keep back light on
the phone did lock up on me once when i tried to set a new downloaded theme to it...
other than that this phone rocks I must say I am glad I bought this phone and I don't know how this phone is getting bad reviews unless you got a piece of lemon phone then I would def. send it back for a new one...
Great for MOST things.
This phone is great for most things, but there is definitely a known issue that's being worked on. I have had the phone for almost a month and am unable to send or receive picture messages. Never have. It's a known issue and RIM is working on it, but for a month I've been paying for unlimited picture messages and nothing! Aside from that, I've recently had a problem with the phone powering off randomly. I called my carrier and they exchanged it for another. I got the new one and the power issue is resolved but still no picture messages.
I LOVE....some of this phone.
I have owned this phone for about 5 months now and I love certain things about it, but hate other parts of it.
PROS:
the predictive text feature is amazing once you get used to it.
the camera is pretty good quality and the flash actually works(to an extent) which is a first.
The screen is amazing
Pretty durable i drop it all the time and there are only a few little nicks and no scratches.
Scroll wheel is very useful
loud speakerphone(with problems explained further down)
CONS:
Every single time i drop or barely tap the phone against something hard automatically i receive a 'SIM CARD ERROR' and i have to restart my phone then everything is fine.
extremely difficult to put in your microSD card took me about 45 minutes to get it seated properly.
yes it is durable, but the battery cover feels kind of flimsy.
the phone will lock up like crazy when attempting to view photos some times.
the large and thin back cover causes the speaker phone to vibrate and sound very weird when listening to music or a conversation above about 3/5 volume.
cannot receive pix messages without the Blackberry Package etc.
Overall it is a great phone. I know it may seem that I listed tons more cons than pros, but that is only because there are so many good things about the phone I wasn't able to recall them all. The Cons are minor and are only more of a minor inconvenience compared to major problems. I would suggest this phone for somebody looking for a pretty good media phone with great call quality and very good battery life.
decent phone
i just switched from sprint to mobile about a week ago. i just got the pearl last friday. this is my first smartphone i think that it an alright smartphone.
Pros
the media player
the web pages look so much better than on my sanyo m1
the camera isn't bad for a 1.3 mega pixel
the trackball is awesome
decent fit in my pocket
the standard headphones work better than any headphones I've ever used
cons:
it crashed on me when i downloaded opera mini.
thats basically it.
other than that it's a cool phone. unfortunately i have to wait till my my 14 days are up to replace it. :(
Glad i dived for the Pearl
Pros:
size: excellent
Look: gorgeous. This phone is an upgrade from the 7130c b/c that phone was starting to look and feel like a brick. It has suretype like the Pearl but the keys on the 7130c themselves sucked. I have read alot of negative criticism regarding the Pearl keyboard and to be honest when I first tried the phone in the store the buttons felt squishy, flimsy and tiny but I took the plunge and bought the Pearl anyway. But with the phone that I have the buttons feel great and I can text even faster than ever. I couldn't be happier, I think this is my most favorite phone right next to the Nokia 8260 and MotoV60.
ringtone: loud and clear volume
good battery life: I was on the phone for 4.5 hours straight on Saturday. I didn't expect too much after all the battery is thin, so I was impressed
Camera: decent
Cons:
Accessing the media functions, has to be the most laborious and confusing of all.
Especially the music player; why would anyone open an option called "explore" if you wanted to play music. Downloading music to the SD card was a breeze, but getting to play the music is tricky at first.
Also I would really appreciate voice memo function
Suretype isn't a con but it definitely isn't a pro. It's easy but it can be frustrating. When it comes to suretype; as much as I love the size and look of the Pearl I will have to think twice before upgrading to the Pearl 2 when it becomes available.
