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
Awesome Phone
I have used many different gsm phones (i work for one of the largest t-mobile master dealers in the usa) and i must say this phone is one of the best currently available on the market. My fav. feature is the voice number dialing (just say the numbers you want the phone to dial and it calls it for you) makes dialing a number while on the go extremely easy and it works better then expected. i would give this phone a 5 rating out of 5 but it is missing 1 thing i wanted which is built in wifi.
So far i haven't had any problems with the phone, it is extremely easy to use, the roller ball mouse works extremely well much better then the older dial method on previous blackberry models. Sound quality is good and volume is strong however the speaker phone could be louder. If your looking for a SMALL phone that can do just about everything i recommend picking up this phone..... you will not regret it!
Great Phone and PDA
I've had this phone for about three weeks and love it. No thoughts about any other phone.
I recently lost my TMO IPAQ at a dinner party and needed to get another phone. So I looked around and considered Verizon and the Q but decided to Stay with TMO and give the Pearl a try.
This phone is everything I've wanted in a phone since I first started trying to get the feature set I wanted. All of the things that sucked about the IPAQ are priceless on the Pearl.
Pros
Great Call Quality
The Bluetooth is perfect
The TMO SDA Case works perfectly for the device
Syncs with Novell Groupwise
Cons
I got BIG Hands and Fingers so typing on the left side of the keypad while holding in the left hand is a challenge.
Worried silly about dropping it.
I hope Javoedge will have a screen guard soon.
No Going back
By far the best RIM blackberry to date. I have been a die hard regular cell customer and now having the Pearl being my third and by comparison without hesitation I will never go back to the traditional cell. Small, easy to navigate and plan fun. Able to keep in touch without the worry of slow Internet connections. Simply the best.
Pro:
Size
Speed of Internet
Camera
Still drops a few calls only due to remote area of the coast I live in. Other than that a true must have
The honest truth
I have owned this deivice for about a week and I have to admit, it's the best phone I have found that is a phone and not a data device (although this is a data device in a phone size).
But the honest truth is that it is weak in many ways that end up confusing or annoying the @#!% out of me.
PROS:
* Sleek form factor
* Visible screen in daylight
* Trackball is a nice touch (if it worked well)
* Overall decent custom features and feature set
* Decent camera with zoom
CONS:
* Housing plastic has a cheap feel
* Trackball is finiky (wish it had the jog dial)
* Sound quality is poor
* Themes are limited
* Inconsistent actions everywhere!!! I get lost
* Poor user manual
My advice to anyone considering getting this phone:
MAKE SURE YOU CAN GET A TRIAL PERIOD. Make a list of the top 10 task/actions you do, like:
* Get to the phone book
* Compose an SMS message
* Place a call from the phone book
* View an incoming SMS message
etc
Then use it as much as you can to see if the other stuff works for you. If it doesn't, return it.
BB 8100 PEARL
Def. a good phone. Solid and built to last. I have had the phone for a good two weeks and and def. is much better then any other blackberry i have played with. Ringtones are loud, trackball is easy to get used to and the user interface is fund and customizable. Only a small few issues which i have called on and already known and soon to be fixed with next update. The sound going to all silent (even in loud mode), (have to take battery out to reset the sound) The voice key (changeable) on the side when pressed still shouting out commands in silent mode, AIM still makes sound in silent (have to disable manually), and the phone randomly freezing on websites when trying to exit to the main menu. The MMC is very hard to get working, unless you buy the cards it accepts. The phone tho is great, i have owned numerous phones over the past few years... from razr's to sidekicks, and by far i like this one the most. The camera is clear and crisp, the bluetooth works very solid with many headsets. Battery is good, as long as you don't constantly run applications. Accessories are kinda on the hinge of release but there looks like quite a few good ones coming out, i wish it had a phone holster that would enable the (in holster mode) on the phone, but I'm sure we will get one soon. The pc software is easy to use and easy to sync, easy to move ringtones, pics, and files onto the phone... I am overall satisfied with the phone and will be even happier when i can upgrade from the tmobile 8100 pouch to the holster and when the software update is released addressing the issues the phone has. But yeah i will be stocking with this one till my next upgrade is ready.. Small Sleek Attention Grabber... Great Phone!
Simply the best...
Okay... I've owned a lot of phones:
*Nokia 3595
*Nokia 8260
*Nokia 6200
*Nokia 3220
*Sony Ericsson T637
*NEC 525
*Nokia 6101
*Motorola PEBL
*Sidekick 3
...And I know there have been more.
...And I'm only 18.
But anyways.
I just recently had a new SK3 that I wanted really, really bad until I got the thing. That phone is complete junk compared to the Pearl!
The BB Pearl is literally the best phone I have ever used. The screen is beautiful. All of the applications are fun. The push email is amazing.
SureType takes some time to learn, but before long you'll be very fast at it. It's pretty simple and very easy to text/IM on.
I literally do not think I could live w/o my Pearl. Yeah. I've had this phone for three days and I'm already addicted to the CrackBerry.
The ONLY cons I've found so far: They may have rushed this thing to market. Videos are a PAIN to get to play on your device, but it can be done. Every once in a while the phone freezes for a few seconds as well. And the thing that bothers me most [trust me... it's very trivial]: As the BB is somewhat of a computer, this thing takes FOREVER to turn on! [I like to reset my phones every day] But seriously though, I thought the SK3 took a long time to turn on!
If you're thinking about getting this phone, DO IT! T-Mobile has a great plan with 1000min, unlimited data, text, email, and IM'ing for only $59//mo! I promise you will not be unhappy!
I don't know what I'd do without my Pearl.
I'd seriously miss the daily compliments on it!
This Phone is Great
I am a business user. People are funny. "It's too big" "It's too small". Complaining seems to be the norm for most fickle phone users. I have been using Blackberries and phones forever. My opinion is that this one is a winner.
Pros:
- Small, tiny when compared to Verizon 7130e I replaced it with.
- New rotoball thing is better than track wheel
- Screen - very easy to see and use
- Camera works great
- Blackberry standard: so replacing old BB happened OTA on Enterprise no hassles
- Lots of good software included like Maps
- Music functionality is great
Cons:
- Cingular may not drop the most calls but they sure ruin the most when compared to Verizon (Can you hear me now - Verizon yes, Cingular sometimes)
- I can not email pictures I take without loading to PC first (MMS send ok) AND Micro SD chip is under battery so no quick fix without plugging BB into cable. (This is not a huge deal IMHO)
- The whole device seems scratch sensitive so I covered the screen with a plastic thing, but the black casing seems to always show prints
- Buttons are a little small but after a day or two I was almost ok with it. More prone to typing errors than 7130x add Intellitype to the mix and some people will be frustrated. If you are a QWERTY type or do a lot of email don't get this with for the Indigo. I prefer the size since I am not doing lots of email.
- No case but I am buying one from T-Mobile
- No stereo headphones included so I am buying a pair when available
- Can not play music while showing pictures I took
Overall, this thing is a winner.
Finally, a Reason to Get a Blackberry
I work in technical support at a wireless carrier, but not the one from which I purchased this phone. Since I have had the opportunity to try just about every kind of smartphone or PDA on the market, I knew I did not want a Windows Mobile phone.
The Blackberry solution always appealed to me, but I couldn't get over the huge, clunky form factor of the standard Blackberry with the full keyboard. RIM started to go in the right direction with the 7100 series and SureType keyboard, but it still had that 'nerd pack' look. The Pearl was especially appealing because it could be carried in a regular pants pocket without looking like you're smuggling something.
A brief look at my pros and cons:
PROS: Small, slim form factor. The SureType keyboard is easy to use once you start to understand the logic of how it works. The color screen is bright and crisp for reading emails and web browsing. The 'pearl' trackball is much easier to use than the side-mounted trackwheel. Elegant black-and-chrome styling has an almost European flair to it. On top of that, it's the first Blackberry with a camera and MMS.
CONS: Frequent use will drain your battery within an 8-hour workday, making a car charger a really good idea. The elegant black-and-chrome finish is susceptible to fingerprints. The 1.3 megapixel camera is all right in daylight, but flash pictures tend to be grainy and noisy.
One thing I found out while I was purchasing this in the T-Mobile store is that Big Pink will not allow you to add on the $19.99 Blackberry data feature to SmartAccess plans of $39.99 or higher. Fortunately, since I'm not a big voice user, I was able to downgrade to the $29.99 300-minute plan comfortably. If you talk a lot, carefully consider your options.
T-Mobile's EDGE network coverage is adequate in the part of Phoenix where I live (Ahwatukee), but there are times when the device will lose its data connection and have to be reset. As always, your results may vary. Overall, it's RIM's best device ever.
Awesome
I have had this phone for several months and I absolutely love it. The size is great, the blackberry operating system is flawless as usual, the screen is large, predictive text (SureType) is easier than ever, and reception seems to be solid. Overall I didn't give this phone a perfect score for just a few reasons described below.
Pros:
-SureType is unreal, I can almost completely type my emails without even looking at the screen. There is absolutely no need for a full keyboard anymore.
-Screen resolution, brightness, etc are all adjustable for battery saving features.
-Trackball will forever be superior to the trackwheel
-Media - camera/video quality is good, MP3, google maps, microSD, etc...
-Size is probably the best feature of this product
-Intelligence - this model's software allows it automatically memorize words it doesn't know. In other words you almost never have to program it. Any emails that I get that have words the Pearl doesn't recognize will automatically be stored in the Custom Word List. I am sure that the 8800 and the Curve (8300) will have the same.
-Customization - the Pearl's buttons and menus can be moved around to practically anything you want them to be
Cons:
-Battery Life is not so great with barely 4 hours of talk time (Standby on the other hand is about 5 days)
-not high speed data compatible which it should be (thats prob the carrier's fault more so than BB)
Overall, if you can give SureType a worthwhile trial, I have no doubt that the Pearl will be the Blackberry that can meet just about every need. If it had just an hour or 2 more talk time, it would have scored a 5 for me.
Great Phone
My frend has this phone, and i only observe it once in a while, but Its an ok phone, but its hard to learn all the texting keys, cuz its two letter per button, but its still an great phone.
Pros: (what i observed)
loooks nice
slim
kinda good for aim
ok keyboard
good for texting
fast internet, prolly as fast as 8800
surf on web
supports bluetooth, and has a really good connection
good email
easy text input, so u dont have to put the whole word out, the phone just gives you the real words and you can choose it while typing it, which is easier
camera
mp3
great theme
and prolly lot more
comfortable key bad,
Cons: (of what i observed)
i wish it was just an qwerty phone, but its actuallly still great.
its pretty much an ok phone, id get it if you just want an regular blackberry phone.
