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RIM BlackBerry Pearl – black (T-Mobile) Smartphone Review

We Like:
With the RIM BlackBerry Pearl there is lots to like. There is the 1.3 megapixel camera, music and video media player, even a microSD card slot for more memory. The mapping application is handy and email continues to be top notch on the Pearl. There is also EDGE network support and BlueTooth connectivity to round things out.

We Didn’t Like:
Even though there is a camera it doesn’t record video which is a drag. Also would have been handy to have external buttons for the music player and WiFi radio. Changing the microSD card is a pain since it is located behind the battery and some users say that call quality is not up to par with other mobile phones.

Overall:
Its is a fairly compact mobile phone that is attractive to business people and mainstream masses too. The addition of the camera and WiFi go along way in pleasing consumers. E-mail is solid as always but there is nothing really new with the BlackBerry Pearl and that’s not really a bad thing.

When the BlackBerry Pearl first hit the market it made a big splash being probably the sleekest and most stylish BlackBerry that RIM has ever released. It was also the first BlackBerry aimed at attracting a more consumer based crowd rather the usual BlackBerry business crowd. In order to achieve mainstream success the BlackBerry Pearl added a camera, multimedia player and a microSD slot for added storage space. These features have helped to springboard BlackBerry into the minds of folks who would otherwise be looking at mobile phones like the T-Mobile Sidekick 3 or Motorola Q. The BlackBerry Pearl is quite affordable with a new mobile contract and comes in 2 colors black or white.

Design:
BlackBerry is known for making business oriented mobile phones and not for making their phones overly stylish. That has all changed with the addition of the Pearl to the mobile device lineup. Some consumers say it reminds them of the Motorola Slvr L7 given both their candybar shapes and glossy finish. The phone is quite slim measuring in at only 4.2 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches and weighing in at only 3.1 ounces. This makes it feel more like a classic cellphone and fits into your pocket or just about anywhere else.

The display on the unit is quite capable too. It is not a touchscreen but it is a TFT screen that measures a full 2.25 inches with 65,000 bright colors and 240 x 260 pixel resolution. This means that colors are bright, sharp and vibrant, perfect for looking at your multimedia content like images, videos and webpages. One of the nice features of BlackBerry screens is that they automatically change the brightness based on external light conditions. This makes the screen on the BlackBerry Pearl easy to see at all times whether it is night time or in direct sunlight. Naturally the screen is fully customizable and you can change themes, backlight times and font characteristics within the phone.

The pearl-like trackball replaces the trackwheel of past BlackBerrys.


Just above the screen is small LED that changes colors to signify different messages to you: green for wireless, blue for Bluetooth, red for new messages, and amber for low battery. Under the screen is why its called the Pearl. The shiny trackball that is similar yet nicer than the Sidekick 3 version. The “Pearl” trackball lets you scroll four-ways and push down to select menu items. If you don’t like the way it responds you can always adjust the sensitivity and responsiveness in the options menu. The new trackball is the replacement for the now outdated trackwheel and escape keys of old BlackBerries. Those upgrading from the old Blackberry style trackwheel will find they need some time to adjust to the handy trackball. In place of the old jog dial and escape key on the right hand spine along is a volume up and down key with a fully customizable button that launches whatever you want.

On the opposite spine is the 2.5mm headset jack, a mini USB port, and another customizable shortcut key. If you don’t edit this button will start up the camera feature. This is pretty handy as it is a logical spot if you are taking landscape type photos making it seem just like a standard digital point and shoot camera. There is a flash and a small mirror for self portrait right next to the lens on the back.

Volume controls and a customizable shortcut key now reside on the right spine.


Moving downwards from the screen is the keyboard of the BlackBerry Pearl. While the keyboard is technically a QWERTY keyboard it uses the love it or hate it SureType keyboard layout. This means that there are two letters for everyone key and the SureType technology looks at what you are writing and makes the choice of letters for you. This makes for a smaller phone but messaging becomes a pain since you have to check if it is typing the right word or choosing the right word from the list.

The last thing to cover design wise on the BlackBerry Pearl is the memory card slot which is very inconveniently located under the battery. While this spot makes sense for the manufacturer it is as bad of a location for users as could be. Having to remove the battery everytime you need to change microSD cards. This may not be burdensome for users who only have one card with all their things on it, other users who have multiple cards for music, documents or videos will find this to be a cumbersome feature.

Though we appreciate the inclusion of a microSD slot, we wish it weren’t located behind the battery.


Along in the sales package is the device with a travel charger, a pair of earbuds, a USB cable, and a desktop companion software CD.

Camera:
The Pearl is revolutionary smartphone for BlackBerry since it is the very first RIM mobile device with a integrated camera. This is a big step for Research in Motion but in the grand scheme of things there are much better camera phones on the market. The camera is modest 1.3 megapixel lens with a flash and 5X zoom. This makes for decent pictures if you can keep your hand steady with the phone. Some short comings of the camera include the fact that you cannot record video with the unit. You are also very limited with photo resolution modes. There is 1,280×1,024, 640×480, and 320×240) and three quality settings (normal, fine, and superfine). You can also adjust basic white balancing options and that is about it. Once you have taken a photo you have a few options on what to do with it. You can save them to your device’s internal memory or to the media card, or set them as caller ID or as your home screen. If you are a online socialite you can share your photos via: e-mail, a multimedia message, or an instant message. As for the image quality itself it is again lacking by today’s mobile phone standards. The photos looked a little grainy and the colors seemed washed out. The Pearl doesn’t set out to replace your regular camera but simply provide a quick photo option for those unexpected moments.

The BlackBerry Pearl is the first device from the company to have an integrated camera.


Video:
While the phone itself supports video playback with a wide variety of formats ( AVI, MP4, MOV, and 3GP ) the Pearl does not record video with its own camera which is definitely a big draw back. So you can watch any downloaded or imported videos with the media player. The media player can play, stop and fast forward or backwards using the trackball. Just don’t plan on recording your own videos or watching videos in full screen with no play controls.

Music:
The BlackBerry Pearl is no iPod or iPhone but it does a god job of delivering music to your ears. There is a variety of music formats supported like MP3, AAC, MIDI, and WAV. You can also create folders to be used as playlists and you can shuffle and repeat songs. The music player will also displays some track information, such as title, artist, and album art if available. The music player was pretty easy to use except it could use external player controls since you have to use the trackball to access the music menu first. You can however set any song as a ringtone right from that menu which is pretty handy. Just like other BlackBerries you can listen to music while using other apps and any song that is playing when a incoming call comes in will automatically pause and then continue after your call.

GPS:
In another first for BlackBerry the Pearl is the first one with a map application. The new application , BlackBerry Maps, gives you access to local maps and you can get text based driving instructions. While this is not a full blown GPS unit ( which can be done using a BlueTooth GPS ) it is handy for finding your way around. You can import all the contact in your phone book to place them on the BlackBerry Maps. You can also add waypoints manually if you chose to. The Maps is a good start for BlackBerry but it still has a way to go. The maps are pretty basic and you can’t really pan left or right with the trackball. You can however zoom in and out on the maps.

Email:
This is what built the BlackBerry empire and the Pearl continues right along with tradition. The email features are fantastic on the BlackBerry Pearl. It can sync with just about any mail server including: BlackBerry Enterprise server with support for Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise to deliver corporate e-mail in real time. It can run upto 10 POP3 or IMAP4 accounts and even has a wizard to help you through all the setups. Since it is so good at getting your mail it should let your read them with ease and it does just that. You can view all sorts of attachments like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, PDF, JPEG, GIF, and more. It doesn’t end there either as you can view all sorts of details on your documents like view tracked changes and embedded images and zoom and rotate documents.

Connectivity:
There are lots of connectivity options on the BlackBerry Pearl. For starters there is voice dialing and voice command for basic functions. As mentioned before there is Bluetooth 2.0 support so you can link up to wireless headsets, car kits, and desktops. There is no WiFi on this unit but this feature has now made it to other RIM devices. You can however still get on the web with the T-Mobile EDGE network.

Performance:
As far as actual phone call connections users found the Pearl to not be the best phone out there. It is a little bit tin canny and definitely not the best that BlackBerry has to offer. It was suitable for phone calls but just not crystal clear. If you use a Bluetooth headset you will have perfect clarity on your BlackBerry Pearl. When listening to music the speakers were adequate but sound is always better with headphones. Video playback is quite sharp on the Pearl and there was no pixalation even during action sequences.

Battery Life:
When tested for battery life we were able to beat out the manufacturers specifications. In the tests we had our phone lasted 5.8 hours while talking instead of the 3.5 hours that is listed on the box. BlackBerry also says the Pearl will have 15 days standby time, 21 hours of music playing or 6 hours of watching video. That is a pretty decent battery life for such a powerful little phone.