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
Blackberry Pearl
I think this phone works extremly well. It is also really easy to carry because of its size and it can fit almost anywhere.
on the line
I've had my blackberry for around 2-3 months.
It's a good phone. But, there are some complaints I have about it.
I'll start with pro's-
Pro:
-decent battery life (standy around a week, talk-time probably 3 hours or so)
-speakerphone is decent.
-plays mp3s, and mostly easy to find ringtones.
-size. It's perfect for my hands- I had no problems texting (like I did with the razr)
-Screen. brilliant. I love the screen. it's crisp and beautiful.
Con:
-reception isn't all that great in my area, and I get a lot of dropped calls.
-doesn't always ring or tell me when i have a message.
-the OS. it's disgusting. I have a theme on mine at the moment.
-the buttons. I got used to how to text, but.. they feel cheap. Like, if you push hard enough the buttons could get flicked off.
-the iTap and T9? yeah, you don't really get to know how to change to the different.
-freezes semi-frequently. (soft reset does the trick)
-found it difficult to get the micro SD card inserted properly (and then eventually got it to play music)
-doesn't show missed calls (I had to go in and set it to my messages to show when someone called)
-bluetooth (doesn't work- I tried pairing it up to my computer (with and without a bluetooth dongle) and neither of them worked)
anyway, I'm going to a competitor's service because they have better reception.
Turns out to be quite disappointing
This is probably the first review you've seen that hasn't scored the Pearl more than a 4.
I've had my Red Blackberry Pearl since the end of May of this year (2007) and use the data plan that includes 1500 msgs and unlimited m2m. Additionally, I'm still on a family plan. I bought it from an AT&T store in my town and since am on my 3rd Blackberry. After almost a month (thank goodness because otherwise I'd have been stuck with a lemon), the phone started malfunctioning in a lot of different areas. The applications were messing up in ways I can't exactly explain. I brought it back and they were great. They gave me a new phone... which I brought back the next day. Apparently there was a problem with the device before it even got into my hands.
Now I'm on my 3rd and what I think after tonight will be my final Blackberry Pearl. As of today, even after taking out the battery and putting it back in and restarting, it decides to turn its light on, I can't access my address book or put in new numbers, I can't dial my voicemail... this is just the beginning of a long list.
So... Pros:
-For almost a whole month it will work very well.
-Internet is clear and you can get almost any website within reason for a Blackberry (I'm bias cause I've seen the iPhone and nothing can compare now!)
-phone calls are very clear
-great speaker
-can upload ring tones from songs on your computer via bluetooth or USB
-great keyboard, unless you have big hands
-smart text
-
Cons:
-none of the pros matter if the phone can't get through a full month...
BlackBerry Pearl receives an A+!
Pros
- Slim
- Lightweight
- Trackball
- Usability
- Camera
Con
- Poor Internal Memory (can be corrected)
I have the Pearl through TMobile and since I live in Southern CA...the service is near perfect. No dropped calls so far! Browsing the Internet is smooth and quick.
The 8100 is very user friendly with the layout of the menus and interface. The condensed QWERTY keyboard becomes easier to use after a few minutes. Those who are a fan of the full QWERTY, it may take some time to get used to, but the slim and compact design make it worth while.
I find the trackball to be a much better function that the original BB wheel. I feel have more control over my cursor.
Overall, I am very happy with the Pearl and all of its features. Having the Internet with my at all times is useful for checking mail, driving directions or looking up restaurant phone numbers. It is an extra fee to have the data package, but the benefits are priceless!
The reason I did not give this a perfect 5 is because of the memory problems Pearl experience.
If you do decide to buy the Pearl, also buy a MicroSD card for extra memory. Even if you don't download tunes or photos, it will save you so much trouble. This is the one short coming I see...BB pre-loaded lots of photos and icons that just eat up the 64MB. If you don't get the memory the phone will begin to erase call logs and texts just to free up space. I added 1GB at under $20 shipped and my phone works flawlessly.
Pretty neat phone
So I've owned this phone for 3 months. I must admit when I got it I was pretty surprised that the users manual was very thin for the amount of features that are on this phone. Some of the functions I had to learn by trial and error. I've owned the Sidekick 2 before so I already knew how T-Mobile's internet service was and I'm impressed by it.
Pros:
-Almost everything
Cons:
-mp3 player sucks
-speaker phone is too soft
-hard to type but you get used to it
*Over all this phone is fantastic but loose the mp3 player. I would've rated this a 5 if it wasn't for the mp3 player. In my opinion once you've used a Blackberry you can't use anything else.*
Love this phone!
This has to be by far my favorite phone and I have gone thru so many. The only downfall to this phone is learning the qwerty keyboard which I am now pretty good at but thats not really a downfall umm what else oh yah not being able to personalize ringtones as a message tone, Now you can do it as a personal ringtone but not a personal message tone. Other then those two minor itty bitty things this is the best phone by far :o)
GREAT PhoNE
This phone is better then I thought it would be.
First of all the phone is feature packed but is very easy to use which make it such a great phone. It is not as big as the the Treo and other smart phones. It is small and thin and is feature packed although is easy to use.
Pros:
Camera 1.3 MP w/flash
Mp3 player
Track ball
e-mail
PDA smartphone
This phone has very little follow
GET IT NOW!
Ok, everyone always ask "Blackjack or Pearl?" If you ask me I would have to say Pearl. Its very responsive and easy to use. It fits in your pocket perfect, you forget its even there. Its about the thickness of my Samsung a900. No issues at all. I know that a newer version of the 8700 is coming out for Cingular, it should be exactly the same only with a full keyboard. If you prefer that than wait for it, but you shouldn't choose the Blackjack over it.
GREAT PHONE!
I recenlty got this phone as a christmas present( I was supposed to get myself a Samsung T629, but my plan wasnt capable of having a phone upgrade at the time, but I was able to upgrade to a voice & data plan compatible phone). So, anyways, I decided to go with the Pearl because my scrached up RAZR wasn't holding up to well. I am only in High School, so when I got a Blackberry I thought that I wasn't gonna like it because it was mainly for business, but I am extremely impressed how this phone works for anybody. I love using the MP3 Player, and I also love the E-Mail and IM on it. Bluetooth is nice and so are the camera and map features. One thing I hard annoying is that its very hard to keep from scratching this phone up, because of it's stylish shiny finish and all.
Pros:
-Looks Very Nice
-Trackball is awesome
-Email is great
-Media Enabled(Music, Pictures, Videos, Ringtones)
-Very small for blackberry
-Great features (i.e. Maps, Browser, IM, Bluetooth, Camera, Media)
Cons:
-Camera works good outdoors, but indoors use is pretty shacky, pretty good flash
-Hard to keep from scratching
-Media is all one application(so you cant listen to music and look at photos at the same time)
Overall I say that this phone is great! I love the features and I think that this is the first ever Blackberry that appeals to all groups and interests.
Best all around PDA phone!
It is my first blackberry, coming from a few different Windows mobile models. Blackberry applications and software are great. Excellent choice for both the business and 'fun' user.
Pros:
Great signal and call volume (in OK) and on Cingular
Camera is good for what I need, bright screen, fast data.
Trackball was concerning before I bought, but it is amazing!!!
Speaker phone is loud.
Software is leaps ahead of active sync and windows mobile!
Very light and comfortable.
Cons:
sure-type is weird, but it can be deactivated to use mulit-tap.
First time user of BB so apps took a day or two to get used to, not a big deal really.
Thought they could have included a headset for music, not just a one-ear bud.
Overall, I am very impressed with this smartphone, I had the Nokia 6682, Audio 5600, and my wife has the Cingular 3125. So far, no major flaws and best smartphone out there to date.
