In case you hadn’t noticed, the smart phone is no longer just a buttoned-down business tool for executives. Manufacturers have been working very hard to broaden this jack-of-all-trades device’s appeal to get everyone from students to soccer moms (and dads) hooked. The BlackBerry Pearl, available exclusively from T-Mobile for $199, is the perfect case-in-point.
BEST FOR Style-obsessed hipsters who want the most portable keyboard phone possible.
DESIGN The very sexy Pearl repudiates every dour smart phone aesthetic. The glossy black finish, bright 240 x 260-pixel color screen, and silver side bezels radiate style. At 3.2 ounces and half an inch thick, the Pearl is like two stacked iPod nanos. The old BlackBerry scroll wheel has been replaced by a trackball seemingly borrowed from the SideKick 3; as a navigation tool the ball is intuitive and very sensitive.
Dedicated volume keys and a pair of programmable convenience keys make the phone flexible and further its ease of use. Atop the phone is a designated mute key to silence all alerts. Rather than a regular keyboard, the Pearl features an even smaller version of the SureType keyboard introduced on the 7100t. Large fingers could be stymied by the tiny keys. RIM has improved the SureType system but it remains only a passable alternative to a full QWERTY keyboard. Another minus: the microSD card slot is located behind the battery.
FEATURES Riding on T-Mobile's EDGE network, the Pearl delivers a reliable if not speedy data connection; it also supports quad-band GSM/GPRS networks. Bluetooth 2.0 is onboard, but only to support handsfree and serial port profiles. The Pearl finally sees BlackBerry catching up with the competition in the multimedia department, with features like a 1.3-megapixel camera (which washes out colors but retains sharp detail), a music and video player, and the aforementioned microSD slot to bolster the 64MB flash memory.
ORGANIZER BlackBerry's organizational options are diverse; the included BlackBerry Desktop Manager can sync contacts, calendars, memos, and tasks with Outlook, Outlook Express, Lotus Notes and Organizer, Novell Groupwise and Sage ACT! software. RIM hasn't notably updated the software, but it still works well, with advanced configuration options and clear alerts about each sync operation.
WEB RIM hasn't made great strides forward with the Web browser; it remains capable but often dramatically reformats pages to fit the tall portrait screen. Navigation is rudimentary but easy enough, making the Pearl a good tool for looking up specific data like scores or news headlines, but not for general surfing. The device relies upon the same EDGE data network as the SideKick 3, and cruises along at a sluggish average speed of 80Kbps.
E-MAIL As with all recent BlackBerrys, setting up an e-mail account is a simple process, facilitated by a well-designed walkthrough. Up to ten addresses are supported, with the BlackBerry Internet Service, BlackBerry Enterprise Server, and Exchange options being the primary corporate tools. Attachments are handled as always on 7100 series phones: images, documents, and PDFs are viewable but can't be edited.
CALL QUALITY The calls we made with the Pearl on T-Mobile's network were fine, but there was a rather airy quality to them, especially when compared to the Motorola Q and Nokia E62 We consistently got a strong signal while traveling around Atlanta, however. The voice-dialing option also worked reasonably well, especially for contacts with only one number associated.
ENTERTAINMENT RIM didn't go all-out with its debut media player--there's no DRM support--but the MP3/AAC/AAC+/eACC+ player sounds good, has an easy interface, and shows album art if embedded in the track. MPEG-4 videos are also supported, and while the screen is too small to really show off video, it's better than those displays found on some flash audio players we've tested.
VERDICT The Pearl is the sexiest smart phone yet, and a strong performer to boot.
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