My Life (With the BlackBerry Pearl) So Far

Most reviews on the web are done, at best, when reviewers spend a few days and not a dime of their own money looking at a product. I always try to look for a few real "I've used this and it really works as advertised" endorsements before I spend my hard-earned money on a gadget, just to make sure that the reviewers didn't have stars in their eyes.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the BlackBerry Pearl, the new T-Mobile phone that's garnered almost nothing but praise. Now, $250 later (although you may qualify for the T-Mobile rebate and get it for $199, I didn't because I've already used my annual rebate), I'm living with it, and so far I'm a very happy camper.

To recap, the Pearl (so-named because a pearly white scroll button in the center of the phone has replaced the old BlackBerry scroll wheel) combines the email prowess of a BlackBerry with the coolness factor of having a camera, multimedia capabilities, Internet browsing, an SD slot, and other smart phone capabilities.

Activating my own phone, creating my email account, and moving my Outlook data to the new phone were easier than ever before thanks to new software and prompts on the phone. The Desktop Manager application that T-Mobile provides on a DVD to help you move and install new applications and synchronize your phone and PC is still more primitive than I'd like, though it's an improvement from my last T-Mobile BlackBerry. The DVD-based tutorial on how to use the phone is lovely, but it cuts out when you need it most: loading and using applications.

The screen display is amazing. I can easily view it even in the brightest outdoor light, and it dims itself automatically in darkened rooms. I don't find the Pearl navigation quite as easy as my old scroll wheel, mostly because the pearl button is overly sensitive, and I often find myself missing the mark. (You can increase or decrease its sensitivity in the options menu, but I haven't got it right yet.)

You either like SureType—the abbreviated keyboard that T-Mobile BlackBerrys use—or you don't. If you don't mind text messaging, you'll like the keyboard. There are two letters assigned to each key. As you type using SureType, it doesn't try to complete your word for you, but it does present you with a list of letter combinations it thinks you might want. Most of the time SureType's first letter combination choice is what you're looking for, but I've been mistyping the words "are" and "see" forever since both words have their respective letters on the same place on the keyboard. Again, you can add frequently used words for the phone to learn, but I'm terribly lazy about this feature.

Some other "happy camper" moments include a fabulous battery life. I'm using my phone for two days at a stretch without a recharge. And the multimedia—video, music, and still photography—have opened new worlds for this old BlackBerry user. The 1.3-megapixel camera takes a nice-looking photo. A single button on the right side of the phone lets you open the camera and take a picture immediately—with one hand. The Pearl lets you zoom in and out on your subject, and there's an automatic flash, so it really does feel very camera-like. Sending photos is equally seamless. It's the first time I've used a camera phone with so little effort. Having an SD slot is a treat, too, though RIM, the manufacturer, has placed it beneath the battery, which is a nuisance if you're removing your card often.

The BlackBerry Pearl was the trade-off for me. I didn't want to spend the money on a Treo, and I wanted the foolproof email that BlackBerry does best. I wanted a slim form factor and the ability to send a quick photo. To my mind, it's money well spent, and a seamless migration from my old phone makes it money even better spent.