Why I Love the BlackBerry Pearl, Part Three

The Pearl is the first BlackBerry with a camera, so automatically it's got something no other RIM device can claim. I have been snapping up shots left and right during my trip to Berlin and sending them via MMS and email right from my phone. Picture-messaging is nothing new on U.S. phones, but in my experience, the process is uneven at best once I go overseas. So far, I haven't had a single problem sending any of several dozen pictures via MMS or email to my friends back home.

Messaging aside, I also love the camera itself, which I load up by pressing a button on the side of the phone. Particularly cool is the 5x zoom that is controlled with the surprisingly easy-to-maneuver scroll button on the phone keypad. I find this simpler to access than the buttons and menus I usually have to browse through to get a zoom going on many other camera phones.

Also, a self-portrait mirror right under the lens and an effective auto-flash has made for excellent indoor pictures of myself and friends in various Berlin nightspots. Sending a picture right after I take it is a cinch: I press the menu key, select a delivery method (MMS, email, or BlackBerry Messenger), then press down on the scroll wheel. My friends back home have been getting dozens of pictures from me all week in this way.

I do have some gripes, however. First off, the only thing better than the Pearl's 1.3 megapixel camera is a 2-megapixel camera—it would be nice to finally start using these cell phone snaps as bonafide print-quality trip pictures. Since we're already seeing 3.2 megapixel cameras on some high-end phones in the U.S., it seems time to discontinue 1.3 megapixel cameras from phones altogether

But here's the bigger deal: What's with the lack of a video camera function? This feature is standard on most camera phones these days, so not having it in something as otherwise-full-featured as the Pearl seems like a big oversight. Even stranger considering the built-in video player and the expandable memory available with a microSD card.

Because I have a lot to say about this phone, I've split this review into several different posts. Click here to read what I like about the Pearl software, or here to read my thoughts on the Pearl's keyboard. And here's what I think of the trackball.Or go check out an overview of some of my bigger complaints about the Pearl.

Do you think a camcorder function is essential in a cell phone or can you live without it?

Why I Love the BlackBerry Pearl, Part One

Why I Love the BlackBerry Pearl, Part Two

Why I Love (and Hate) the BlackBerry Pearl, Part Four

Why I Love (and Hate) the BlackBerry Pearl, Part Five