Is this RIM’s hidden jewel?

Category: Review on BlackBerry Pearl 8100 Mobile Phone

Posted by: 1-Jul

Strengths: Stylish looks, multimedia applications, great display

Weaknesses: Mediocre camera, average speakerphone, ok call quality

The BlackBerry Pearl 8100 Mobile Phone is the first Blackberry from the top-notch business phone maker that is integrated with multimedia features.

The BlackBerry Pearl sports a 2.25-inch TFT screen. The display is its greatest asset. It is sharp, clear and is perfect for viewing e-mails, images and web pages. The light-sensing technology will adjust the screen and the keyboard according to the environment.

Its great e-mail capabilities will make accessing your emails as easy as getting text messages on the screen. Besides the multimedia, Pearl is the first Blackberry to come with map applications.

The QWERTY keyboard is a little small and you may take a while to get used to it. There is no GPS on-board. The microSD card slot is located inconveniently behind the battery and this is one design quirk that RIM ought to address. The 1.3 megapixel camera doesn’t produce quality pictures. Even the music player is not very great. The call quality is a mixed bag. You can expect some crackling sound occasionally during voice calls. The speakerphone is not the best either. This one is not one of RIM’s greatest efforts.