Blackberry Pearl

The Blackberry Pearl seems, on the surface at least, to be something of an attempt to bring the Blackberry brand to those users previously turned off by the oppressive size of previous incarnations; and the fact that the use of Push mail necessitates the incorporation of another device into an already cramped workspace.

This can best be seen from the Pearl's design; outwardly, the Pearl presents itself as a phone, and of course, it is. Closer inspection however reveals that the standard numerical keypad is surrounded by an additional layer of keys, coloured to match the case. They blend in nicely enough that they're often unnoticed at first glance.

Rather than a full keyboard the Pearl matches two letters to each number, and users type as usual and Suretype predictive text sorts out the rest. The only real issue here is that anyone used to typing on a handheld featuring a full "qwerty" keyboard faces a fairly steep learning curve (my previous comment about my "ineffectual fumblings" was in direct reference to my first experiences with the Pearl). Again, this is hardly a failing on the Pearl's part, but it's something to be aware of when making the leap: Give yourself a week or two of practice to get into the swing of speed-typing that you might have achieved on a device like the Nokia n95, or previous Blackberry models.

The Pearl's interface is a delight. While it may not feature the extensive touch screen controls touted by the iPhone or the HTC Touch, it is made easily navigable by means of a white trackball which replaces the standard Blackberry scroll wheel.

Thanks to the Pearl's compatibility with existing Blackberry applications, there is already a web browser available in the form of Opera Mini. It's not going to match up to the iPhone's browser, but it is present.

While the iPhone comes in either a 4GB or 8GB, the Pearl features a micro-SD slot to extend the phone's memory by up to 2GB. This provides space for the 1.3 megapixel camera and MP3 player to work with. Again, it's highly unlikely that the Pearl will match the iPhone in terms of a polished musical experience, but it's at least worth noting that the features are present. Unlike the iPhone though, the Pearl has no video capability, a fact made immediately apparent by looking at its more traditional screen.

The Pearl might not be in any fit state to rival the iPhone's touch-screen or even screen quality, but it more than makes up for these losses with a slinky exterior that belies an instrument brimming with features and more than capable of handling the needs of most business users; both as phone and for receiving and responding to mail in a timely fashion, and in a device that's not the size of your fist. The key to a successful user relationship with the Blackberry Pearl is in getting used to using the keypad.