I am deciding between the Pearl 8130 and Curve 8330 from Sprint, and wanted to know if anyone knows if I can get Instant Messenger on the Pearl (such as AIM)?

Any advice on a choice? Leaning towards the Pearl, but is the Curve superior?

I am with Alltel and have Yahoo Messenger installed on my Pearl and it works great. I also have im+ which allows you to use icq, yahoo, aim, googletalk, etc. accounts. I like it very well. I tried JiveTalk and wasn't as impressed although others seem to like it better than im+ (it is much cheaper btw). HTH!

...the decision b/t a pearl or curve is heavily dependent on your personal preference. do you want a full qwerty or sure-type keyboard? is a more slim-compact design more preferable than a larger screen? do you need lots of on-board memory to handle add-on apps? do a quick search here and you'll see dozens of discussions that address these questions.

either one will handle your IM needs. good luck!

You can get it on both devices. I don't remember if there is a 'launcher' that comes with the Pearl, but I know there is one that comes with the Curve (basically it's an icon you click on to install AIM - you don't have to search for a link to install the software).

This may help you make up your mind, too: Sprint BlackBerry Comparison - 8830, 8130, 8330 | BlackBerryNews.com

If you do decide to go with the Pearl, you might want to read this, too: SureType - Learn To Love It | BlackBerryNews.com