[bruceweinstein]

Saw a demo model of the Pearl on the weekend. I was astonished at how small it is. It appeared very tiny to type on and now with the two letter per key it would only seem harder to type for BB owners currently using full keyboard. How is it in comparison with the 8700(model I currently own)?

Is it really worth switching from 8700 to 8100? Can any of you current 8100 owners list the pros and cons over previous models(namely the 8700)?

Thanks and I look forward to your reply.

...Bruce

[greggebhardt]

Some say that with time and practice the smaller "Sure Type" keyboard is better. I guess I am getting older as I simply could not get used to it. As far as other build quality the Pearl is like build as the 8700 or any of the "newer" BB models. I found the device a little small and delicate with too many glossy or shiney surfaces that will not hold up in only a few weeks.

Just my opinion

[paulbblc]

I personally hate suretype so I stuck with my 8700. I'd stick with your 8700 as well. I played around with the 8100, too many bugs with the OS right now and everything about the "media capabilities" is a joke. All of this is my personal opinion. I would go try it out yourself at a tmo store before purchasing.

[secrecyguy]

I never owned 8700. I got the 8100 to replace the 7290 and I love it!

[cschrage]

I have an 8700 and did demo an 8100 for a week.

Positives =

sleek and slim
trackball
audio and video capability
camera

Negatives =

So small, I felt I would lose or break it
No holster
small screen
tiny keyboard
service (antenna) weaker than 8700

[ndub33]

Would agree that the surface is a fingerprint magnet. I find that I am wiping mine down fairly regularly. A good skin might be the solution. Other than that, I have nothing but good things to say. It took me about two days to adjust to having a trackball instead of a side mounted trackwheel, and now find the ball to be preferable. The Suretype is much more intuitive than the versions of it found on the 7100 series handsets. Love the expanded onboard memory and the abilty to use an additional card ( I have a 64M card in mine now).

The 8700 is a very sweet handset, but the 8100 does everything the 8700 does, and then some, with a smaller form factor.

[DCameron]

As a first time blackberry (any model user) I have had a lot of frustration.

The screen lighting default is 30 seconds. Not very long when you are trying to read instructions.

Which is another peeve. The instructions are very comprehensive ON the blackberry itself but the written manual is limited. So when you are trying to fix something you have to write down the instructions then go do the function.

Also my audio has shut off 3 times in the 5 days of ownership. I have had to pull the battery out each time to reset it. By audio I mean both the ringtones AND the voice dialing commands. Cant hear them. Its like its muted but its not. Try a voice command and you find its dialing "something" but you arent sure cause it didnt say it back to you.

And since I only have the standar 64mg memory, it tells me that a simple 3.3mg mp3 is too large? WTF?

My first instinct was to wait, but nooooooooo I didnt...my bad now I am stuck in the learning curve and I hear everyone say something about "OS updates".

Now WHERE do you get it and HOW do you update?

[DJAnyStyle]

New to the BlackBerry and the Pearl is my first. With that said, I have watched my wife on hers for almost two years and have admired the OS and push email capabilities.

I am a former Treo 650 user and can say that the Pearl is a Bizillion times better in terms of size, features, GUI, pocket-friendliness (ok, that's size), ergonomics, etc...

I'm not long on the Pearl (who is really?), but would recommend it highly. I would, as mentioned above, try to get some hand-time in with it as it may help make a better decision that listening to us. SureType is quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of my Pearl.

I was looking for all that I praise in it so that's my rationale. Hope that helps!

[SanFrancisco]

I have had 200 cell phones over time, including the highest tech models.

This 8100 is the best I have had to date.

All the complaints in here are simply more a matter of expressing personal preferences, NOT problems or flaws with the device. Yes, there are a few software bugs, but those will be fixed by RIM with patches. [And for those who expect patches the day they discover flaws, that is not how things work. It takes a few months to program and test updates/patches].

People complaining about its small size as opposed to simply remarking about size, well, in contrast, many people like the Pearl because of its small size. A small form factor is not a flaw.

Complaining that the default lighting is 30 seconds? That's not a flaw. Change the time in the settings menu.

Yes, the keyboard has 2 letters to a key, but that is a trade-off to make the Pearl smaller. If one cannot handle SureType and two letters to a key, over a full keyboard, then stick with the QWERTY models, which are too big for my tastes.

The media features/services are not a joke. This is a $200 [upgrade price] cell phone with BB e-mail services, with a camera, MP3 player, video player and web browsing tossed in. It does all those things well considering the price of the phone, its size and that the media features are add-ons crammed into a very small form factor.

Plus for me I do NOT expect the Pearl to take the place of my digital cameras, MP3 players, DVD players, nor my broadband net connection and 19" flat panel monitor. So comparing the Pearl to those devices is irrelevant.

As to updates and patches, far as I know all electronic devices that use programming/software need updates from time to time. So it's not a valid complaint to say that the Pearl needs updates. It's been on the market less than a month, RIM is listening, and eventually updates will be issued.

As to form factor and quality of materials, I guess they could have made a metal case for it, but I can't think of many phones that have metal cases nowadays. The Pearl is well constructed, at least for normal use. Yes, if you sit on it with your massive weight, it will destroy the Pearl, but if that is your concern, keep it in an armored case [the Pearl, not your backside].

And relax about notice of and installing updates. When RIM comes out with them, the neon lights will go off all over the Net that they are available and how to install them.

Yes, I would have liked a nice stereo/cell phone headset [the one RIM will be selling for $30], a nice case and some third party applications, but if the phone came with all that I suspect the price would not have been $200 [upgrade price]. I mean, I still recall the old days where I paid $500 for a Motorola StarTac and all I got for that price was knowing I had the smallest phone made at the time. After that, I paid $400 for the smaller still Motorola V90 [or was it V60?], and once again a small form factor was its only feature.

My point with this post is to not criticize people who talk about preferences, likes and dislikes. I only take exception to people saying the Pearl is flawed or defective when what they really should be saying is that the Pearl does not meet their particular requirements.

[DCameron]

I wouldnt say MY complaint is from personal perference

Unless you consider that my personal preference is that the damn audio NOT turn off when it feels like it. While you are driving and suddenly you cannot hear a phone call coming in or you cant tell that the voice command is dialing the number you said or is it dialing one of the 3 numbers its decided you might have spoken?

The person asked " it really worth switching from 8700 to 8100? Can any of you current 8100 owners list the pros and cons over previous models(namely the 8700)?"

Do not belittle someone's post about an issue. I wish I known about this forum read some of the posts here before buying mine. T I would have waited another 6 months before getting mine. he only reason I did buy a new phone is because my old one broke and I was without a phone and needed to make a choice.

[DCameron]

As a first time blackberry (any model user) I have had a lot of frustration.

The screen lighting default is 30 seconds. Not very long when you are trying to read instructions.

Which is another peeve. The instructions are very comprehensive ON the blackberry itself but the written manual is limited. So when you are trying to fix something you have to write down the instructions then go do the function.

Also my audio has shut off 3 times in the 5 days of ownership. I have had to pull the battery out each time to reset it. By audio I mean both the ringtones AND the voice dialing commands. Cant hear them. Its like its muted but its not. Try a voice command and you find its dialing "something" but you arent sure cause it didnt say it back to you.

And since I only have the standar 64mg memory, it tells me that a simple 3.3mg mp3 is too large? WTF?

My first instinct was to wait, but nooooooooo I didnt...my bad now I am stuck in the learning curve and I hear everyone say something about "OS updates".

Now WHERE do you get it and HOW do you update?

[I8UB4]

I have been searching for the perfect phone for a long time now.

Recently, I ditched my Treo 650 because of poor reception and an instable OS that would occasionally crash and re-set. Also, I was tired of carying around a brick in my pocket. Strangely enough, despite the large size, I was still mis-hitting the little qwerty buttons and getting frustrated with typing emails. Also, I needed true push email.

I flirted with the Nokia E70 for a few months which has the best form factor available, but the Symbian software was just too buggy and the UI was way to confusing. I couldn't get push email to work, and the email system was just way too unreliable.

Since I needed reliable email, I decided that blackberry was the way to go, and I would sacrifice carrying around a brick, and the lack of camera and music, for the reliability of the 8700.

Luckily for me, Blackberry released the pearl the week that I was going to get the 8700. At first I wasn't sure about the pearl because I wanted a querty keyboard. My past experiences with suretype were very frustrating. I decided to give it a try (you can return it within 14 days if you don't like it). Within 2 days I realized that this is the best phone I have ever owned. The email is as reliable as all Blackberrys, the form factor is amazing, and the suretype is incredible. Suretype took a little time to get used to, but once you do, it is extremely accurate and fast.

My suggestion is try the pearl for 14 days. If you don't like it, take it back and exchange it for the 8700. That was my plan, but I never took it back.

[DJAnyStyle]

Originally Posted by DCameron

I wouldnt say MY complaint is from personal perference

Unless you consider that my personal preference is that the damn audio NOT turn off when it feels like it. While you are driving and suddenly you cannot hear a phone call coming in or you cant tell that the voice command is dialing the number you said or is it dialing one of the 3 numbers its decided you might have spoken?

The person asked " it really worth switching from 8700 to 8100? Can any of you current 8100 owners list the pros and cons over previous models(namely the 8700)?"

Do not belittle someone's post about an issue. I wish I known about this forum read some of the posts here before buying mine. T I would have waited another 6 months before getting mine. he only reason I did buy a new phone is because my old one broke and I was without a phone and needed to make a choice.

DCameron, SanFrancisco makes all valid points - dont think there wass mal-intent.

No one should base judgement on a phone (BBerry, etc.) based on its default settings. The beauty of this type of tech is its customization. Play with it - it's bound to satisfy your needs (no pun intended).

Give it time. I was concerned about items on the Pearl, but they quickly dissapeared once I got into the unit.

It's ALL a matter of personal preference and experience.

PS. Did I mention that I love my Pearl?

Peace.

DJAnyStyle

[dwc]

There is a detailed (600k) PDF user guide for the 8100/Pearl on the rim website. I don't have the link now, but you should be able to find it.


edit: Here's the link: Livelink - Redirection

[kathrynhr]

Best smartphone I've ever personally used.

BTW, several people here (myself included) have written detailed reviews about the 8100 in other threads. If you search this forum for the word "review," you should get a list of most of those. Hopefully there's someone in that list who's coming from a similar perspective or a similar previous device, who will have addressed the points you are most curious about.

Good luck!

[El Blackberry]

Had the Pearl for 10 days and returned it, then begged my 7290 for forgiveness, we're happy again. The Suretype, the trackball, the screen size, the fragility, all were cons that IN MY OPINION, far outweighed the many pros. Waiting for the 8800...whenever that comes out.

[gsxr150]

I spoke with t-mobile a couple days ago... RIM gave them a note saying track-ball (muting phone calls) will be fixed soon. There WILL be an update on the OS, but like mentioned above, it may take some time.

[makkystyle]

Hands down the greatest mobile device ever made... for me.

I cannot say enough good things about the pearl. I have been a mobile enthusiast since I moved to Ireland in 99 and discovered GSM and since have owned just about every new phone incarnation to hit the streets, with a penchant for small and good looking phones. Until now my favorite phone of all time was the first Sony Ericsson phone the T68. When it hit it had everything all the others didn't... small size, BT with fantastic interopability on MAC (wurd Salling), color screen, long batt life, PIM functions and SYNC!, and most of all an easy to use rock solid GUI.

The Pearl has done this all over again:

-You want small, Pearl can't get any smaller (nor does it need to)
-Fantastic GUI with themes that actually change how you interface with the phone not just the colors it (you could learn something WM5 and Motorola)
-ROBUST contact management.
-Great calendar and to do list. Plus notes are simple and easy to use.
-Camera. Got it.
-Flash storage. Got it.
-Media player. Got it.
-Web browser. kicks ass. (you try fitting full pages into a screen that small)
-BT wireless tethering. Got it.
-Incomparable messaging functionality. YOU KNOW THIS!!!

Caveats: You have to like suretype, which is great unless you like to write novels.

[antisepsisDC]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8100/4.2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

The reception on the Pearl is definitely not as good as the 8700. The keyboard is cramped. The screen is smaller. To me the build quality seems better. I like having a music player, as rudimentary as it is. The suretype is ok. I miss having a key to select the next word from the drop-down box;I really wish they hadn't gotten rid of that from the 71 series.

[o2mpx]

I recommend the Pearl. I moved from an 8700 full keyboard to the suretype, and have gotten used to it. As long as you concentrate on typing and not what the suggested word is, it'll be just like typing on a full keyboard. I catch a mispelled word here and there, but with the trackball, much easier to place the cursor in the right place and make a correction.

Keyboard is a little small, but love the size of the phone as I don't use a holster and leaving it in pant pocket only.

The build quality is on par as the 8700, not the best compared to the major phone makers. But the email services are great.

I'm buying a microSD card tomorrow and hope to use it as the main mp3 player as well after the headphone adapter comes in.