[oregonbb]

I just orderd my pearl last night. I have been with a sidekick for a few years but just started getting tired of it. Went into a tmobile store and tried out the blackberry pearl. Me and my cousin both decided to leave the sidekick 3 and go to the pearl.

Im gonna have to get used to the sure type, but I am excited.

I thought of waiting for the curve but not sure when it will be out and what the price will be.

How do you all like the pearl? Ever had a sidekick 3 and able to compare it to the pearl?

[Jasper101]

Hey, i used to have a sidekick 2 and 3, whilst they are excellent phones (man I do miss its keyboard!) but to me the pearl is a far superior phone. Now with the pearl you can install 3rd party applications for free, so you wont have to buy the programs out of T-mobiles "catalog". The pearl is a much better phone to talk on too, it is so much smaller, its just like talking on a normal phone. I also love the pearls O.S. it is just so perfectly put together and usable, you will always find the option your looking for.

On the other hand, as i stated above, the sidekicks keyboard is really much better, but i didn't buy my pearl for the keyboard. You will probably (like the rest of us) get used to the suretype. It is a little tedious to type passwords and web addresses but it is much better then T9. Overall i think you will be glad you made the switch.

P.S. Dont forget, with the $20 a month internet addon DOES NOT include text or instant messaging. I will suggest that you download jivetalk which is an excellent free (for now) I.M. client. Actually to me it is better then the sidekicks. The link For information about jivetalk is below. Good luck with your pearl!
http://www.blackberryforums.com/afte...plication.html

[oregonbb]

Originally Posted by Jasper101

Hey, i used to have a sidekick 2 and 3, whilst they are excellent phones (man I do miss its keyboard!) but to me the pearl is a far superior phone. Now with the pearl you can install 3rd party applications for free, so you wont have to buy the programs out of T-mobiles "catalog". The pearl is a much better phone to talk on too, it is so much smaller, its just like talking on a normal phone. I also love the pearls O.S. it is just so perfectly put together and usable, you will always find the option your looking for.

On the other hand, as i stated above, the sidekicks keyboard is really much better, but i didn't buy my pearl for the keyboard. You will probably (like the rest of us) get used to the suretype. It is a little tedious to type passwords and web addresses but it is much better then T9. Overall i think you will be glad you made the switch.

P.S. Dont forget, with the $20 a month internet addon DOES NOT include text or instant messaging. I will suggest that you download jivetalk which is an excellent free (for now) I.M. client. Actually to me it is better then the sidekicks. The link For information about jivetalk is below. Good luck with your pearl!
http://www.blackberryforums.com/afte...plication.html

But if I add on the unlimited text messaging, picture and video messaging then the IM's are included correct??

[KidYungn]

i got rid of my dwade sk3 today for the pearl.
love it so far. i do miss the keyboard, sk keyboard is superior to all

[ssnxp]

Originally Posted by oregonbb

But if I add on the unlimited text messaging, picture and video messaging then the IM's are included correct??

No, the IM clients use Data.

[tiger6]

i tried out the sidekick 3 for a few weeks before switching to the pearl and i havent looked back.
i think the sidekick is one of the worst phones for the money. it looks cool to flip it open and the keyboard is nice but thats about it. i had wanted one for months before i finally got it and i was so disappointed!
the screen resolution on the pearl is so much nicer, the trackball is better, the whole phone is about the size of the sidekick's screen.
the 2 things i hated so much about the sidekick were the lack of features; it was so expensive and my old samsung had the same features, if not more. and i didnt like how you could only send pictures to email addresses, not to other cell phones.
i think you will be pleasantly surprised with all the features the pearl has to offer, and how customizable it is too. i didnt like how with the sidekick you couldnt even change the background picture without loading pictures/themes from 3rd party websites.
i promise you will become a crackberry addict in no time, welcome to the forum!

[ssnxp]

I have a Dwade Sidekick 3 on my Tmobile line and a Pearl on my Cingular line. I'm going to pick up an 8300 when it comes out and drop my Sidekick. I love the AIM on the sidekick, and nothing beats the keyboard, but it's just not worth the problems.

[oregonbb]

Well I am definatley looking forward to the pearl, it should be here tomorow hoepfully. I just played with my cousins some more and cant wait to get mine and customize it and stuff.

I think I will have made a good choice, maybe ill pick up the curve as well depending how much it is.

Thanks for all the input, would like to hear more if anyone out there had a sidekick and transferd over.

[david9962000]

Give it a week with Suretype.

[dankarlinski]

i just switched to the pearl from the sidekick not to long ago.

i am very happy with my switch. i dont have a big brick in my pocket. lol

the BBP is really small. i like the keyboard, it makes txtin alot easier. sretype took me only a few days to get yused to and now i can bust out emails faster than on the sidekick. the 3rd party apps makes is alot of fun and it is really customisable (sp??)

as for the plan, tmobile said that txting and im was included in the BB unlimited plan. and it was included in the bill.... they say that it isnt online, but if you call them or g into the store, they will tell you that b/c youve been a customer there for along time, theyl include it for you

[Helmdawg]

I switched about a year ago and have never looked back. I love the pearl, even its suretype. I no longer have to carry that brick around.

[leilani]

I would absolutely encourage you to make the switch to the Pearl. I was a very happy Sidekick 2 and 3 user, but what the other posters have mentioned is absolutely true--the Pearl really gives you SO MUCH more flexibility and options. I really like the idea of being able to install 3rd party applications, your own ringtones, personalizing your homescreen, and many many more. Plus, the email functions are superior--the ability to read attachments, etc.

I can't say enough about the Pearl. It has completely won me over. And despite my initial reservations about SureType (part of the reason why I loved my Sidekick so much was because of the QWERTY keyboard), I felt that it was VERY easy to adapt to and the software "learned" my typing habits quickly. I know that others have had different experiences, but it's been smooth sailing for me. Now, it's almost like using the QWERTY.

Good luck! I don't think you'll regret it if you decide to switch. If you are unsure about the SureType, though, I would try to be patient (I know...it's hard!) and hold out for the 8300/Curve, which has the QWERTY keyboard and I think will be the ultimate smartphone!

[graffitimonkie]

I had the sidekick 2 for a full year with data plan. I loved the keyboard and will repeat I loved the full keyboard. No matter how long I've gotten use to suretype (I've only owned pearl for 3 weeks by now) it does not compare to the full keyboard.

Anyway, the screen on a pearl is much higher quality than sk2, which I would hope is true anyway since that was a phone built 2 or 3 years ago. I haven't had a side by side with the sidekick 3 though. But I will stand tall and say that the pearl has a good bluetooth compatibility, I also had a sony ericsson and while using the same bluetooth headset for both ericsson than pearl the pearl does not log on and off as often nor make an annoying sound to say that it lost the BT connection.

I listen to music on the pearl, look at pics I transfer over with the computer, make sure you buy at least a 1GB micro sd card as many have mentioned.

I liked the fact that the sidekicks already come with an IM client though, because I like IM'ing people but I can live with paying a fee to use an IM client. The IM client that came with the phone I have been warned uses text messages not data, which is weird to me.

Overall you get a lot with a pearl, being a tmobile customer there was no date for me when the 8800 or curve were coming on board and my ericsson had caught water damage so i had to change. It was either sidekick 3 or pearl and i am glad i made the choice i did, albeit i miss the keyboard.

footnote: the size of the sidekick 2 never really bothered me so much as you would think. I always kept it on a belt case just like i do with the pearl.

[karaokesuperstar]

Originally Posted by ssnxp

No, the IM clients use Data.

If you have unlimited SMS as well as the BB feature enable you will be able to use OZ IM, it is included in your package.

[ssnxp]

Originally Posted by karaokesuperstar

If you have unlimited SMS as well as the BB feature enable you will be able to use OZ IM, it is included in your package.

Ah, are you talking about the Tmo plan? I'm on Cingular and never received an OZ IM, I was talking about most 3rd party IM clients such as Ramble and JiveTalk

[oregonbb]

Well I just got my pearl today! I must say I already like it alot more then my sidekick. The screen resolution alone, the internet is faster, I just like it alot, already sold my sidekick today as well.

Thanks everyone!

[Deedubau]

I've been a sidekick II/III user for about a year and loved the phone, but always thought the internet was slow and limited. I don't quite remember what switched me to the pearl because I hated the keyboard on it. I think it was the fact that I was able to browse almost any site with it and the speed was a lot faster due to a more optimized browser.

I love my pearl and I'm sticking with future revisions unless a new sidekick surprises me. The sidekick's keyboard was a joy to use and the im was awesome. I don't like the im on the pearl at all. I still think the sidekick is cooler to use than the pearl but the pearl does so much more. I think it's the ultimate companion for me, thanks to the internet and wikipedia

[Deedubau]

I've been a sidekick II/III user for about a year and loved the phone, but always thought the internet was slow and limited. I don't quite remember what switched me to the pearl because I hated the keyboard on it. I think it was the fact that I was able to browse almost any site with it and the speed was a lot faster due to a more optimized browser.

I love my pearl and I'm sticking with future revisions unless a new sidekick surprises me. The sidekick's keyboard was a joy to use and the im was awesome. I don't like the im on the pearl at all. I still think the sidekick is cooler to use than the pearl but the pearl does so much more. I think it's the ultimate companion for me, thanks to the internet and wikipedia

Plus's of the pearl:

Better screen resolution
Faster Internet
More multimedia features like video playback and better cam
Better battery life (but i don't leave im on)
smaller than the sidekick (but i didn't mind the size of the sidekick most of the time)

Pearl cons
although i'm used to the suretype, once you used the sidekick keyboard there's no going back!
vibrate sucks
alarm sucks and it's not even loud
Sidekick III pros

Awesome fliptop screen
Awesome keyboard
IM is fully intergrated and fun to use
The vibrate mode works really well and the ringtones are loud
Sidekick III cons
Camera sucks
Internet is still slow and clunky even with edge
Can't go on as near many sites as with the pearl
I never liked the blinking ball when it's on standbye

[oregonbb]

Originally Posted by Deedubau

Plus's of the pearl:

Better screen resolution
Faster Internet
More multimedia features like video playback and better cam
Better battery life (but i don't leave im on)
smaller than the sidekick (but i didn't mind the size of the sidekick most of the time)

Pearl cons
although i'm used to the suretype, once you used the sidekick keyboard there's no going back!
vibrate sucks
alarm sucks and it's not even loud
Sidekick III pros

Awesome fliptop screen
Awesome keyboard
IM is fully intergrated and fun to use
The vibrate mode works really well and the ringtones are loud
Sidekick III cons
Camera sucks
Internet is still slow and clunky even with edge
Can't go on as near many sites as with the pearl
I never liked the blinking ball when it's on standbye

I agree with you on most of those. I will miss my sidekick but am already loving the pearl, and hope to upgrade when a better one I like comes out.

[Deedubau]

Wow I just tried out this program called "jivetalk" and it's AMAZING!! When I said i didn't like the im on the pearl I meant I was using a free one called ramble which sucks. But the jivetalk one is worlds better and probably just as good as the sidekick without the joy of using the sidekick keys (god I miss that).

Try it for 30 days but after that it's 30 dollars for a one time fee that lets you use it on 1 blackberry at a time and is transferable. I usually never pay for these things but it works so awesome and paid the same day