Reviews and Software for the Blackberry 8100 Pearl

White Blackberry Pearl

2007-03-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Blackberry Pearl is now available in white, and it looks super stylish.
The new white model is being offered through T-Mobile and has the same specs and features as the award winning black model.

There are some great deals currently on eBay for White Blackberry Pearls, both unlocked and on-contracts.

So if you are looking to pick up a great deal on a white pearl then click here to head to the deals on ebay

Free Apple iPhone Offer

2007-01-30T16:01:00.000-08:00

I know this blog is about the Blackberry, and don't get me wrong - I love my pearl, but have you seen the Apple iPhone! It is 100% amazing! I am a mac fan from way back (hey I'm typing this write now on a mac) and I am so excited to get my hands on this phone!

A company I have done some work with sent me a very cool offer yesterday. You simply enter your zipcode and if you meet their eligability requirements they'll send you a free iPhone when it is released!

Check out this amazing offer here:

Free Apple iPhone

It sounds too easy doesn't it? well I'm assured that it really is that easy. Now, you have to be in the U.S.A to take advantage of this offer. Since I currently live in Australia I can't do it. Believe me, I've tried to fill out the form but it knows that my i.p address is outside the U.S - Damn!

So, some U.S people go and give them your zip code then tell me what happens. Post a comment here on the blog and let us all know.

Technorati Tags: apple, iphone, ipod, free, smartphone

Blackberry Pearl Software

2006-09-25T04:43:00.000-07:00

First off, be sure to read my earlier posts for my review of the Blackberry Pearl and also links to great deals on Blackberry Pearl Accessories and Handsets.

Now that you can take photos on your Blackberry you're gonna need some photo software. When it comes to editing and sharing digital photos Google's Picasa is great. It is free to download and is so easy to use. Picasa's tagline is 'It's what should have come with your digital camera' and they are right.
A link to Picasa can be found above where you can download it.

Other cool software:

Texas
Hold 'Em Poker for Blackberry
Have a bit of fun on your Blackberry with this game of Texas Hold 'Em Poker.

bbLocal - Free Map Viewer
bbLocal is a free Google Map viewer with extra features. What started as a regular Google Maps viewer for the Blackberry has now turned into a full fledge City Guide, with the ability to locate businesses and tourists spots.

Stock Ticker
A stunning stock market ticker! The most active stocks in the major exchanges scroll by, with minute-by-minute news and commentary.

Pocketmac
PocketMac For BlackBerry is the first program to allow Mac users to sync their crucial data between their BlackBerry device and Entourage, Address Book, iCal, Now Contact, Now Up-To-Date, and even Stickies. And it's fully integrated with iSync as well!

The Best (and cheapest) Blackberry Pearl Accessories and Handset Deals

2006-09-25T03:22:00.000-07:00

I bought my Blackberry Pearl and a pouch on eBay. There are so many people selling accessories and handsets for Blackberry Pearl that I thought I'd share some links with you all on were to pick up some great bargains. Some of the great eBay deals on Blackberry Pearl are listed on the sidebar

Click Here for Blackberry Pearl Accessories

Click Here for Blackberry Pearl Handsets on eBay

Handsets on eBay are such a good deal, just make sure you check out the sellers feedback and buy from someone trusted. And if you aren't with T-Mobile, make sure that the phone is unlocked. I had to ask 4 sellers about that before I found one that was unlocked. Don't just assume, you would be surprised how many sellers simply neglect to mention that the phone is locked to a particular network.

Amazon.com Has a very good deal on the Blackberry Pearl too, the price is a low $99 for the phone but you have to sign up to a T-Mobile plan to get it. You can't buy the Blackberry unlocked from Amazon as yet but if you are looking to buy through T-Mobile then they offer a pretty good deal, it is in stock and you can get free shipping on it.

In terms of accessories, I recommend getting a good carry case. There are so many to choose from, ranging from traditional, black cases to pink cases with various characters on them. I choose to go with a fairly traditional leather case. Depending on what your handset came with, it might be worth while picking up a handsfree headset.

My Blackberry 8100 Pearl Review

2006-09-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

I have been hanging out for this phone ever since I heard it announced. I had always wanted a blackberry with a camera and mp3 functionality so this was a dream come true and I was always gonna buy it. I'm guessing that if you are reading this you are already aware of the specs, so I won't bore you with the technical details too much, here is my user opinion of this latest Blackberry Smartphone.

Here are my thoughts on the Blackberry 8100 Pearl:
First off, the phone looks amazing. It is so sleek and stylish, I almost didn't believe it was a blackberry! It is so thin too (about the same as 2 ipod nanos stuck together). The size really is amazing considering all the features packed into it. It fits really nicely in my pocket (unlike the Blackberry 8700) and it doesn't look silly and big when I'm making calls on it.

The 2.25-inch TFT screen displays 65,000 colors at a 240x260-pixel resolution. It is like looking at a mini plasma screen, it is great for emails, and looks pretty nice for viewing photos too.

The Traditional Blackberry Trackwheel has been replaced with the 'pearl'. I loved the trackwheel, but after some initial annoyance I am now used to the pearl and find it to be very easy to use. The Menu and escape keys are no longer on the side and are now next to the pearl. Again, this took some getting used to but its no big deal - Long time Blackberry users will get used to it and users that are new to Blackberry will love the pearl from the get go. I love it now too, but as I said, it took some time.

Having an expandable memory is a wonderful new addition, however it is kind of annoying that the Micro SD Slot is located behind the battery.

The Camera is ok. It is nothing special but at 1.3 mega pixel I was never expecting anything huge. It is the same as the camera in my Nokia that I am replacing so I'm happy - It is just so great to finally have a camera in a Blackberry that I don't really care. The Pics look fine on the screen, they aren't really meant to be printed or anything at that quality anyway.

I have read other people's compaints about the loud speaker quality but I've had no problems.

I really would have liked a qwerty keyboard, the sure-type keys are ok for me but I imagine that someone with large hands would have some difficulty typing out long emails with it. It is fine for text messages though.

I get about 5 hours talk time out of the battery, which is the same as my old Nokia so no complaints there.

Overall, I have found this to be a great phone. It is everything that I have been waiting for from Blackberry (well, QWERTY would be nice ;-) ).
This phone will please general consumers and business users alike, although I would recommend that heavy business users stick with the Blackberry 8700.

I am now hanging out for the QWERTY Version with WI-FI to be released :-)

Great Phone, Great Features 9/10