BlackBerry 7100t - Silver gray (Unlocked) Smartphone

Blackberry 8100 Pearl Review
eBay mistakenly re-assigned it to the 7100t long after publication.
I picked up a used T-Mobile locked 8100 to play with and here is my impression of it.

Size:
It was smaller than I thought it would be. It's a very handy size and not too heavy. It fits well in the pocket and is slim.

Human Interface:
The keypad is similar to the Samsung Blast in a lot of ways. It is a semi-QWERTY keypad. This means if you are always looking for letters on your computer keyboard you are always going to be looking for letters on your phone too. The tutorial explained things very well and I was typing at a sub-glacial pace in no time! I improved quickly.

The Pearl is the trackball above the keypad. My phone is well used and the trackball, as advertised, did not work all the time as it should have. When it did I could see what a joy it was to use. When it did not I knew it would be going to the shop soon. The parts are inexpensive and readily available.

The side keys are few. They are the camera key, which is unmarked, the volume/zoom key, which is split and marked with a + and - and a key with three bumps on it, the left convenience key which is used to activate voice commands. There is also a top mounted mute key. The camera key also opens a user programmed application.

Cool Stuff
This phone is one you can schedule to turn on and off by itself. No more late night wrong numbers.

There is a variety of fonts you can use for the screen and they come with attributes and sizes to fit your weary eyesight.

The build of the phone is rock solid. Every mobile phone designer should spend at least a year interning at RIM to learn about how to build a solid mobile phone. This thing is a tank.

Blackberry Desktop software, which is downloadable from the RIM website works well after you install the correct USB drivers. Media, contacts, calendar all synch up easily with lots of chances to refuse a change if you want to.

External battery contacts on the back of the case so you can charge it when it is in a dock which means extra minutes in your pocket or on your ear later in the day.

Incredibly detailed demo video at the RIM site for setting up the device.

Not So Cool Stuff

It does not have a dedicated on/off switch. You have to turn it off via the software, use the end call button or remove the battery, which is also known as a hard reset. Turns on when you insert the battery.

The tank like build does not extend to armour for the LCD lens. Your very next purchase for this phone should be two screen protectors. The screen is out there and it will need protection to avoid getting dinged up.

The map data on my device had been wiped out so although it connected to my GPS receiver and tracked my movements it was on a pleasant green grid, not on a map. No doubt your map data will be present and you will not have this issue.

User Interface
I use Nokia phones almost exclusively. Getting used to the rationale behind the Blackberry layout took some time. Easy to use once you get there. Many things are customisable. There is a wealth of available information about the device such as signal strength that you ordinarily do not see on a RAZR or a 6133. One very cool thing is when you are on a call your number is displayed.

This device is a keeper. It plays music, does all the basic phone functions very well, offers a wealth of other features for which Blackberry is famous that I have not touched.

Released for AT&T, the BlackBerry Pearl 8110 is the first BlackBerry Pearl model to feature built-in GPS (Global Positioning System). The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 is an ideal tool for professionals and business users to manage calls, send emails, surf the net, take and send photographs, listen to music, record and watch videos, and access their organiser, calendar and a range of business and lifestyle applications. Integrating a large 240 x 260 px screen, the Pearl 8110 supports more than 65K-colors. It includes RIM's SureType keyboard with word completion, built-in spell-checker and user-customized dictionary. Rounding out features, it includes a built-in 2.0-megapixel camera with video recorder, an advanced media player, a 3.5-mm stereo headset jack, externally accessible microSD / SDHC memory slot for additional storage and Bluetooth 2.0, with support for headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth accessories.

RIM BlackBerry Pearl (8110) Features

* Phone, email, text messaging (SMS and MMS), browser, instant messaging and organizer applications in a single smartphone
* 2.0-megapixel camera with built-in flash, digital zoom and video recorder
* Media player with audio and video playback in a variety of formats
* BlackBerry Maps to help users find their way
* Pearl-like trackball navigation system and SureType keyboard technology
* High resolution LCD screen with light sensing technology
* 64 MB of memory and expandable memory via microSD card
* Quad-band support for worldwide GSM/GPRS and EDGE networks

The Blackberry 7100t is really the first phone / blackberry hybrid - while the early blackberries do a gret job with corporate email and outlook, the 7100t balances the needs of a frequent caller and a cell phone user. 4/5!

From RIM: BlackBerry 7100 Series handsets provide the best combined wireless phone, email and data experience for users who prefer a smaller handset design. They offer complete BlackBerry functionality, wirelessly connecting users with important communications and information. The BlackBerry 7100t also puts top-of-the-line features, such as speakerphone, Bluetooth technology, polyphonic ringtones and an advanced call log, into a sleek and stylish handset.

View the BlackBerry 7100t interactive product demonstration:
For Individuals | For the Enterprise

The BlackBerry 7100t features*:

* Complete functionality including:
o Phone
o Email
o Instant Messaging
o SMS
o Wireless Data Access
o Address book
o Internet Browser
o Calendar
o Memo Pad
o Tasks
* SureType™, the new keyboard technology from Research In Motion
* Bluetooth hands-free headset and car kit support
* Bright, high resolution display
* Polyphonic ring tones to give your handset a distinctive personality.
* Integrated attachment viewing for popular file formats
* Exceptional battery performance
* 32 MB of memory
* Dedicated send and end keys
* Quad-Band network support, allowing for international roaming between North America, Europe and Asia Pacific

I do not have such a phone, so I can not say it is good or not. However, T mobile's service is very bad. Here is my story:
I bought a blackberry Curve from a T mobile store on 10/10/2008. Right after the purchase, I found that a few keys are not functioning well. Then I called the store on 10/14/2008, and was told to bring it back to store for an exchange. Unfortuncately, I had a business trip traveled out of US on the same day, and I returned on 10/26/2008. Therefore, I missed their 14 days of exchange time frame. For this reason, T mobile refused to exchange my phone with a new one. The reason they explained to me is that after 14 days, they have to contact the manufacturer, and it can only go under warranty. I called them 5 times. I insisted to talk to a supervisor during my 3rd call to T mobile. I was told that the supervisor was on the phone with other customers, and would call me back. I waited for the call back for the rest of day, and nobody from T mobile called me. Then I made my 4th call to T mobile on the next day. The representative told me that she would guarantee that her supervisor would call me in 24 hours. I waited for 28 hours. Still, no one from T mobile called me. At last, I made my 5th call, and was lucky enough to catch a supervisor this time. She gave me the same reason that why I can not get a new phone for replacement. I’ve been with Sprint for many years, and have been with Verizon for a short period. However, I have never got such a bad service! I will tell everyone I know to stay away from T mobile. They do not mean to give you the service they promise. This experience makes me feel that they are looking forward to seeing you miss the date. If you did miss for whatever reason, even if you reported the defects of the device on time, they will say ‘oha, I got you! It is fault! I am not going to give you exchange!’ After such experience, I will never consider using T mobile any more.

I love the screen size and its clarity. It took a while to get used to the buttons and figure out where everything is located. It has way more functions than I need, if it had some kind of stylus pen, like most PDAs have I would dump my PDA and just use the blackberry, but for now I love the pen more than I hate carrying 2 elec. devices. I saw the newest model Blackberry and fell in love with the size, but not the price....for the price I paid I love this little machine and am very happy with the functions and battery life. I wish it had a camera though. Sometimes callers say there's static when they talk to me, but the complaints aren't consistent enough to think its the phone over the service. It did come with a leather protector, but I prefer not to use it since there are times when it interferes with the mic. I thought it might be too big, since I'm used to carrying a little flip phone, but it's a good size and fits comfortably in my hand and easier to find at the bottom of my purse!