BlackBerry 8100 Pearl
16 OCT 2007
Launch price
from £free
Stuff says
The BlackBerry clan finally sheds its business straightjacket and brings a dash of style and fun to the staid world of mobile messaging
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The Blackberry has always lived in
the fast-moving business world and had little time for anything else.
But after being shunned by fashion phones on the mobiles social scene,
its creator RIM has undone its top button and instructed its new 8100
Pearl to have some multimedia fun.
The Pearl is RIM’s first crack
at the mainstream; a phone that can be used both during and after work
hours. It ushers in this new era by fitting a 1.3MP snapper, microSD
card slot and a fetching trim phone-like design.
On the ball
Compared to past QWERTY-packing BlackBerry’s
the 8100 Pearl is incredibly compact and lightweight, taking the BlackBerry
7130 design and giving it a slinkier feel. It’s also the first ‘Berry
to sport a central TrackBall navigation globe that glows brightly and
is the inspiration behind the Pearl moniker.
This loose fitting orb needs just
a gentle brush from your thumb to prompt. At first it reacts almost
too quickly but you can modify its speed and control settings to suit
your pace. Those weaned on the BlackBerry’s signature side thumb jog-dial
may take a while to acclimatise to this new technique.
Because of its sleek torso, the 8100
Pearl can’t find space for a full QWERTY so has plumped for the dual-function
last seen in the 7130. Each key is assigned two letters, separated by
a rocker switch and those with elfin digits won’t find this layout
a problem. Meatier pinkies will undoubtedly find it fiddly and vexing
to thumb – if this sounds like you we recommend sticking with the
full QWERTY species.