PDA Reviews

There was a time when RIM had to take in lot of criticisms on the looks and the other functionalities of the original version of BlackBerry pearl. The only application that its users were satisfied was with the email application. The device was fairly large and style conscious consumers would surely hesitate to buy one. RIM, then introduced BlackBerry Pearl 8100 which though cannot be said as perfect, is just an improvement from the original staid looking and features-deprived original version. It has released BlackBerry Pearl 8120 which has made some improvements in the key areas and still shares one problem with its predecessor, lacking 3G. The fun face-book application is a welcome feature for those who are face-book fans.

Body:
RIM Blackberry pearl 8120 looks stylish in its dark-blue and chrome colour combination. The main body of the candy-bar handset is predominantly blue where as the highlights and the left, right and upper edges are in chrome. Since the handset is thin, it can be comfortably held in hand. The body has a metal-like finishing with stainless-steel trimming and is light-weighted.

Navigation:
For navigational purpose there is a tiny miniature trackball that is placed under the screen which rolls comfortably for movements within and between applications. Apart from the track ball, there are menu, call, back and end keys that are arranged in the same manner as in the previous version. You will also find two more keys. One on the right edge and the other on the left edge, these are known as the convenience keys. You can assign whatever application you would frequently use and make it as your shortcut to that particular application.

Keyboard:
Blackberry Pearl 8120’s width does not give enough space for a QWERTY keyboard; hence two QWERTY characters share a single key. You just keep hitting the key just once regardless of which letter you want to get printed; the sure type predictive text engine does the guessing job and is correct most of the times. You can also select the appropriate word using the pearl button also. You may find it difficult at the beginning but once you get used to it, you would be able to make out how easy it is. Blackberry Pearl 8120 PDA Phone also has a spell-checker. You can also set it for automatically checking your mails. Accessing the applications is fast and lag-free. But the multimedia and camera application does take some time.

Display:
The TFT display screen is comparatively a little smaller but is still sharp and bright with 240 x 260 pixel resolution. The display looks square void any real wide-screen display. The texts can be read clearly but the difficulty comes only when there are complex attachments.

Memory and connectivity:
Blackberry phone provided you with a MicroSD slot which you can use to expand the 64MB of internal flash memory. BlackBerry Pearl 8120 has the Wi-Fi feature. It has quad-band GSM with GPRS and EDGE but lacks 3G.

Multimedia:

Blackberry Pearl 8120 also has a 2 mega pixel camera which is a good upgrade from the original pearl which had only 1.3 mega pixel camera. The images were good even in the low-light areas. It does have flash. The RIM has put its multimedia features in action. The audio and video playbacks are clear. It offers support for all the major formats with the help of PC media software that is provided along with the handset. The pictures also looked sharp. The latter was not provided by the previous version. RIM has set a 3.5mm headset jack, leaving way for you to use any kind of headset. The multimedia front also has voice recording so now you can make voice notes. RIM has also included maps though it does not support built-in GPS.

Battery:
The battery life is quiet good. It can stand audio playback for around 12 hrs. The battery has a stand-by-time of 15 days and around 4 hours of talk-time. If you use the multimedia applications at a heavy phase, then you can expect the battery to drain at a faster pace. In order to charge, you can either use the USB cable or also a travel charger when you can not find a PC.

RIM has done a good job in improving their device from a “business-only” form to attract other consumers too. Though the task is not fully completed, it has certainly taken a good step forward.

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