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| BlackBerry Pearl 8100c Smartphone Slate Grey (AT&T) | 
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| Brand: BlackBerry
Category: Wireless
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 4144
Color: Blue
Media: Wireless Phone
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Model: 8100c
UPC: 843163013018
ASIN: B000KFUK9Q
Release Date: November 20, 2006
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| Customer Reviews:
 I was dubious, but it's great. April 7, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've had several gens of the candybar blackberries, 7100 nice but reception/mike was horrendous, 7130 much better, finally nailed it. Was dubious when I had to take a pearl when my 7130 went funky.... but I'll give it the full thumbs up now. Slightly smaller than 7130, which oddly does make a difference, like size decreases give exponential feasibility increases or something. Makes my partner's Treo look like a firstgen cell in comparison. Unobtrustive in yr pocket. The "pearl" trackball is just fine, like it better than roller actually. Reception, mike quality are also good, despite concerns that they were reviewed worse than the 7130. Writing is good too, the suretype continuing to be so durn accurate I sometimes forget to check. And hey, I like having the camera. So, I thought the 7130 was my perfect smartphone, the one that I just stopped thinking about cause it did it all just great.... but actually... I like the Pearl better. If you need bulletproof email, PDA, and phone, this is yr baby. Slightly shorter battery life, but hasn't stranded me yet.
 **Updated - I still absolutely love this phone! April 5, 2007
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
***Update 9/27/08 - Just an all-around GREAT phone. I've dropped it twice and it's still fine. Battery life is quite good and it recharges very quickly. I've had very few problems with this phone and it works almost everywhere I've been. Only a few dead zones in rural Georgia and South Carolina. I wish the picture quality was better because I use the camera to instantly email pics frequently. I initially just cared about a phone that could also keep a "to do" list and synch with my MS Outlook contacts. This Pearl does that consistently and reliably, but it also does so much more with me being able to see all my home email and unlimited internet for just an extra $30 a month. I love it. I still think a man might have difficulty with this phone because the buttons are so small, yet after I got my Pearl, many men in my office got one and have no trouble with it at all. My old Dell Axim is now basically a paperweight. I only use the Axim to synch my contacts with my MS Outlook at work since I'm unable to tap into my Enterprise server at work.
My first blackberry and I love it! I wanted to stop lugging around a phone AND a rather heavy Dell Axim just to have contacts, calendar and task-to-do list. I wanted a phone that synched with Outlook and was a great phone. The Pearl is definitely the BEST choice. I didn't really care about internet, music or camera, but the cheapest $30 internet plan from Cingular lets me have unlmited internet and access to home email instantly - it's just great! I bought the $40 1Gb card and now have about 150 mp3 songs and pictures on it. I use the mp3 songs as ringtones and it's GREAT to be able to instantly recognize who's calling from the music. Camera is ok - not great, but ok and very nice to have for on-the-spot photos that you don't want to lug around the regular digital for. I actually emailed a picture on the spot - very cool. Battery life is phenomenal so far. However, I'm not a heavy user and I used the profiles to have phone automatically shut off from 2am to 6am every day.
Only cons so far are: 1) getting used to the keypad - believe what every one says about the intuitiveness of the keypad figuring out the correct word. I've followed other folks' advice and don't really look at the words letter by letter - i type a sentence and then look - it works like a charm 9 times out of 10 that the keyboard correctly identifies each word. Still, this type of entry is so different for a first time blackberry user, but getting used to this is still better than using a stylus and touch screen like the Axim.
2) Also having trouble with having to restart if I change a ringtone for someone - I have to reseat the battery to get the change to take effect. Hmmm...
3) Volume when talking, even on speakerphone, is average - not terrible, but ok. So far, my reception is fine.
4) I also wonder how long the track ball will last - I'm not a heavy user and I still use it constantly. I think i'm going to buy the insurance plan just in case.
These minor cons are far outweighed by a simply GREAT phone that synchs with Outlook and so very much more. Bye Bye Dell Axim. It's true what some say - I'm a "crackberry" because playing with this thing is addictive. I'll update this review again in 3 months or so, but I don't anticipate any problems. My only regret is I didn't hold out until a red Pearl came in stock at my local Cingular kiosk. I would honestly give this phone 4.5 out 5 stars if they let you.
Love it! (from a hard core BB user) April 2, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Top line: This is the best BlackBerry I've ever used, and among the best phones I've ever used. I can use it at work and after hours with out compromise in functionality and style/size.
I've been (some what grudgingly) using Blackberry since the first "pager-style" 4 line text device and the 8100 is a breakthrough for me. Finally, I have a corporate device that treats me like a consumer!
The good:
- Great voice dial: particularly if you are a commuter with a headset. No need to record your voice for each address entry- just say who you want to call and it it doesn't understand you it will prompt you for more info.
- Size and appearance: Finally I don't look like a dork talking to something the size of my palm. The phone is as small as many phone-only candy bars.
- Easy private email set-up (as with all modern BlackBerries). Seems to have some sort of auto set-up for Mac mail and Gmail, others too I imagine
- Macintosh compatibility: I just bought "The Missing Sync" for Apple Mac OS X ($40 USD) to synchronize my address book, calendar, tasks and notes from my MacBook Pro. Works great! The software provided by RIM is not very easy to use.
- Fantastic screen and innovative "Outlook Today" style summery screen for missed calls, latest emails etc. Look for this feature in one of the alternate themes that ships with the phone.
- As others have mentioned, the keyboard is very good. Coming from a full size BB keyboard, I thought I might miss it, but the 8100's is a breeze to use.
The not as good:
- Speaker phone is functional and sound quality in general is fine. Nothing like my Sony Ericsson though...
- I think I have a minor voice quality issue between the phone and my Motorola H700 headset (the best headset I've ever owned). I think that it might be a compatibility issue.
- More Mac compatibility would be appreciated - like native iSync and bluetooth support.
Loving the BB Pearl March 21, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is my first BlackBerry device. In fact, this is the first cell phone I've had where I had a data plan setup. I gotta say I'm luving it! My email gets to me sometimes even before it shows up on my desktop. The browser is very robust and seems to work great. I've installed a few extra applications (google maps, bbweather, and Yahoo go to name a few) and I haven't had any problems. The applications cover a broad spectrum of interests and are really useful. I still have yet to try the Opera browser for the BB. The camera is so clear with and without the flash it's scary. It beats my old cameraphone hands down!
I've discovered that the moniker "CrackBerry" is so true. I'm just hooked on getting emails, surfing the web and listening to some tunes, all from the same device at the same time. I've discovered a whole community of simmilar BB addicts and they are really helpful in discovering the ins of this device.
The pearl's suretype keyboard learns as I go and words it didn't get right at first it now picks up and selects as I type. I don't even need to censor the typing too often anymore. I stuck with the suretype mode and caught on to it right quick. This may be because I've never used any other type of mobile device keyboard prior to the pearl. The learning curve was but a shallow hill.
My only complaints are that the mp3 player will not play through a wireless headset. You can trick it into doing so, but normal play is only through the speaker on the device or through the wired headset. Also the speakerphone is a bit muffled as the battery cover actually covers up the speaker! Now there are after mod kits that have an oem battery cover with a hole for the speakerphone, but come on. Finally the vibration of the phone is kind of weak. Not a big complaint but it bears mentioning.
Overall this device is great for beginners like myself. I cannot recommend it enough!
I LOVE MY BLACKBERRY!!!!!! March 19, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I just recently bought the Blackberry Pearl and I love the device. Its stylish, beautiful, small, and it has some awsome features. However, since i bought it from Amazon, Cingular took forever just to approve me and give me a new number. So I constantly had to call amazon and ask them about my order. Then I receive the phone almost a week later than the day I placed my order and as I follow the instructions my phone didn't want to work. So the representatives told me there was something wrong with my SIM card... when it wasn't. Luckily I called Cingular and a very HELPFUL representative helped me set up my account and ACTUALLY the service when Amazon told me there was something wrong with my SIM card LOL. Overall, Amazon should be more careful how they describe their phone activation process because it wasn't easy. But whatever I love shopping @ Amazon and I truly love my phone and I bet you will love it too. :)!!!
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