|
| BlackBerry Pearl 8100c Smartphone Slate Grey (AT&T) | 
 enlarge
| Brand: BlackBerry
Category: Wireless
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 4335
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
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Review from a non-techie March 18, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I've had this phone for about a week now and I'm glad I waited to post a review because my initial reaction was not very positive. Coming from owning a RAZR and many Windows-based devices, there was an initial learning curve to some of the functions. Also, I was NOT convinced that the strange keyboard would really recognize what you were attempting to type. Boy was I wrong about that one. OK, so for the review.
My motivation for purchasing was primarily to get a PHONE first, with a few bells and whistles for when I just want to play with the device. The Pearl fits that bill perfectly. Phone quality is excellent. Loading ringtones (a pain at first) proved to be relatively easy once I did a little research. Ringtones play very loud and clear. The music player is MUCH better than first impressions would lead you to believe. After a few hours of frustration, I was all ready to purchase a 3rd party app. Again, did some research, visited a few forums, and found out there is much more functionality in the included music player than you might realize. As an owner of a NANO, I was disappointed with the interface of the player. But once you go into the menu functions, you'll find much more functionality. It's not an ipod, but it works as an decent replacement. And if you're not an ipod owner, you'll likely have no complaints. Sound of tunes is quite nice when using headphones. Camera is only so-so, but I don't really care about that anyway. Must admit that I thought it would be better since it is a megapixal camera. The couple of pictures I took were dark and somewhat grainy. Part of why I dropped my rating from 5 stars. As far as email, I have a BB from work and they won't let me use a non-work issued device to access the network, so I have no opinion on email functionality. Organizer features (calendar, tasks, notes, etc) seem more than adequate. Much better than any of my old Pocket PC devices.
The only complaints I would have is that there are still 2 basic things that I haven't been able to figure out and while I'm admittingly not a techie, these should be pretty basic and intuitive. One, I would like to set one of my ringtones as the default ringer. That should be fairly simplistic but I can't figure it out. Two, I would like to change the order of the icons on some of the themes. Again, should be pretty basic, but no go. Almost forgot, can't listen to music through bluetooth. Not sure why, but this is really my only MAJOR complaint.
Only minor complaints. All in all, a pretty sweet device. And BTW, form factor and looks are simply the best out there. I came so close to purchasing the Blackjack, very happy that I went with the Pearl.
UPDATE - Figured out how to set default ringtone and move icons. Coming from a Windows mobile environment, I was expecting something along the lines of: Start-programs-etc-etc. Everyting in windows takes so many keystroks. With the Pearl, it was so easy. I was simply expecting it to be much more difficult based on my prior experience. I'm going to still keep it at 4 stars because of the lack of BT stereo. Otherwise, as close to a perfect device as I've used (and I've used quite a few).
 SIM card not activated ... and ineffective customer support! March 14, 2007
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
The phone is great .. and I knew it would be. And I am a devoted Amazon shopper. My concern was always whether Amazon was up to the daunting task of selling cell phones and service plans ... a concern that has proved well founded.
I was originally concerned because of feedback I had read on this site indicating the Pearl "shipped hot," with an active SIM, which meant for those that -- like me - were upgrading (vs. new service), their existing phone would stop working while the new phone was en route. To be fair, that did NOT happen; however, I received the Pearl with a SIM card that the phone would not accept.
The instructions that are sent with the phone say that all you have to do is insert the SIM, turn on the phone, and it will work. And, if it doesn't work, it says, don't call Cingular, call Amazon. I followed the instructions -- phone didn't work, I called Amazon, at which point the CSR told me that he had all my information and someone would be contacting me in 48 HOURS!!!
Unfortunately, I let the poor guy have it ... I told him what I truly believe, which is that it is COMPLETELY unacceptable to tell me I have to wait 2 days just to talk to someone about why my phone - which is supposed to work out of the box -- isn't working.
So - 5 Stars for the phone itself ... awesome! 2 stars for Amazon ... they do NOT have the kinks worked out yet. On a positive note -- I immediately called Cingular, and they resolved the problem for me on the spot (SIM was not activated / in the system).
 Great phone!! March 13, 2007
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is my first BlackBerry phone and I must say it's an awesome device! My husband has a BlackBerry through his work so I got one too. How we can PIN each other, keep in touch via email, etc. while he is away. The Pearl has wonderful reception, great style, great features, etc.
I highly recommend it!
great phone overall March 9, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I had a palm 650 for two years. It had a few issues, but generaly speaking it worked well. Unfortunately one of my big concerns was the phone size. When I first Bought it, I did not think it woud be a big deal. But after having it for a while, it felt like I was carring a brick in my packet (If you are an smart phone user, then you know what I am talking about.) I wanted to switch phones but all smart phones in the market had the same disadvantage of being good but huge on size. I was debating between a Q and a Bjack when I discovered the pearl. At first I thought it would not have the same capabilities of a palm, Q, or bjack; but I had it for 3 months now and to tell the truth,there is so many advantages on this phone I do not miss my palm at all. The pearl not only does not have the flaws that palm does, but also has the same (or more) capabilities and browsing speed. The trackball works way better than a touchscreen. So far I am very happy with my purchase that I am glad I got the pearl and not the Q or Bjack. The best part is that I finally feel that I am carring a phone and not a brick in my packet. Not sure about it? then do not believe me; simply check the reviews of all smarth phones online. You will be surprised to find that the pearl gets usually Higher grades than most other smart phones.
 Great phone - but currently has MAJOR bug! February 23, 2007
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
This phone is fantastic - perfect size and great for those who want to check email and occasionally respond. The interface is not as nice as on a Treo, but the size more than makes up for it.
That said, there is currently a MAJOR bug with this phone. It has a severe memory leak which causes it to lose your emails and call log. This is well documented if you do a search for: pearl memory email call log.
Hopefully this will be resolved soon, since right now my device is useless - the only way I can get it to work is by taking out the battery and putting it back in.
My version is: v4.1.0.71 (Platform 2.2.0.41) running on Cingular.
I'd wait until this issue is fixed. Otherwise the phone is fantastic!
|
|
|
Copyright
©
2006 Adminpal LLC | |
