BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 review (part 1)

Available from Clove for £299.63

Highlights-

14-key tradtional phone keyboard.
Blackberry SureType
3.2 Megapixel Camera
WiFi & Bluetooth
3G Connectivity
Music & video playback
MicroSD expandable up to 32GB

The Pearl is a legend in the world of BlackBerry, but not necessarily for good reason. It seems to be the phone that companies give to their employees more than any other and as such is commonplace in meeting rooms, on the train and almost everywhere else. The fact that almost all of the previous Pearls have had poor voice quality, limited memory and a hampered screen has strangely not mattered, but it is not a phone I have looked upon kindly in the past.

For reasons that bypass me RIM has decided to persevere with the formula and create the Pearl 3G 9105. Obviously 3G is the main inclusion, but how useful is that on a phone with a relatively small screen? Does it make sense to make such a small phone that includes Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G and a keyboard that requires time to get used to? It is a conundrum that people outside of the BlackBerry user group do not understand and I can see why. The question remains- has RIM done something remarkable with the 9105 or taken the Pearl family on one journey too far?

First Impressions

The box is typically RIM and so are the contents. There is no attempt to offer an instantly pleasurable experience, no cleverly designed packaging and little care given to presenting all of the accessories other than putting them in plastic bags and throwing them in the bottom of the box. Does it really matter? Not at all- the box is a one-time thing that you open and then put on a shelf in case you want to sell the phone later on.

The accessories are as expected and include a 2GB microSD card, 3.5mm headset, microUSB cable and an AC adaptor with UK and EU plug adaptors. There is no sleeve case this time which is surprising, but you get what you need to get started.

Now, the phone offers up a completely different first impression. It is impossibly small and unlike any phone I have used before. The X10 mini is even smaller, but the 9105 has a fixed front keyboard and screen and is shaped divinely. RIM has obviously put a huge emphasis on size with the 9105, but also ensured that functionality is a core part of the design. The screen does not feel small, even though it is, and the keyboard is a clever mix of swirling textures and well placed punctuation which should ensure speedy data entry once you are used to it.

At no point during my first few hours of testing has the 9105 felt cramped and this is remarkable for a smartphone that is so tiny and light. It pulls off the trick of feeling well built, despite the lightness, and is overall a pleasing to the eye smartphone that looks like a small feature phone. It is easy to look at a device like the 9105 and wonder why it is a better choice than the Curve 8520 or Bold 9700, but it is cheaper than the 9700 and has a better specification than the 8520. It sits in the middle of the BlackBerry range and it all comes back to the debate surrounding the Pearl series of smartphones. After a few hours I am starting to believe that RIM has not taken the Pearl on one journey too far, but tweaked it to the point that it compounds all of the smartphone rules we currently make our purchasing decisions on; large screens and large keyboards are dominant on all platforms, but maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.

Tomorrow I will, as usual, look at each of the main features of the 9105 and conclude where I believe it fits in the current market. First impressions are excellent though and I hope that good feeling continues.