While flip-phones have been considered fashionable since the RAZR to fame circa 2003, the Pearl Flip shakes up the status quo. The phone packs the same innovative features that BlackBerry has become
synonymous with, but in a form factor that both protects the screen and preserves precious pocket real estate.
On the Outside
Though unusual, the design grew on me, and ultimately stands out among RIM's standard fare. The Pearl Flip, currently offered in black with chrome trimmings, shares the same mature style that the much-touted BlackBerry Bold 9000 boasts.
With the clamshell closed, the front of the phone features a camera, camera flash, message indicator, and a small display screen.
The external default screen shows the battery status, alarm status, number of unread messages, signal type and strength, and an analog clock with the date. This also allows you to preview messages when they come in by clicking up or down on the right-hand volume buttons. By pressing the volume down button, the message sender and subject will be displayed, by then pressing the right convenience key, the message itself will be displayed.
This useful feature could be improved if it set the status of the viewed message as "read" instead of having to open up the device to remove the indicator.
Continuing with the external tour, the Pearl Flip has the volume keys and the two convenience keys I just mentioned. It also includes a mute key, an expandable miniSD memory card slot, standard headphone jack, and a charger jack.
Screen
Opening up the Pearl Flip, you'll see the main screen above and behind the keyboard.
This display is about as large as the current Curve's screen, but turned 90 degrees. My primary device before using the Pearl Flip was a BlackBerry 8700c; comparatively, the Pearl Flip's screen seemed smaller than I liked. If you're comparing the Pearl Flip to the original Pearl or another smaller-screen phone, you probably won't have a problem. However, if you are accustomed to the standard size of other smartphones, the screen may seem too small in certain applications, such as browsing websites with horizontal scrolling.
With the T-Mobile version of this smartphone, when the phone is opened the screen defaults to displaying this carrier's "My Faves" five circular icons. There's also status information across the top of the screen, and five menu options at the bottom (see picture 3).
Pressing the BlackBerry key opens up the full menu. The Pearl Flip sports 5x5 menu items by default. Most of these applications are standard issue and pretty intuitive.
A small design concern is the actual quality of the hinge. It isn't loose, but there is a concerning bit of horizontal play in the hinge. Given RIM's reputation for making sturdy devices, this play lends itself to the "cheaper" stereotype of flip-phones.
Keyboard & Trackball
The SureType keyboard, RIM's half-QWERTY offering, is similar to the existing Pearl's. The rows of keys are set up in a "wave" (see here), which makes typing slower than on traditional smartphone QWERTY keyboards.
For new users, the SureType keyboard will take some getting used to, but it's intuitive, and usually accurate. Though there are occasional lag issues, and the keys aren't as textured as I might like, the keyboard offers a pretty solid experience.
The trackball is slightly set into the device, so that it is flush with the rest of the keys and doesn't get in the way of the screen when it's closing. It rolls very nicely and there is plenty of space around it.
Wi-Fi Takes the Cake
Though not exclusive to this device, perhaps the most valuable feature the Pearl Flip boasts is the integrated Wi-Fi that can be used to supplement T-Mobile's service. Available at T-Mobile hotspots in addition to other Wi-Fi networks, this feature makes a huge impact on the usability and functionality of the device.
I was not able to use the 802.1x network available to me, but I was able to get on several 802.11g networks. If you start a call while connected to a Wi-Fi network, and then walk out of range, the cell network purportedly picks up the call without dropping it, though this wasn't always the case in my experience. Additionally, surfing the Web while connected to Wi-Fi was faster than connecting via the network in my experience.
This feature hugely expands where and how the device can be used, and should be a standard on all forward-moving smartphones.
Performance Problems
Although OS 4.6 is a welcome upgrade, both in terms of aesthetics and features, it's not as solid and reliable as previous versions.
Often, there is a bit of delay when navigating menu screens, or typing. This issue becomes most relevant when trying to dial from the home screen. If you start typing a contact's name, the lag may cause the device to pick up letters later in the name rather than the first ones. For example, if you are calling "John Smith," due to delay, the Pearl Flip might pick up the "O, H" and bring you to the O-H area of your phone book. This proved to be a consistent annoyance.
On several occasions while playing World Mole, the Pearl Flip displayed a white screen and was completely unresponsive, requiring a battery reset. Additionally, when ending a phone call by closing the flip screen, the external screen occasionally gets confused. Most of the time it displays a standard call-ended message, but occasionally it displays the wrong information. For example, if you talked to Mary Doe and then John Smith, after ending John's call the phone sometimes displays "Mary Doe, Disconnected, 0:33, etc" instead of "John Smith, Disconnected, 0:33 etc,."
Strangely, despite repeatedly selecting a background image from the camera, the device would restore the background to the default image after a while.
Though these issues aren't deal-breakers, they may indicate that the OS needs some tweaking or a firmware update.
Specifications
- Dimensions (W × D × H): 2 in × 0.6 in × 4.2 in
- Weight: 3.2 oz
- Talk Time: Up to 210 Minutes (3.5 hours) Standby time: Up to 360 hours (15 days)
- The Pearl comes with the following standard features:[1]
- 1.33 (8100) or 2.0 (8110/8120/8130) megapixel camera with flash, self portrait mirror, and 5x digital zoom
- Media player with support for MP3, AAC, AMR, polyphonic MIDI and WAV sound formats
- Media player with support for MPEG-4 and H.263 video formats
- Bluetooth 2.0
- Wi-Fi Access (only for 8120 & 8220)
- UMA support (only for 8120 & 8220)
- High-Speed Westbridge USB (8110, 8120 and 8130)
- Address book and calendar
- HTML Web browser
- GPS assisted BlackBerry Maps (8130, 8230)
- Push e-mail
- Voice Dialing
- Speakerphones
- SMS and MMS text messaging (However, MMS requires WAP service)
- Instant messaging
- Supports up to 8GB MicroSDHC with handheld code 4.5
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