Background Information – Look n’ Feel
The BlackBerry Pearl 3G comes in two models, the 9100 and the 9105, which are the long awaited updates for the 8110. The 9100 model features a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard and the 9105 model features a 14-key traditional phone keyboard. Both models include SureType® software that can complete words as the user types, making texting fast and accurate.
Apart from the keyboards both BlackBerry Pearl 3G phones are relatively similar in appearance to the old 8110 in that they are all basic candybar phones. One noticeable difference is that the track ball has been replaced by an optical trackpad. This is a marked improvement as the track ball was continually breaking because of dirt.
Hardware – Display, Keyboard, Battery, Communications, Memory, Connectors
Compared to the 8110 the new 3G BlackBerry Pearl has a really high definition display at 360 x 400 pixels. The device is also slightly slimmer and heavier, measuring 108 x 50 x 13 mm and weighing 93 grams. The phone also comes with a 3.2 megapixels camera with autofocus, LED flash, and video.
As the name suggests the new BlackBerry Pearl now has 3g whereas the 8110 only had 2g. In terms of connectivity the BlackBerry Pearl 3G has GPRS, EDGE, USB, Bluetooth and WAP. These phone is also the first BlackBerry smartphone to support ‘n’ Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n).
Like for like the BlackBerry 3G also beats the 8110 on battery power. According to the manufacturers you should get 5 hours of talk time and 13 days on standby on 3g.
Software
The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G uses the latest BlackBerry® OS 5 which is also used in the BlackBerry Bold. The UI has been smartened up and made fasters and you can now synch iTunes and Windows Media Player.
Availability and pricing
According to RIM the BlackBerry Pearl 3G should hit the market in May 2010. No information is currently available on price.
General
| Status | Coming soon |
| Announced | April 2010 |
| Network (2G) | GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900 / GSM 850 |
| Network (3G) | HSDPA 850 / HSDPA 1900 / HSDPA 2100 |
| Form factor | Block |
| Antenna type | Internal |
Size
| Weight | 93.6 g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 108.0 x 50.0 x 13.3 mm |
Display
| Type | Graphical |
| Coloured | Yes, TFT, 262K colors |
| Resolution | 360 x 400 pixels |
| - Half-QWERTY keyboard - Touch-sensitive optical trackpad |
Memory
| Shared memory | 256 MB |
| - Photocall - microSD, up to 32GB, 2GB included - CPU 624 MHz processor |
Ringtones
| Polyphonic ringtones | Yes |
| Ringtone profiles | Yes |
| - MP3 ringtones - 3.5 mm audio jack - Dedicated music keys |
Networking
| HSDPA speed | 3.6 Mbps |
| GPRS | Yes, Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 – 48 kbps |
| EDGE | Yes, Class 10, 236.8 kbps |
| WLAN | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n |
| USB | Yes, microUSB v2.0 |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 2.1 with A2DP |
| WAP | Yes |
| Browser | Yes, HTML |
| Email client | Yes |
| - BlackBerry OS - Instant Messaging - Push Email - GPS with A-GPS support |
Features
| Vibration | Yes |
| SMS | Send / Receive |
| MMS | Send / Receive |
| Camera | Builtin, 3.2 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, video |
| Java | Yes, MIDP 2.1 |
| Games | Yes, (changeable) |
| Clock | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes |
| Calculator | Yes |
| Calendar | Yes |
| To-do list | Yes |
| Voice dialing | Yes |
| Voice memo | Yes |
| Multiple numbers / contact | Yes |
| Handsfree | Yes |
| Headset jack | Yes |
| - BlackBerry maps - Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) - MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+ player - MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player - Organizer |
Standard Battery
| Type | Li-Ion |
| Amperage | 1150 mAh |
| Standby time | GSM: 432h / 3G: 312h |
| Talk time | GSM: 5h 30m / 3G: 5h |
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