BlackBerry Pearl-8120 Titanium Cell Phone
In-Depth ReviewWhat’s Good: Integrated WiFi for Web, Email, and HotSpot@Home UMA Calling; Trackball is easy to use; Integrated IM Clients; Second-to-None Push Email; 2MP Camera with Flash; 3.5 mm Headphone Jack; Compact Size
What’s Not Good: OS Menus and Fonts Remind me of 1989; SureType QWERTY board will be too small for some; Video capture quality is mediocre
Bottom Line: T-Mobile’s new Pearl takes a good thing and makes it better by way of integrated Wi-Fi networking for data access and T-Mob’s HotSpot@Home service. A few other minor improvements make the handset’s media player and keyboard a little bit better. Pearl’s still too small for my hands, but it packs smartphone functionality and money saving features into a great device that looks and feels like a phone — not a brick. RIM’s gotta overhaul their user interface soon, though. The icons and fonts feel more and more dated every day.
Specs:
Make/Model: RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120
Network: GSM
Data: EDGE, 802.11 b/g WiFI
Carrier: T-Mobile (Locked)
Size: 107 x 50 x 14 mm
Weight: 91 g
Form Factor: Candybar
Display: 2.25” Color LCD, 260 x 240 resolution, 65,000 Colors
Memory: 64 MB built-in, microSD card slot
Notable Features: SureType QWERTY keyboard; Trackball navigation; Push Email; IM Clients; HotSpot@Home (UMA calling); myFaves support; 3.5mm headphone jack; 2MP camera;
 Our fancy algorithm says this stuff is related...I spent a week with the newest Pearl, the 8120 for T-Mobile. It's got WiFi, HotSpot@Home, and a 2MP camera. The 8120 also features video recording and a standard headphone jack so the device can be used as a media player. The post-CTIA onslaught has begun! Check out some of the new handsets in the PhoneDog office, including the MOTO Z9 slider phone, BlackBerry Pearl 8210, Nokia N82, and SE K850i and w890i. Also, we preview two new iPhone cases. What’s Good: Integrated WiFi for Web, Email, and HotSpot@Home UMA Calling; Trackball is easy to use; Integrated IM Clients; Second-to-None Push Email; 2MP Camera with Flash; 3.5 mm Headphone Jack; Compact Size
What’s Not Good: OS Menus and Fonts Remind me of 1989; SureType QWERTY board will be too small for some; Video capture quality is mediocre
Bottom Line: T-Mobile’s new Pearl takes a good thing and makes it better by way of integrated... About a year and a half ago I reviewed the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8100 for T-Mobile. I didn’t really like it all that much, mainly because the keyboard was a bit small for my hands and thumbs, I found the OS ugly and the handset itself felt a bit cheap to me. Now T-Mobile’s gone and sent me their new Pearl, the 8120, and I took to testing and reviewing it with an open mind.
Seems both the phone and the reviewer have grown up... Perhaps the best thing about Pearl is how it packs all of the functionality of its big brother, the BlackBerry Curve, into a device that’s the size and shape of a standard candybar phone. Small and slim enough to tuck into a pocket, Pearl doesn’t feel like a smartphone when you hold it or carry it around. It looks like a regular ol’ cellphone, not some uber-geeky device (or traditional BlackBerry) - at least until you glimpse at all... I tested the Pearl 8120 on T-Mobile’s GSM network in the San Francisco Bay Area, and also used the device for UMA calling on the WiFi networks at my house, in my office, and in a few hotspot locations. Pearl’s performance on voice calls was generally excellent, with only minimal complaints of background hiss from the people I talked to. The UMA functionality boosted call quality - particularly in locations like my house where... RIM did a lot to bring the smartphone to a mass market with the introduction of the BlackBerry Pearl a few years ago. Combining their legendary Email support with trackball navigation, a media player and camera, and a compact form factor made the Pearl an instant success and spawned its big brother, the Curve, for those who needed a bigger keyboard along with all those consumer-friendly goodies.
This latest wave of Pearls improves upon... Though the BlackBerry Pearl itself isn't anything new, the T-Mobile 8120 I just unpackaged is worthy of a "New! Just Lauched!" notice, as it brings a few features to the fold that are unavailable on any other Pearl. Most notably, the TMob version rocks WiFi for data access and UMA calling, aka "HotSpot@Home." T-Mobile's got a few HotSpot WiFi phones in its lineup right about now, and the Pearl works as well or better than any... No user reviews available yet...No reviews have been submitted for the BlackBerry Pearl-8120 Titanium. Be the first to share your opinion and experience with this product or service and influence others and their buying decisions.
Buying choicesWith new service  With pre-paid service This item is not being sold with a pre-paid service service plan by any online merchant. Purchase phone only Accessories Purchase compatible accessories for this phone Ringtones & MediaShop for compatible mobile content for this phone
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