BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 Cell Phone
At a GlanceWhat’s Good: surprisingly music-friendly; external play/pause button; stereo bluetooth, standard headphone jack; UMA capable; unique form factor; slick new BB interface; more compact than other BlackBerries; still has the BB office apps that keep executives aboard, but feels like a fun phone. What’s Not Good: no GPS; weak web browsing; some lag here and there. Bottom Line: If you're looking for a strong messaging device that works with a variety of communications platforms, the Flip will not disappoint. It makes calls over Wi-fi, and provides excellent call quality in adverse environments. Pretty much any kind of text communications platform currently available is accessible on the Flip. However, without 3G and a full-blown browser, don't expect to be surfing the night away. Specs: - Make/Model: Blackberry Pearl Flip 8220
- Network: GSM 850/1900 (There are European/Asian versions)
- Data: EDGE, Wi-Fi
- Carrier: T-Mobile
- Size: 3.98” x 1.97” x 0.69”
- Weight: 3.6 oz
- Form Factor: Clamshell flip with external display
- Display: Internal is 240 x 320 TFT, external is 128 x 160 TFT (262k colors)
- Memory: 128 flash; The hot-swappable microUSB comes w/ 256 MB, and accepts 16GB
- Notable Features: smooth external display with email/message previews; myFaves; voice notes; voice dialing; push email; stereo bluetooth; 2 MP cam with LED flash and 5X digital zoom, which can be controlled with the trackball. It also captures video.
IntroductionI am not a BlackBerry user. I mean, I've touched them and played around a bit, but I'm certainly not part of the crowd that experiences withdrawal symptoms after a day or two without BlackBerry interaction. Though I can assure you, such a crowd exists. Crackberry numbers are strong. There must be good reason for such loyalty and even addiction. Perhaps my lack of BB experience is appropriate for this review, because the Flip might be the one that can do just that; upturn the notions of people who thought they knew what a BlackBerry was all about. The name obviously refers to the phone's form factor first, but the physical changes seen in this release may represent a shift in the BB's overall appeal in the cell market. The Flip goes after the young messaging demographic while retaining enough familiar features to keep the exec loyalists around. Design & Features
Before we dive in, I want to point out that Noah has covered this phone extensively in video. I'll avoid overlapping his info in this review, outside of the quick reference to the specs above. So have a gander at: Noah's early first impressions and hands-on at CTIA; his un-boxing and first-look vid; and his full review, parts one and two. One thing I love about this phone that I don't think Noah mentioned (he probably did and I missed it) is that the external mute button serves as the play/pause control when you are not in a call and have the music player running. It doesn't matter if it's in the background, or if you stopped playback 3 hours ago. Even when the phone is closed. One tap on, one tap off. Easy. Sensible. This is the kind of music control I look for. I complained about the lack of this feature in Samsung's Rant and especially Highnote, and RIM hath filled the hole in mine heart. (Don't you love it when phone reviewers go all Middle English on you?) Not to mention that the loudspeakers rival those of the Highnote! The BB isn't quite as crisp, clear or loud, but it's close, and works very well as an open-air music player. BB beats a music phone at its own game? Perhaps. The hardware control is that important to me. O.K., so I'll go over the design and features as usual, but briefly. For starters, it's a flip phone. It's sleek, refined, and the size doesn't bother me as much as it does Noah. Then again, I'm used to lugging around large phones. Red and Black flavors are available. When closed, the face shows a clock, email/message count, battery life, alarm status, Wi-Fi/UMA connectivity, voice mail status, and a few other notifications. You can also preview email and text massages here. Above the external screen sits a camera lens, with an LED flash, and a red LED status light. The right side of the phone has a volume rocker and shutter button, as well as the microSD slot. The left side features a mute/media control button, the voice command button, the microUSB jack and headphone jack. The lanyard clip point is at the top. There's nothing on the back but a battery cover. Once opened, the top-half reveals the screen, and the bottom, all of the internal keys. You've got a click-able back-lit track ball, surrounded by send, end, back, and BlackBerry buttons. Below them is the twenty-key SureType layout familiar to BB users. Usability & PerformanceI recently purchased T-Mobile's @Home service. You can check out my first impressions here. The box used to facilitate VoIP also happens to be a wireless router. So, not only is my laptop connected wirelessly to the Internet, but I have a land-line phone and T-Mobile Hot-Spot access. The BlackBerry Flip is UMA-capable, which means it can make calls over Wi-Fi. If I'm walking home while talking to someone on the BB via GSM, and I open my front door, the BB will automatically connect to my T-Mo router and the call will be converted from cellular to W-Fi. My monthly minutes are not being used from this point on. This would work with T-Mobile Hot-Spots in public areas as well. I only tested this once, but the transition was impossible to detect, outside of the changing of icons in the connectivity status area on the face of the phone. This is the first time I've used a UMA-capable device, and it's pretty neat. Lots of cool communications stuff in the air right now. All connectivity-related setup was a breeze. I use WPA2 Wi-Fi security, but this phone handles every type I know of. As I said, I am not a BB user, and the whole Crackberry thing is totally alien and bizarre to me. But BB really is changing. The boring old interface that I found totally unappealing has been revamped, making the line much more user-friendly... and pretty. I can see students swapping vulgar jokes with this model, whereas BB used to be, in my mind, for, suits and elite tech industry folk. Wow, somehow “folk” totally doesn't seem to fit with the three words before it. Rather than edit it, I'll just point out how strange it sounds. Actually, people in that crowd probably like much geekier phones, but that's how I used to see BlackBerry. The camera is really fun to use. The trackball can be used for zooming, which is entertaining. Really, it sounds stupid, but I enjoyed zooming in and out, looking for the best framing. The LED flash doesn't take too much juice, apparently. I had no problems taking 17 pictures and making an average day's worth of calls (about an hour). Nightly charging would be fine for me. Liberal media playback will obviously limit battery life. I meant liberal playback of media. Conservative material takes just as much power to play. This isn't quite a smart phone. Five minutes with the web browser, or a spin with one of the included games makes that much clear. It still does the mobile office stuff that biz users need, but it's not what I'd call a smart phone. It's more like a high-end messaging device. The phone is very strong on this front. Email, SMS, IM, MMS; the BB Pearl Flip rocks socks in these departments. As for the typing, I prefer multi-tap. Many BB users have grown to love SureType, but it just feels strange; the need to accept or change a selection at the end of each word. It interrupts my train of thought. In Noah's review, he mentioned that a dedicated period button would be nice, “but maybe it's just me.” No, it's not just Noah. With all of the space available on the bottom half of the Flip, a whole row of useful dedicated buttons could be added. That said, the large buttons make for easy typing. The browsing isn't that interesting to me. The only times I browse the web on a phone are: when I'm waiting someplace without a computer and happen to have a killer phone browser on hand (like the G1's); or, there's some serious web emergency - like I'm stranded in a canyon and urgently need to find the nearest book store - in which case, I'll take whatever I can get. I've had the BB for about a week-and-a-half, and I only used the browser once – for a test. It's a mobile browser, and you'll get the mobile versions of your sites. They don't display until everything has loaded, and it's just not a fluid or inviting experience. ConclusionThe BlackBerry Pearl Flip is the first BB I really had a desire to play with. It's much more friendly to mainstream markets than previous Berries, and I think the new form factor will garner some new adherents. The 8220 is a messaging device with very strong music capabilities and organizational functions. It's got all of the BB features that people love, so I don't think a person upgrading from another BB to this one will be disappointed. The lag experienced during web browsing and video control was a but irritating to me. When I find a function that makes any device hang or lag, I avoid that function. Then again, videos and web are about the last thing I expect to do on a messaging device, so it's not like I'm disappointed with the 8220. Think of the smart functions as a bonus.
 Read full review » Part 2 of Noah's 2-part review of the BlackBerry 8220. The first-ever BlackBerry flip phone hides the buttons away for a sleek look, but does it have the juice to keep Crackberry addicts happy? Part 1 of Noah's 2-part review of the BlackBerry 8220. The first-ever BlackBerry flip phone hides the buttons away for a sleek look, but does it have the juice to keep Crackberry addicts happy? If only my BlackBerry would flip shut! Hey, it does! Noah unboxes the new BB Pearl Flip 8220 for T-Mobile and gives us a (long) quick tour around the phone. Noah goes hands-on with Blackberry's first flip phone ever - the T-Mobile exclusive Flip 8220. Is it cool? Is it too big? Will it blend? Check it out. Though the avid PhoneDog readers are well aware of my preference for BlackBerry devices, few people outside of my Twitter followers knew that I spent last month with the iPhone in an attempt to convince myself that other formidable smartphone options existed outside of the BlackBerry. My RIM loyalty goes back many years, through many different models. As a result, my thought process was that I may have gotten too comfortable with the... The launch of the BlackBerry Curve 8900 (aka Curve II) on T-Mobile has prompted some to say that it is, in fact, the sexiest Blackberry ever. Bold and Storm owners might have something to say about that, and Pearl 8100 series faithful might also chime in ... though I personally find Pearl to be more "cute" than "sexy."
What say you, DogPound? Is the new Curve the sexiest BB ever? Is Bold a case of bigger IS better? Is... I’ve been a huge fan of mobile TV, though not a big fan of today’s crop of providers (especially Sprint TV. Poor you, if you’ve been hobbling along with this dismal service. I feel your pain.) SlingMedia has an awesome solution, allowing selected Windows Mobile, Palm and Symbian customers to stream prerecorded TV from home right to their cell phones. Now the latest from SM is that BlackBerry users have finally been invited to the party, and... It's that time of year ... No, not Christmas, Hanukkah, or Winter Solstice time ... It's year-end awards time! The PhoneDog Editors will be selecting our personal Phone of the Year favorites over the coming weeks, but we're more interested in what you have to say. Now it's time for Mr. Slow and Steady Wins the Race (or at least comes in third): T-Mobile. T-Mo finally rolled out their 3G network this year, and launched the world's first Android... Last week, I posted about the launch of MySpace for BlackBerry, which joined BlackBerry's social networking crew of Facebook and Flickr. Now MySpace and Blackberry maker Research In Motion announce that their joint venture has broken opening-week records for app downloads at both companies, with more than 400,000 downloads and counting. Users of the MySpace app have already transmitted more than 15
million messages and performed over two... What’s Good: surprisingly music-friendly; external play/pause button; stereo bluetooth, standard headphone jack; UMA capable; unique form factor; slick new BB interface; more compact than other BlackBerries; still has the BB office apps that keep executives aboard, but feels like a fun phone.
What’s Not Good: no GPS; weak web browsing; some lag here and there.
Bottom Line: If you're looking for a strong messaging device that works with a... Pros: Much easier to type vs. the previous Pearl models and light years faster than a touch screen. The web navigation is improved as well vs. the other Pearl models. Not likely you'll accidentally call anyone or answer unsolicited calls. I'm overall very happy in my first week of usage. Cons: I wish I could delete incoming emails without opening the phone. I had some issues getting the Enterprise Activation working properly, but I think that was more of an issue with my company's IT staff. Summary: I previously had an 8100 and I had fond feelings for the little phone. I was hesitant about the switch, but have to say I'm really liking it. The improved software makes instant messaging simple. 5 out of 6 people found this review helpful Pros: sleek design, fast contact entry,clear ear piece and spaekerphone. Cons: long set-up,a troubling ringtone downloading process and the manual doesn't include much help at all Summary: The pearl is equipped w/many great applications that makes communication pleasant and fun. I am enjoying the phone daily while learning how to operate it!!! 27 out of 48 people found this review helpful Pros: Beautiful display, perfect size, good camera quality love the built in flash, Cons: Confusing and long set up, cant send pics or DL ringtones unless you buy the package, or DL the ringtones from your cell company site, Summary: Over all i love this phone. it works great. wonderful clarity. LOVE IT!!! 20 out of 42 people found this review helpful Pros: Great screen, easy to use keys, clear sound, plenty of options to customize it, profile exception option, comfortable to talk on, great camera and so many other features available. It looks great too! Cons: You have to purchase the blackberry data package to use basic phone functions like downloading ringtones or sending picture text messages which can run about $40 per month. Also, there are so many options that it gets confusing. Summary: I love this phone! I love how it feels in my hand, I love how it feels when I talk on it. I love the screen clarity. I love the graphics! It's gorgeous. The mouse and key size make it really easy to type on and navigate through the menu. There are so many options available that it may seem confusing at first, but Cingular offers online manuals that are very easy to understand. I knew the phone inside and out after only three days of reading about it and playing with it. I actually switched to Verizon for a week and went back to Cingular simply so I could have this phone back as Verizon does not offer it. The best feature this phone offers is the Profile Exception feature which allows you to turn the ringer off, but make exceptions for important callers such as work, family, or whomever you need to receive a call from. It is recommended that you only use this phone if you plan on using internet and email features, however, if you're like me, you can still use it as a straight forward phone. You can put your own music on it and use that as ringtones since you can only download ringtones with the data package on your plan. I love it!!! 59 out of 100 people found this review helpful Pros: Audio quality is crisp and clear sounding when using the earpiece of speakerphone. Receiving e-mails, (push style with T-Mobile) is a breeze. the screen clarity is excellent and the camera works better than any other phone I have ever used. EDGE, the slim frame, memory card slot, etc.... Cons: Seems like the face is going to get scratched up easily. With so much available on the phone the set up process was strenuous. Summary: I haven't been using the new Pearl for very long, but once I got it set up to my liking, it is turning out to be by far my favorite! 62 out of 108 people found this review helpful i know that this phone is old but im about to switch carriars and i was going to get this phone but people in other forums kept telling me that they disenabled wifi without a data plan and i was wondering if this was accurate I have the blackberry flip 8220 and I would like to use the AOL IM app. it won't let me it says "Service not enabled for this handheld" What does this mean and how do I fix it? ive been looking all over the web for this!!! have to say t mobile will be coming out with some new g series phones soon so keep that in mindthe blackberry pearl is nice but a little old on the design and the worst possible thing is you get stuck with a old phone for two yearsthe peral flip is a nice upgrade and you will be one of the few too have it as well it also has somewhat better features and form factor Hey PhoneDog.com, I am going to purchase a new phone in a little over a week and I need help to decide on which phone I should buy. The down side is I have t-mobile,don't get me wrong I love T-mobile its just that I see verizon,AT&T,ect come out with awesome phones I can't help but get a little frustrated. Wow look at me way off topic. So I have basicly narrowed my phone choice down to two phones. The Blackberry Pearl 8120 or the Blackberry... Hi,I got the original iPhone when it came out for $600.Then when the 3G came out I got 2 iPhones. (I couldn't decide between the white and the black so I got both.)And now with having to cell phone lines (one active line on AT&T where I switch between iPhones. & One on T-Mobile where I have a Pearl 8120.)But, now I am kinda getting sick of both of my phones. I don't know what to get.I would like to stick to something like the iPhone on... It would be nice to see each of the fallowing Blackberrys dog fight Bold VS Storm VS Curve i VS Curve II VS Blackberry Flip who is with me? That's in regards to the G1. I don't have the others on hand right now, but if I remember correctly, the flip accepts any pop email account. Hey, K. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I can't tell you anything about the calendar sync, but good news on msn mail. There is a built in email app that includes easy setup for most major providers, and allows manual pop and imap setup for others. You do have to set up a Gmail account to use the G1, but you don't have to use it. Greetings,
I am getting a new phone for Christmas. I have T-Mobile and am trying to choose between the G1/Blackberry Pearl Flip and Blackberry Curve. I understand from watching the Videos that the G1 e-mail is based on G-mail. I currenty use MSN e-mail, although I do have an gmail account. Can I easily access my MSN account on the G1 or do I need to use g-mail to take advantage of all of the phone features. other... Buying choicesWith new service  This item is not being sold with a service plan by any online merchant. 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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4.0 
4.5 out of 5
Thanks
When I open the phone, to answer a call, it automatically goes on Speaker and everybody hears the other person, and it takes 4-5 seconds so that the speaker turns off, and I can talk normally.
Do you know how I can fix this problem, so that it becomes like all the other flip phones, i.e. answer by opening and no speaker,
Ok so go to Options > External Notifications
Then Click Notification Duration: Default
Change default to maximize or minimize the time limit of the message!
Have fun!! :-)
Can anyone help me
I would try taking our the battery & all that but i guess you've tried that.
Nothing like that happened to me. I think you should check with your provider.
Hope that helped!