Red pearl

October 28 2007

Over the weekend, I converted from my first Blackberry Pearl to a slightly newer red Pearl.  I am really really pleased with the new device.  First of all, the conversion was, in the end, pretty easy.  I didn't have to copy anything manually over from the old device -- after the initial sync and a chip move, all my mail, contacts, bookmarks, calendar entries, and photos were live on the new one.  That was great.  The desktop manager made it easy to switch the registered device on my BES server from the old Pearl to the new one.  And as a bonus, Facebook for Blackberry premiered last week, and this is a really cool 'berry app and shows off the Pearl really well.  For the first time, I felt like I had easy easy tools to mo-blog -- uploading pictures from the camera in the phone immediately to Facebook.

The updated default UI in the red Pearl is helpful, too.  My first Pearl was confusing to work with as far as text messages versus e-mail messages -- I couldn't distinguish, but now I can as they use a different icon.  The battery meter is also easier to understand, and a few other minor UI elements are cleaner as well.  I know I could have put a different theme or skin on the old Pearl, but I just never had time to explore all that (other than ColorPearl).

One interesting question, now that I've had a Blackberry for some time, am I a crackberry addict?  I'd say mixed.  There are definitely days now where I'm totally drawn to the device -- but as a substitute for taking out the laptop.  Other days, I can do without it.  It certainly has made me more productive, but it also has occasionally prompted me to get fired up about something without sufficient context, or without allowing enough time to pass to analyze a situation.  So, I'm continuing to learn.  But I can't imagine going without it -- especially the Internet/Intranet connectivity -- so that is definitely a success and a strong recommendation.  I can't wait to see how these kinds of devices evolve in the future -- it just feels like there is room for a lot more innovation. 		Image:Red pearl

Ed Brill | Highland Park, IL USA Category:  Blackberry Pearl  Add/View Comments [9]

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  1. 1  Bill Geimer  | 10/28/2007 11:20:25 PM

    How long, I wonder, until laptops disappear in favor of handhelds like this one?

  1. 2  Randy Shimizu  | 10/29/2007 1:32:27 AM

    I t

    I tried a friends Pearl, but I found the trackball to be to small. Hopefully your service is not T-Mobile. T-Mobiles web service is almost to slow to be usable.

  1. 3  Steven  | 10/29/2007 9:09:50 AM

    Folks should not read too much into this as I think I mentioned this to you about 2 years ago (PRE- Pearl), but even though your blog behaves very well in the BB Browser, you're don't seem to be ready for crackberry rehab yet. Now if you add the link "Site optimized for BB Browser" to your page, you need to worry!

  1. 4  Mike Lazar  | 10/29/2007 10:43:47 AM

    Ed -- I mentioned it the other day when we chatted. I just got the new AT&T Tilt, and after getting it going, I am S-O-L-D. My very trusty and long-loved 7290 finally was gasping the past few weeks. I'd been holding out for a 3G capable BBerry, but alas, no joy. I went to the store and they said RIM has no plans as of now for a 3G phone. I was about to leave when he said the Tilt could do BES, not BIS, very well. I was intrigued and we took a look. Well, the difference between my 3+ year old phone and this brand spanking new, gorgeous Windows Mobile 6 phone is staggering. The main thing is, though, that it works. The interface for BES was easy to setup and works well. Plus, it's 3G and wi-fi capable. I haven't tethered the 3G to my laptop to see how that works, but I'm excited to try it. All in all, it's a new toy that seems beyond cool. We'll see if I'm singing the praises in a few months, but I think I will. The screen is great, and sliding keyboard works well. I'm not sure on battery life yet, but it seems to be fine. It has a 3MP camera and GPS as well. I used the GPS for TeleNav service the other day, and that worked. I guess I'm just a gushing, giddy little kid today...

  1. 5  Eric Mack http://www.ericmackonline.com | 10/30/2007 1:45:00 AM

    Ed, does your new BB has WiFi support? If so, I wonder if you can answer a key question for me:

    I live in an area with no wireless coverage of any kind. Will the Wifi capability allow BB services to work or is it strictly for web-browsing? If the former, I could use and develop BB apps (e.g. eProductivity for Notes extenstions for the BB).

    I'm curious. The local Sprint stores seem to be full of 21-year old "Sales Consultants" and "Account Executives" (and other fancy titles) who know all about how to play an MP3 on the phone and little about how it works.

  1. 6  Volker Weber http://vowe.net | 10/30/2007 2:20:33 AM

    Eic, I have an 8820 with WiFi and it does provide BB service over WiFi.

  1. 7  Volker Weber http://vowe.net | 10/30/2007 2:21:01 AM

    Insert r please. :-)

  1. 8  Denny http://www.sherpasoftware.com/blogs/SherpaBlog.nsf/  | 10/30/2007 7:47:36 AM

    I'm soon to be upgrading to the Curve from a 7130. Can't wait. As for the addict part, yeah, 'My Name is Denny and I'm addicted to my Crackberry'.

    Enjoy