[1_YankeeFAn]

ok so I want to purchase the Pearl but is it worth it??

[onth]

You are posting on a blackberry site, of couse everyone will tell you it is all worth it.

Yes, it does worth it. But, it also depends on what are you expecting to use a phone for and what are you expecting from a phone?

[d_fisher]

I have had the Pearl since it was first released. I have been pleased with it from the beginning.

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by 1_YankeeFAn

ok so I want to purchase the Pearl but is it worth it??

That's a subjective and bogus question. There are thousands of members in the Pearl section. All have their own opinions of whether the phone is "worth it" to them.

You are not expecting everyone to chime in and tell you that the phone is worth it to them, are you?

Besides, what do you mean by "worth it?"

If you mean what I think you mean, yeah, it's worth it.

Keep in mind that if you are signing up with T-Mo, you can get a free Pearl with a $75 rebate to you. In other words, they pay you $75 and give you a phone. I gotta say, them paying you $75 to take a free phone is worth it. That is, unless "worth" includes your time to order the phone, unpack it, and fire it up.

[drunkle]

no. unless the samsung equivalent is also junk, i dont recommend the pearl:

trackball sticking. possibly due to lint or dirt, but either way, it's not a desireable headache.
crashing. no idea why.
long boot time.
no automatic lock out. not talking password protect here, just keypad deactivation. yes, the "mute" button on the top works, but i'd rather have an auto key lock like my old $99 "entry level" phone has.
battery life/death: my battery would drain at incredible rates for unknown reason... is it because a game is running in the background? it's not a consistent problem, either, but sometimes the battery would go from full to half in a couple hours.
water damage contingency fee. not covered by insurance, get your phone wet and you either buy something else or pay a full $300 for a replacement.
battery death. again, the battery is problematic, mine having "gone pink" for no apparent reason.


i might have gotten a lemon. i'm getting a replacement, after hours of phone and store time. yes, hours. my brother has had his for over a year and stands by his. no crashing, no trackball problems. maybe my batch is crappier? either way, i'm unhappy at the moment.

[onth]

Originally Posted by drunkle

no. unless the samsung equivalent is also junk, i dont recommend the pearl:

trackball sticking. possibly due to lint or dirt, but either way, it's not a desireable headache.
crashing. no idea why.
long boot time.
no automatic lock out. not talking password protect here, just keypad deactivation. yes, the "mute" button on the top works, but i'd rather have an auto key lock like my old $99 "entry level" phone has.
battery life/death: my battery would drain at incredible rates for unknown reason... is it because a game is running in the background? it's not a consistent problem, either, but sometimes the battery would go from full to half in a couple hours.
water damage contingency fee. not covered by insurance, get your phone wet and you either buy something else or pay a full $300 for a replacement.
battery death. again, the battery is problematic, mine having "gone pink" for no apparent reason.


i might have gotten a lemon. i'm getting a replacement, after hours of phone and store time. yes, hours. my brother has had his for over a year and stands by his. no crashing, no trackball problems. maybe my batch is crappier? either way, i'm unhappy at the moment.

What if you are not comparing a "working" pearl and a lemon pearl? that might change your mind totally.

Like you say, if you received a pearl that just works like your brother's. you might think the other way round.

Good luck, hope you are getting a good replacement that will change your mind totally. Welcome back and report to us what will be your new impression to the pearl.

[secrecyguy]

Yes, it's worth it but if you can wait until end of July, the Blackberry 8300 Curve should be out by than.

Than I will say get that instead. I am planning to get it myself.

[walds11]

Yes!!! I had the Pearl since Cingular released it ib December. Love the small form factor, suretype, etc...

[MistahQ]

Originally Posted by drunkle

no. unless the samsung equivalent is also junk, i dont recommend the pearl:

trackball sticking. possibly due to lint or dirt, but either way, it's not a desireable headache.
crashing. no idea why.
long boot time.
no automatic lock out. not talking password protect here, just keypad deactivation. yes, the "mute" button on the top works, but i'd rather have an auto key lock like my old $99 "entry level" phone has.
battery life/death: my battery would drain at incredible rates for unknown reason... is it because a game is running in the background? it's not a consistent problem, either, but sometimes the battery would go from full to half in a couple hours.
water damage contingency fee. not covered by insurance, get your phone wet and you either buy something else or pay a full $300 for a replacement.
battery death. again, the battery is problematic, mine having "gone pink" for no apparent reason.


i might have gotten a lemon. i'm getting a replacement, after hours of phone and store time. yes, hours. my brother has had his for over a year and stands by his. no crashing, no trackball problems. maybe my batch is crappier? either way, i'm unhappy at the moment.

There is a free Auto-lock app, or u can just hold the * key to lock keypad.As for the battery, maybe u have left some things running in the background

To the thread starter, i have had the pearl since the first day it hit tmobile and i must say its the best phone ive had. and i am one of the types that upgrades every time i get a chance heh

[Turbo]

I just bought 2 pearls from AT&T and I love them. Granted I have only had them for less then a week but I am really impressed. This is my first smart phone and I am glad I picked the Pearl just seems like an all around good phone. I am still in college so I can't afford to have a data plan so I don't really know what this phone is capable of but I still love it.

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by Turbo

I am still in college so I can't afford to have a data plan so I don't really know what this phone is capable of but I still love it.

Even without the data plan the phone is still quite a device. You can play movies, MP3 and the phone itself is decent [I like the speaker phone and the form factor is small, which I value].

On the data plan all you are missing is the BB e-mail service. That's a main feature of the phone, IMHO, but I imagine a college student can live without it.

Be warned that once you get the data plan it becomes addicting and you won't be able to live without it. Kind of like smoking. The carriers don't tell you how addicting the BB e-mail service can become. They should be sued, in the same court as the tobacco trials took place.

[Csa819]

Hell yeah it's worth it!. I have had a 7105, then switched to a Pearl. I love it! I switched carriers due to a corporate issue, had two Nokia E62's, a Cingular 8125, back to a E62, then to a Blackjack, and back to the Pearl (all since March). othing I have used comes close. I also really came to miss REXWireless' ToDoMatrix, found it was a must have app for me.

[gollop]

The camera is rubbish, the speaker is even worse (its very quiet and sound quality is very bad) the phone's build quality is terrible, its quirky and takes a while to get used to......but I still like it. I do think its days are numbered though, soon all phones will be able to do everything the Blackberry does and more. I have had a few phones and found Samsungs to have the best build quality. RIM phones are very brittle and have lots of annoying features that make you feel like design and testing was rushed.
We had three ordered for work, mine arrived and bluetooth didn't work, my collegues one had a sticky/broken menu key the other one has been fine!

[frankeg3]

The Pearl (AT&T) is my first Blackberry - now that I'm over the learning curve, I really like it. I purchased mine through Amazon and had to return the phone once because I (or anyone else) couldn't tell me why the track ball wouldn't light up sometimes - I called Cingular, RIM, Amazon - I figured the phone was broke, so I got a replacement (only to discover through this forum that the phone has auto light sensors) so there was nothing wrong with it - the replacement had a defect with the Blue Tooth. So it took three tries to get it correct. Amazon was great but it's a real hassle mailing waiting, emailing etc. If it's your first Blackberry, I would get it from an carrier. Good Luck!

[upsett3r]

the Pearl is an okay phone. One problem with it it is it is too small for the features it has. Yeah you can watch movies, but can you really see them that well. The key pad is also too small. i can feel my hands folding like oragami when I try to type an email. Plus the internet is tiny. Other than that the phone does exactly what it should how it should. Just wish it was bigger.

Pony up for an 8800. I wish I had.

[jddphd]

Originally Posted by upsett3r

Plus the internet is tiny

[rposeidon]

I had an 8700g before I got my Pearl. The keys, although they are small (on any BlackBerry though), are perfectly fine for me. They should be ok for any average size hand.
The form factor IS tiny. My dad said he would never get a BB because they were too big had to eat his words when I set my Pearl next to his Motorola SLVR. I do find that sometimes holding it up to your ear is akward because of the size, but you get used to it. If not, get a headset.
The screen is gorgeous, no complaints there. The internet is not "tiny", lol. It looks very nice, especially running Opera Mini.
Camera is nice. I mean, it's a phone first and foremost. It does what I need it to do, which is take random pics and random places. I have a normal digital camera if I go to a zoo or something.
My trackball *is* getting very loose, I am going to call AT&T when I get back from Vegas in two weeks to ship me a new one.
I love this phone, it is perfect. I have my personal, BB, and business email all set up on it. I have had zero issues whatsoever with it, besides the aforementioned trackball thing.
So is it worth it? Considering I spent $250 for the A900 from Sprint? And spent $150 on this phone? Oh ya, it's totally worth it!

[Raider5000]

ive had the Pearl for 2 Months. And in all honesty i think its basically just a pretty dam good phone. Not the best, but great none the less. If your looking for a phone that is great for text, plays MP3 and video, and has an oceral good feel and touch to it. Then this is the phone for You!

My only cons on the phone are: Speaker is low for a phone of that capability. No Video Recording.

Other than that though. I like this phoine and plan on having it for a while.