At about 4pm today my Verizon rep dropped off my Demo Pearl/8130 Unit... it is NOT active yet.. rep told me it will be in a day or two.. This came right from RIM to Verizon Rep to me... has Property of Research in Motion and Evaluation stickers on it...
RIM OS = v4.3.0.60 (Platform 3.1.0.32) Not sure if this is release version or not.
First impression... its slightly heavier than the GSM pearl but not enough to mind it....
Voice Notes Recorder, and Video Recorder on the home screen are new...
The MicroSD slot is on the side instead of under the battery the way the GSM is, but the cover looks like it might "break off" easy...
I do like the predictive typing a lot better than the GSM pearl... it works better, and the possible word list is a DROP DOWN list that shows more choices than the side by side of the GSM pearl.
Screen just as Clear and easy to read.
Not sure if this is "release firmware" as there is no VZNav on it... then again.. we'll have to see when its active if it comes down like the browser icons and setup personal email icons do...
keyboard is more "sculptured" than the GSM... but this is nice to type on.. keys are responsive, but slightly "loose" (i.e. the wiggle)...
Just got home from work...
I haven't taken pictures yet... Not allowed to use cameras or the camera in phones while on my work's campus...
On HoFo, I was asked about Browser differences?? I can't tell becuase the Browser icon is not there until the phone is activated and registered on Verizon's network and the service books come down...
I have been typing test messages and such on it... It is BETTER than my GSM pearl. Keyboard is more comfortable and the prediction is more accurate (and I even edit the custom word list on my GSM pearl to help it, this VZW pearl doesn't have a custom word list yet)...
WOW... they just keep making sure type better and better!!!! The 8100 was better than the 7100, and the 8130 is better than the 8100.
Themes are the same as the VZW 8830, PLUS there is a BB Dimension L theme... Think of it as the standard verizon theme from the 8830 with 5 icons along the bottom, but ALSO 5 icons down the left side...
Extra option under Screen/Keyboard... Menu Style... choices are Short Menu and Full Menu... When set to Short, pressing in on Ball gives "Short Menu"... when set to full... pressing Ball gives Full menu... NICE... Still a Force of habit has been press ball and get menu (because of using that thumb wheel for so long), so this helps
Using the Voice Notes Recorder Icon on home screen Records only... to play back, go into the Media application which gives you choices for Music, Video, Ring Tones, Pictures and Voice Notes.
File Total: 50462720
File Free: 12240104
New thing... Under Options -> Security Options... is Memory Cleaning... Not sure exactly what it does, since BB's have always had a built in memory manager. :befuddled
that is all I can say until I can activate this device...
PS: there are NO services books on this device except Verizon Wireless [WAP] so what I can do with it until I can activate it is limited. Sorry.