Blackberry Pearl 3G 9105 deals & review

In a word or two

The BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 is the first BlackBerry to feature a non-QWERTY keyboard and a small frame but with much of the BlackBerry technology inside. 

The Design

The design is similar to the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100, which the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 launches with. Both are small, light and portable, especially when you compare them directly with the Bold 9700. But unlike the 9100 or 7100, the 9105 does not have a half-QWERTY keyboard – it has an alphanumerical keyboard. And it is this, as well as its size, which makes it look less BlackBerry and more standard smartphone.

The 9105 has the same waved look to its keyboard as the 9100, which helps to distance this handset further from the purely business model of earlier BlackBerrys. The screen on the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 is sharp and you can scroll through the icons of your favourite features at the bottom of the screen using the touch-sensitive optical trackpad.

The layout of the keys on the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 means it will appeal to those who prefer the more traditional mobile phone keypad. From what we’ve seen, the predictive element of this handset is strong despite it not being a QWERTY.

Specifications

The BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 may be overshadowed by mightier BlackBerrys – but only when it comes to size. This is a fully functional smartphone with support for multi-tasking, GPS, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You can browse the internet, share photos with friends, use this phone for work or for fun – and the internal 642MHz processor ensures whatever activity you’re undertaking on your mobile, it is swift and seamless.

You can add up to 10 email addresses and with Push ability, your emails are displayed on your BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 as they come through. This not only stops you missing important messages but saves you having to constantly check your inbox. The SureType technology supports messaging, checking your words and increasing the phone’s vocabulary according to your past messages’ content.

Music wise, you can listen to up to 30 hours of playback and use the dedicated keys on the side of the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 to change tracks and volume levels. The BlackBerry Media Sync is an effortless way of syncing all your music – and photos, videos – from your iTunes or Windows Media Player. Then you can arrange this data into playlists etc.

Considerations

There is no QWERTY or half-QWERTY keyboard onboard this Pearl handset.

Verdict

You would enjoy the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 if you want a standard keypad rather than a BlackBerry-styled QWERTY device. If you want the small size but not an alphanumeric keypad then the 9100 is definitely worth a look. This handset is widening the appeal of RIM phones and letting you enjoy a BlackBerry in a lighter way. Once we know more, we’ll let you know – and as this is an early review, we’re sure you appreciate some of the information may change at a later date.