Review: Blackberry Pearl 8130

The Blackberry Pearl 8130 from Verizon Wireless is my first smartphone. I was hoping to find a way to browse the internet and access my e-mail, all while enjoying the features my old cell phone provided: a camera, the ability to send text messages easily, and small size and durability.

Overall I am pleased with the device. The trackball makes navigation of the 2.25in screen quite manageable and the SureType keyboard offers a QWERTY layout, but assigns two letters to most keys (in an effort to reduce size). As a result, learning to type took some adjustment. While this Blackberry can not access Verizon’s 3G network, web pages load rather quickly and efficiently. The Blackberry Operating system is largely text and menu based; while it is not overly flashy I find it is stable and easy to use after a short time. The camera takes pretty good pictures and the addition of a memory card also allows you to take video as well.

If you are looking for a smartphone with a wide variety of features and don’t want something that will take up a lot of space in your pocket or purse, the Blackberry Pearl is a great choice.

Verizon offers the Pearl 8130 at $219 (1yr Contract) or $149 (2yr Contract).