If Brad and Angelina had a Blackberry baby…
Measuring just over a half-inch thick and 3.1oz, RIM’s new 8100 arrival fits comfortably inside even the most design conscious pocket. The Fashion-set may however be reluctant to slip this new wonder from Waterloo out of public view. Where traditional BlackBerry genetics seemed influenced by 1940 Russian ham radios, the new Pearl looks the result of a carnal night between a young RAZR and an iMac. That such a marvel of design could be born from the corn fields of RIM is certain to spark rumors of UFOs and crop circles. The dorky RIM marketing campaign (see: rim.com) is however, proof that traditional management forces still control the company.
Details: 4.2 inches tall, 2.0 inches wide, and 0.6 inches thick. Weight:, 3.1 ounces. Camera Resolution: 1.3 Megapixels, micro-SD memory slot, mp3 player, Bluetooth.
While impressive, the details do not convey how well the device feels in the hand. The new organic keypad and latest version of “sure-type” are a reasonable prosthetic for not having a full QUERTY keyboard. The War and Peace crowd will want to wait for for the full keyboard version. Scheduled to appear in early 07, it and all future BlackBerry devices will include WiFi.
The camera and music player are an acceptable first attempt. Phone (call) quality is exceptional, as is battery life. – Email? I started using the Pearl browser to access gmail and after a week of use, still have not bothered to integrate native BlackBerry mail. - Which says as much about my laziness as the quality of the browser. Now that RIM and Verizon are making nice, rumor has it that a CDMA/EVDO version is in the works. Give me that with 802.11, and I’ll stand in line with my own $500 CDN (unsubsidized) to buy one.
