Blackberry 8100 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: - BlackBerry it seems is no longer the preserve of the office honcho looking to stay in touch with the boardroom while sunning it on the beach. Heck, even the COO Larry Conlee want to "get BlackBerry out of the boardroom".

Pros: Size, camera, BlackBerry interface

Cons: Screen a tad too small to read big emails on, keypad takes a little getting use to, no 3G

Verdict: Where the phone will succeed is those looking for more messaging, but not prepared to go for the rather large full Qwerty keyboard option already offered by RIM

Review summary: The smallest, sexiest BlackBerry yet boasts a new trackball control, a fast processor, and both a camera and MP3 player.

Review summary: Finally moving into the consumer market, Research in Motion has announced the Blackberry Pearl 8100 - a smartphone that also includes fun features like a 1.3 megapixel camera and full media playback capability.

Review summary: With the BlackBerry Pearl 8100, RIM has attempted to square the circle. The aim was to make a device small enough to be a covetable phone, that operates as a smartphone, and is still a real BlackBerry.

Pros: Strong range of smartphone software, Push email support, Very good handwriting recognition, 3G video calling, Business card scanner.

Cons: Bulky, Some serious user interface issues

Verdict: This is the latest in a line of great smartphones, with excellent features. However, there are niggles with the design, and the P990i faces stiff competition thanks to its delayed arrival... Read Full Review.

Review summary: Though nothing revolutionary, the addition of multimedia features and the already solid e-mail capabilities make the RIM BlackBerry Pearl an attractive device for business users and consumers alike.

Pros: First BlackBerry to offer a 1.3-megapixel camera, music and video playback;expandable memory, mapping application; superior push e-mail capabilities, EDGE support; Bluetooth.

Cons: micro SD slot inconveniently located; call quality was subpar; phone's camera doesn't record video, no external controls for music player; no integrated Wi-Fi.