Discount BlackBerry Pearl 8130: Multimedia Goodness in a Business-centric Package

The name BlackBerry usually evokes images of a small phone that can do push e-mail which makes it very suitable for business-minded people that doesn’t have any time for frills and fancies. However, Research In Motion decided it’s time to give consumers a shot at owning a BlackBerry. They wanted a BlackBerry that would appeal even to multimedia lovers. And out comes the BlackBerry Pearl 8130.

RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 (Sprint) US $15.00 (11 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:36:54 PDT Add to watch list

RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8100 (Unlocked) US $50.00 (12 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:46:04 PDT Add to watch list

New in Box BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 Unlocked Red PDA US $107.50 (17 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 22:00:12 PDT Add to watch list

New nBox BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 UNLOCKED Black PDA US $120.00 (19 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 22:30:13 PDT Add to watch list

RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8100c (AT&T) US $30.99 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 22:40:05 PDT Add to watch list

While the Pearl 8130 is thinner than its predecessor, it’s also heavier. Adorning the front of the Pearl is a 2.3-inch display with 260 x 240 resolution. Unlike from previous models, the Pearl has a 3.5mm jack to plug in your own earphones. It also comes with the SureType keyboard that makes typing messages relatively easy, though you might have to get used to it first before being able to type confidently.

And because it’s a BlackBerry, it still supports push e-mail. You can have up to 10 accounts using the BlackBerry Internet Service. Setting it up is as simple as typing your username and password. The Pearl 8130 also includes the BlackBerry Messenger, though there is no instant messenger for AIM and Yahoo that comes bundled with it. Unlike its competitors, the BlackBerry utilizes the much faster EV-DO connection, rather than EDGE. This results in a faster data transfer rate.

The Pearl gets an upgraded 2-MP camera that can take 1600 x 1200 images. Image quality is quite good, but it is still not enough to replace a dedicated point and shoot. The camera can also take videos, a new feature for BlackBerry Pearl phones. Multimedia lovers would be ecstatic with the plethora of formats that the Pearl supports, both for video and audio. The Pearl 8130 supports AMR-NB, MP3, MIDI, WMA, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ audio codecs, and MPEG-4 Part 2, H.263, and WMV video codecs. The Pearl 8130 also supports stereo Bluetooth. However, you can only use them on audio, not video. Also, you would have to decrease and increase volume from time to time, just to hear the output clearly.

When it comes to call quality, the Pearl 8130 delivers. Callers sounded clear and crisp despite being on a noisy surrounding. To make things a whole lot easier for users, the Pearl offers voice-activated dialing that you can use even if you don’t have a headset connected.  Battery life is also good. RIM rates the battery of the Pearl 8130 at 9 hours standby time. All in all, the BlackBerry pearl would appeal to business-minded people who would want to mix a bit of fun in their work.