Blackberry has long been a must-have for e-mail addicts and the new Pearl 8130 offers great messaging capabilities on a quality smart phone. Though it is packed with features, the device maintains a relatively small form factor, with a weight of 3.4 ounces. It is the thinness that is the surprising part, as most smart phones definitely have a more brick-like appearance to them.

Now for the keyboard: like past incarnations of the Pearl, the 8130 uses SureType, which basically means that the keyboard is halved in size by putting two letters on one key. As you type, the context of your message will suggest options to save key taps. It's definitely an odd way to type, and there is a learning curve, but messaging is quite speedy once you get used to it.

Above the alphanumeric keys is the trackball, which has a pearl-ish hue (hence the name) and allows you to quickly move about messages and menus. The sensitivity of the trackball is adjustable, as are many items on the Pearl 8130; in fact, this ability to customize features is definitely a strong advantage. For instance, you can change the font sizes, the font styles, as well as the layouts of the menus. Meanwhile, the phone automatically senses ambient light and will adjust the brightness of the LCD to improve readability.

Otherwise, the other keys on the face of the Pearl 8130 are pretty straightforward. There are buttons for initiating and ending calls, a back button, and a button to access the main menu. On the left side of the phone are a customizable shortcut and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Also on the side are a miniUSB port and the microSD card slot. So, unlike an enormous number of phones, the Pearl 8130 doesn't make you remove the battery to get at your files. On the right side of the phone are the volume rocker and another shortcut button. Controls for the camera are on the top of the device.

Above all of the keys is the 2.25-inch LCD. The screen is vivid and bright, offering access to 65K colors and a resolution of 260x240, and beside the screen is a handy LED. According to which color it is lit, you can discern in a quick glance whether you have new messages or a low battery.

The 2-megapixel camera took good pictures with good color resolution, although occasional snapshots were slightly blurry if the camera wasn't held perfectly steady. Photos can be taken in three different resolutions as well as three different qualities (which also affects file size), and they can be adjusted for white balance and brightness. There is also a 5x zoom, a self-portrait mirror on the back of the phone, and a video camera, the latter being of average quality. Both photos and video can be sent via MMS over the 3G network.

And this brings up one of the best things about the Pearl 8130: its access to the high-speed EV-DO network. This vastly improves the web-surfing experience, not to mention that you can download attachments and music files with ease. The music player is nothing elaborate, but you can create playlists and listen to numerous file types including: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, AMR-NB, and MIDI. You can also connect a stereo Bluetooth headset to the phone for robust sound. Otherwise, you're left with the external speakers, which are surprisingly robust.

The EV-DO network also greatly enhances the phone's access of video capabilities, but there was some pixilation when viewing streaming files. And if you do a lot of business on your phone, you'll appreciate the quick downloading of e-mail and attachments that are all through the same servers that have given a cult following to all things Blackberry. More important, the attachment viewer allows you to open popular files such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and WordPerfect. With additional software, you can also edit these documents. Messages are delivered in real time, so you don't have to keep checking your inbox; they just automatically arrive immediately to the phone. The phone also supports up to 10 additional e-mail accounts, so you can download messages from POP or IMAP4 accounts.

One other high-end feature of the phone is its built-in GPS locator. This allows you to get turn-by-turn directions and access to maps on the phone's screen. If you subscribe to a service, you can also get real-time tracking of where you are at. The phone has more basic features as well, including a phonebook that is limited only by the amount of space you have in the 64MB flash memory. Each contact can store eight phone numbers, an e-mail address, a web address, a street address, company information, and a memo. Each contact can also be assigned a distinctive ringer. The phone also has a calculator, to-do lists, a memo pad, alarm clock, and a voice recorder.

Call quality for the Pearl 8130 was pretty good, but you definitely feel that more time was spent on the design of the messaging and multi-media options than the actual phone. In particular, the sound was a bit thin and tinny for incoming calls, and the microphone was sensitive but managed to pick up ambient noise occasionally. Signal strength, however, was always quite solid. Battery life is fairly good at about 4 hours of talk time and nine days of standby, although these figures obviously drop if you're using a lot of the multimedia extras. Overall, the Pearl 8130 is a very solid device that is well suited for people who absolutely must stay connected to e-mail and messaging.

Pros: Great messaging, compact, customizable menus, EV-DO network, push e-mail
Cons: So-so call quality

Warranty
1 year