BlackBerry Pearl 8130 Cell Phone Review - Making/Receiving Calls
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Mark Brezinski Published on December 18, 2007 Comment on this |
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Dialing Speed (7.38)
The Pearl was able to get a call outgoing in 2.71 seconds. This is a very fast time; typically dialing takes somewhere in the 3-4 second range. The keys are small and close together which allows for some quick twitch-typing, and they have very distinct textures that separate all the keys. We really like the keypad, though we must say it takes some getting used to.
Cell Phone
Time (sec)
Score
BlackBerry Pearl 8130
2.71
7.38
Palm Centro
3.62
5.52
HTC Tilt
5.57
3.59
Sidekick LX
4.2
4.76
BlackBerry Curve 8320
3.16
6.33
Nokia N73
3.26
6.13
Talk and End Buttons (3.0)
The send and end buttons on the Pearl are set in the top left and right corners of the keypad. Buttons in corners are always easy to navigate to, as you can just run your thumb along until you run out of keypad. In this case, however, there isn’t a lot to differentiate the buttons from the surrounding casing. The buttons don’t provide much tactile feedback, but we were always sure we’d hit them.
Call Management (5.0)
Call history is easy to access: just hit the call button on the home screen or main menu. The default view includes everything, and there aren’t any options to filter based on incoming, outgoing, or missed calls. This is a basic feature BlackBerry has yet to embrace. Clicking on an entry will bring up a short menu allowing you to quickly call, SMS, or MMS that number. You need to access the full menu to add the number as a contact, an option which should’ve been included in the short menu. Another option in the main menu we felt should’ve made the shorter one is “View History”. This feature will allow you to check out your total call history with that number.
While in a call, pressing on the trackball will let you mute or go to speakerphone. The menu key offers more options, such as allowing access to the home screen and, by proxy, any other application on the phone. There are also shortcuts for some of the more commonly used applications, such as the contact list. We liked the easy options for call waiting or conferencing, but we thought recording a call was a pain (you have to go to the home screen first and then open the voice recorder).
Startup to Call (16.10)
The Pearl was able to start up and place a call in 6.21 seconds. This is incredibly fast; most smart phones typically take over a minute. We initially thought the phone was in a standby mode, but there’s an option on the home screen that says, “Turn Power Off”, so we don’t think BlackBerry would lie to us. In any case, this is the way most users will turn off their phone.
Cell Phone
Time (sec)
Score
BlackBerry Pearl 8130
6.21
16.10
Palm Centro
42.66
2.34
HTC Tilt
64.55
1.55
Sidekick LX
56.54
1.77
BlackBerry Curve 8320
7.12
14.04
Nokia N73
36.7
2.72
Ring Volume (8.50)
The Pearl was capable of outputting 85.0 decibels. Virtually every phone we’ve tested falls somewhere in the 80-90 range, so the Pearl finds itself in the middle of a very large pack.
Cell Phone
Volume (decibels)
Score
BlackBerry Pearl 8130
85
8.50
Palm Centro
85.5
8.55
HTC Tilt
85.7
8.57
Sidekick LX
84.5
8.45
BlackBerry Curve 8320
85.6
8.56
Nokia N73
85.3
8.53
Ringtone Customizability (6.0)
The Pearl will let you use your own music as ringtones, and lets you do so through a simple browse window. The Pearl will support MP3, AAC, and WMA files. You won’t be able to edit or record your own ring tones.
Non-Audio Alerts (6.0)
Non-audio alerts are typical unimpressive BlackBerry fare. The backlight will turn on revealing a gray alert window with all the attention-grabbing power of a sidewalk. Also, the vibration is weak and not particularly noisy. Unless you’re looking at the phone, or it’s sitting on a hard surface that’ll amplify the sound of the vibration, you’ll be missing the call.
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