BlackBerry Pearl 8120

RIM's sleek-looking BlackBerry Pearl has been given a makeover, re-emerging as the much improved BlackBerry Pearl 8120.

The BlackBerry Pearl was a big hit when it came out towards the end of 2006. Building on the buzz around smartphones that maker RIM had built up with its solid e-mail access devices, the consumer-focused Pearl fulfilled many tech fans' expectations. Some people were disappointed at the mere nod to camera phones with just a 1.3Mp sensor but, in general, the Pearl delighted most who encountered it.

A year on and RIM's sleek-looking BlackBerry Pearl has been given a makeover, with a new purply-blue handset for those who like to ring the changes (a black version is still available). More importantly, our tests prove that the refinements to the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 aren't just cosmetic.

For a start, you now get Wi-Fi as well as GPRS and GPRS/Edge connectivity. In the office, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 quickly found two or three Wi-Fi networks that we could log on to if we chose.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120's main screen has been reduced of clutter with a selection of five main applications -- Messages, the secondary e-mail in-box setup for this trial, a dual SMS and MMS alert, Calendar and Address Book. Below this is the standard BlackBerry icon which you click on to access the more familiar BlackBerry screen.

As before, it's a breeze to get online and to send and retrieve e-mail. Prompts appear when needed -- and only then. Most helpfully, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120's wireless radio icon now pops up to Manage All Connections. You're asked whether you want to turn on the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Mobile Network or turn on the lot in one go.

For times when you need to get a handle on where you are, the Pearl has Maps built in. While no match for the detailed and more localised WhereIS Maps of the latest BlackBerry Curve, it's nonetheless a useful inclusion for anyone travelling long-distance and needing to get a fix on where they are.

This BlackBerry Pearl 8120 does multimedia far better too: the 2Mp camera (with 5x zoom selectable via the central rollerball navigator and automatic flash) produced some surprisingly good snaps, even in low light. The memory is now expandable too, via microSD card. Slot one in and you'll be able to capture video to it (you still only get 64MB flash memory onboard).