The Best SmartPhone I have Ever Used

That is quite a bold statement. I have used pretty much every Palm OS and Windows Mobile Smartphone out there over the past few years. If I haven't tested and reviewed them, I have played with them in the stores. There are some SmartPhones I have loved and some I have hated, but none than I craved more than the one I have been testing for the past three weeks - The BlackBerry Pearl.

This is, hands down, the most amazing piece of SmartPhone hardware (with very capable software) that I have ever used. Read on to see why this little "Gem" of a Phone is so incredibly cool.

My SmartPhone of choice over the last several years has been the tried and true Treo 650 with the old, but stable Palm OS. Recently, I felt that both the Motorola Q and, even more impressively, the Samsung blackjack had eclipsed the Treo for the title "Best Smartphones" available.

I had certainly played with a BlackBerry or two over the years - but I never actually had one in my hands to configure and really learn about. A brand spanking new White BlackBerry Pearl showed up three weeks ago and it has been an eye-opening experience for me.

I was, admittedly, skeptical of the BlackBerry experience and the BlackBerry user. I never did understand the "CrackBerry" label applied to its users. Now I do.

If first impressions are made on looks - this was love at first sight. This thing is just beautiful to look at and to hold and use. Chrome accents, a rich White Metallic luster and the little "Pearl" - a small trackball that sits front and center (more on that later.)

My Test unit is a T-Mobile branded White BlackBerry Pearl. The "Pearl" is also available in "Black" on both T-Mobile and Cingular.

OK - let's get started. Here is a little background on Research In Motion.

About RIM

Here is the "Official" line on the "Pearl" from Rim's Web site:

• It’s a first-rate phone with Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tones, speakerphone, smart dialing, conference calling, speed dial, call forwarding and Bluetooth® support for hands-free use with headsets and car kits.

• It delivers the popular and proven BlackBerry experience that users have come to know and love.

• It is incredibly sleek and exceptionally powerful – small enough to take anywhere and powerful enough to handle all of your communication and information needs.  It’s the ultimate combination of brains and beauty.

• It is incredibly easy-to-navigate with a new and intuitive trackball navigation system.

• It is the first BlackBerry to offer a camera with built-in flash and zoom – just snap and send. It’s easier than ever to share pictures with your friends and family right away via email, MMS and BlackBerry Messenger.

• It features a large, ultra-bright 240×260 color display that brings images to life.  Its innovative light sensing technology automatically adjusts screen and keyboard lighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments.

• Enjoy all the power of BlackBerry and the convenience of a built-in media player – now you can listen to your favorite songs while browsing the web or reading an email, all from a single (small) device.

• It supports a micro SD card allowing lots of storage space for pictures, ringtones, audio and video files, and other third party data.

• It supports EDGE and features the highly optimized BlackBerry wireless platform, allowing fast performance for web browsing and other applications.

• It features RIM’s popular SureType™ keyboard technology that makes typing amazingly quick and easy on such a small handset.

• It’s easy to stay on top of important personal and work communications with the ability to access up to ten personal or work email accounts such as Yahoo!® and Microsoft® Exchange.

On to the Review.