PhoneArena reviews the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130: “With RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 not only do CDMA customers get a Pearl of their own, but they get an upgraded one to boot. Notable changes from the original 8100 include upping the camera to 2 megapixels, moving the microSD slot so it is easily accessible, a 3.5mm headset jack and, probably most importantly, 3G data (EVDO). Other important features of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 included GPS, a SureType keypad and of course, BlackBerry’s excellent push email service.

We ended up with very mixed feelings about the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130. The email setup and delivery is fantastic, and from a multimedia standpoint the Pearl is a standout. However, we couldn’t recommend the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 to users looking just for a strong multimedia phone due to the overall experience. The OS is plenty customizable, but still intimidating to a new user and even experienced users will find annoyances. Conversely, corporate users will like the power the BlackBerry OS but we don’t see them adapting well to the tiny and cumbersome SureType keypad. We feel the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 has a lot of stand out qualities, but in the end important features like OS, navigation and the keypad proved to be a dealbreaker to the respective target markets.”

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