Blackberry Pearl 8220 Flip Phone

[simo_8]

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The Blackberry <st1:city w:st="on">Pearl</st1:city> 8220 Flip is only offered by <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rogers</st1:place></st1:city> at this time.

See Rogers website for all the phone details and pricing.

After 4-5 happy years with the Motorola MPx220, I felt it was time for a change (that and my phone was pretty beat up from a combination of my carelessness and clumsiness). I had spent almost a full year waiting for new flip-style Smartphone to be released. It seemed like this style was being abandoned by every large cell phone company out there. I could not understand why, as I was sure I was not the only one out there wanting this. About 2 months ago, I switched over to the Blackberry Pearl 8220 Flip Phone. Finally! A clam-shell Smartphone! Ever since my first flip phone (Motorola T720) and my first Smartphone (The Motorola MPx200), I have not been able to go back to non-flip basic phone which brings me to my two main criteria when looking for a new phone. One, it has to be a flip phone, and two; it has to be a Smartphone.

PROS:

Design: FINALLY a Blackberry FLIP phone for those who like the traditional style flip phone which includes all of the Blackberry features everyone who owns/owned one is accustomed to. The Blackberry Pearl 8220 has a very large and vibrant internal AND external display which shows text message previews on the front of the phone on receipt of a text message. It’s a very lightweight phone and has a sophisticated design which is easy on the eyes.The flip mechanism is smooth, the phone opens and closes with a satisfying snap and the hinge feels nice and sturdy. The buttons are large and spacious so there aren't any accidental presses. The phone has a microSD expansion slot for up to 16gb of additional storage memory.

Functions:The newest Blackberry software is installed which is perfect for the business user. It comes with support for adding various email accounts including POP3, IMAP, Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. IM client support is also pre-installed, with BlackBerry Messenger, AOL, Google Talk, ICQ, Yahoo, and Windows Live on board. You can edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents on the go and it even has a spell-check feature that will look for errors in your emails and memos! Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 2-megapixel camera with flash are also included. The camera doesn’t take the best pictures but is perfect for those emergency pictures. <st1:place w:st="on">Battery</st1:place> lasts me about 3-4 days with occasional to frequent usage. Call volume as well as the speakerphone feature is very loud and clear. One big feature is you can synchronize your phone with your computer. The phone comes with a CD to install a Blackberry Manager to your computer so you can sync and back-up your emails and contacts.

Games: A few games pre-installed, including Texas Hold’Em King 2, BrickBreaker and Sudoku (which my girlfriend loves to play on those long commutes! ).

CONS:

Design: The phone is bulkier for a flip phone but DOES include all the features a regular bulkier Blackberry phones. This could be due to the fact that it does not have a full keyboard which could be a problem for those who are accustomed to it for text messaging and email. The SureType keyboard takes some getting used to as well as the MultiTap QWERTY keyboard instead of the full keyboard like the rest of the Blackberry models have. The piano key finish on the front of the phone is nice but it is easy to leave your finger prints on it and you may find yourself constant wiping the displays.

Functions: The Pearl Flip 8220 doesn't offer GPS or 3G support which means you would have to use Wi-Fi more often - draining your battery faster. I have had calls dropped on calls received from a land line on a few separate occasions in an area with perfect reception but that was the only performance problem as I haven't experienced any system crashes.

Other: WAY too pricey unless you're signing a new 3 year contract but I'm sure the price will drop soon enough.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p>

The Verdict:


The Blackberry Pearl 8220 flip phone is not the most compact flip phone you've ever seen, but you should be able to slip it into a pants pocket with no problem. What you give up by carrying some additional size, you are benefiting from all the great features. It definitely aims towards the typical business user who requires a Smartphone but prefers a flip phone.


I refused to switch over to a big bulky, full keyboard, mini computer type Blackberry phone even though it seemed that was the popular thing to do and boy am I glad I was patient.


Thank you Research in Motion for finally designing the first ever Blackberry flip phone!
<o:p> </o:p>
MY RATING: 8 / 10 <o:p></o:p>

[LisaLisaBoBisa]

great review -- if you sign up for a new three year term on rogers.com -- you can get this phone for $49.99 and a $50 Canadian Tire Gift Card..

[simo_8]

I got this phone through a hardware upgrade so I wasn't able to take part in that deal :p