BlackBerry Pearl 8130 - SmartPhone with GPS

The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 is one of the latest smartphones phones released by RIM and their first smartphone to run on CMDA networks.

The 8130 Pearl sports a range of new features that include rich multimedia capabilities, a new software interface, communications enhancements and built in GPS and support for high-speed EV-DO networks. Existing smartphone features that BlackBerry users will be used to such as web browsing, organiser, email and messaging (SMS, IM, MMS) are all still included.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 features an enhanced software interface that includes a new font rendering technology to provide enhanced legibility across all font sizes. The email client, calendar, address book, task list, memo pad, web browser and other applications all benefit from the new software interface and font rendering technology.

A new "Page View" option is included with the BlackBerry web browser that displays a full web page on the screen and provides a magnifying glass to let the user point and zoom on a specific part of the page.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 includes a new 2 megapixel camera with a 5x digital zoom and flash is included. 2 megapixels is now towards the bottom end of what is available from camera phones but at least it is an upgrade from the existing 1.3 megapixels for BlackBerrys. A nice feature of the camera is the support for video capture in two resolutions: 240x180 or 176x144.

The media player in the 8130 Pearl allows the user to create and edit playlists on the handset and also manage their media files from their PC with the BlackBerry Roxio Media Manager.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 also includes built in GPS to provide out of the box support for location based applications and services. BlackBerry maps is included and now supports a local search function that allows the users to find local businesses such as banks, hotels and restaurants, within a short driving distance.

Advanced phone features include Independent Speaker Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), Bluetooth 2.0 support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals, dedicated send, end, and mute keys, smart dialing, speed dialing, conference calling, call forwarding, a low-distortion speakerphone for hands-free conversations and support for polyphonic, MP3 and MIDI ring tones.

Specifications:
- Size (LxWxD)mm: 107x50x14
- Display: Colour, Backlighting, light sensing, font size adjust
- Memory: 64MB flash, support for microSD card
- Data input: Trackball, QWERTY keyboard with backlighting
- Media Player: Supported audio formats: MP3, MIDI, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA,
- Video: Supported video formats: MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.263, WMV
- Voice I/O: 3.5mm stereo headset capable, earpiece/ microphone, Bluetooth v2.0 Mono/stereo headset, hands-free
- Battery: 900mAh, 9 days standby, 3.7hrs talk time
- Wireless network: Dual-band 800/1900 Mhz CDMA2000 1X Ev-DO

BlackBerry Pearl Website

GSM or CDMA?

GSM or CDMA? We often hear GSM and CDMA technologies being used as one of the main marketing points for mobile phones, but how many of us actually know what these technologies are? And why would we choose one over the other?

For a start, I will give a brief overview of the two technologies:

GSM
Short for Global System for Mobile communications, GSM is the most widely used cell phone technology in the world and is though to have somewhere between 75% and 85% of the market share. It was first launched in Finland in 1991 and is currently available on more than 690 mobile networks in over 200 countries. GSM phones support SIM cards, which give the phones owner great freedom with global roaming and changing to other phone operators. Security is a main feature of GSM technology and it uses several cryptographic security algorithms.

CDMA
Short for Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA is a digital cell phone technology used in second generation (2G) and third generation (3G) mobile phones. It is currently a very popular network in Asia Pacific and North America with popularity starting to grow in other parts of the world. CDMA phones do not support SIM cards, the account information and the owners address book and details are programmed into the phone. CDMA is a form of multiplexing that allows multiple signals to exist on the same channel, optimising the available bandwidth.

Which technology should you choose? If both GSM and CDMA networks are available in your area, your decision should come down to data transfer speed, global roaming and whether you are likely to change your phone all that often.

Data transfer speed
CDMA currently supports data transfer speeds up to 2Mb/s thanks to EVDO (EVolution Data Optimised) technology. This is currently superior to what GSM can offer although I should mention that GSM is fast catching up.

Global roaming
GSM is the obvious winner here due to the ability to change a phones SIM card for local providers.

Changing phone
If you are likely to change phone quite frequently and would like to keep your number and personal contacts, GSM would again be obvious choice due to the ability to change SIM cards.

Another factor may be the quality of your local networks. If you have a choice between GSM or CDMA, it may pay to do some research and see which network has the best coverage in your area.

CDMA Development Group Website
GSMA Website