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While most of the BlackBerry device buzz seems to be over when the Bold 9650 will be released, there is still some muttering about this whole Pearl situation. We've heard bits and pieces and seen various images over the last few months, but we're still not 100% sure just how many new Pearl devices will show up. Our best guess at this point is that the candybar Pearl will be offered in two keyboard configurations -- SureType and T9 -- with it looking like the roadmap may also have a Pearl Flip offering a compressed full qwerty in a clamshell. With WES just a week away we have high hopes that RIM will finally shed some light on the Pearl situation for us.
These latest snaps snow off the T9 keyboard close up, as well as some of the options that go along with it. There are options for compound words, context learning and auto word learning. Nothing major to work with but it seems like everytime we get some new images we get one step closer to the release. My fingers are still crossed for a 9650 in the coming weeks, but maybe this little guy will pop up soon and surprise us all.
Source: id-BlackBerry-archive
Via: BerryReview
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PcolaChris Apr 19, 2010 at 10:27 am
Its not that bad looking to me but I wouldn't use it.
serpico Apr 19, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Show us something when RIM gets their act together. These leaks of Pearl's and Tour's are so so boring, zzzzz
tduffysd#cb Apr 19, 2010 at 10:30 am
The T9 keyboard will have this device doomed. Nobody wants T9. Even all the top selling dumb phones have qwerty
afropoika Apr 19, 2010 at 11:03 am
I do. Am I nobody? :'(
iLovemy_bb Apr 19, 2010 at 12:19 pm
People like 'the above' don't realize that just because most people use qwerty doesn't mean the entire world as to. Some people have small hands and love t9 or they prefer being able to fully type with one hand.
iLovemy_bb Apr 19, 2010 at 12:19 pm
People like 'the above' don't realize that just because most people use qwerty doesn't mean the entire world as to. Some people have small hands and love t9 or they prefer being able to fully type with one hand.
KurtisBertolami Apr 20, 2010 at 6:24 pm
I hear RIM's upcoming 9110 device will feature a 1.2 MP camera, T9 keyboard and a black and white only LCD display for those people who have "small hands" and also don't like color displays.
SMH, I think RIM is making a dumb decision if they release this device. I know there are people who will like it and they will still sell, but I don't agree with the decision to sell.
maksauce Apr 19, 2010 at 10:42 am
T9 makes it look terrible.. ...
Sgibb16 Apr 19, 2010 at 10:53 am
Am i the only one that thinks the "close up" picture looks like a bad photoshop job? The letters on the WXYZ key and the MNO key aren't aligned perfectly, plus i dont see the point of having the outer keys so much larger than the center row.
pineypl Apr 19, 2010 at 5:03 pm
I think the WXYZ are staggered to stay with the shape of the key. Notice all the other letters of the curving keys do that. I do agree however, the middle key is too skinny as compared to the outer keys.
I likes me a pearl though and love the candy bar form-factor.
infinus Apr 19, 2010 at 10:55 am
I have forgot to use T9 layout.
Qwerty is my choice.
Hope it's not a other mistake by RIM
afropoika Apr 19, 2010 at 10:55 am
I will buy it.
infinus Apr 19, 2010 at 10:56 am
Class of BB is over.
DCPACKARD72 Apr 19, 2010 at 11:08 am
if you don't like it, don't buy it!
StormJH1 Apr 19, 2010 at 11:14 am
...most people won't. People forget just how recently it was that SMS was not popular in the U.S., and T9 was the primary reason why. Europe was beginning to embrace text messaging while the most popular phone in the U.S. like 5 or 6 years ago was the Motorola Razr...people were favoring smaller and smaller devices that could fit in a pocket or purse.
But everybody had that annoying friend or two with a QWERTY keyboard that just LOVED sending text messages, which left you staring at your T9 keyboard for 5 minutes trying to type a 10 word response. Then we started getting sliders, and now touchscreen, and it was all over. Why go back? Especially on a BB, which is favored for it's keyboard and message/email abililities?
ath20wj Apr 19, 2010 at 8:48 pm
my first phone was a 2006 flip LG Camera phone with a T9 keyboard which i never did text on because it just seemed like to much trouble. took me an hour to enter someones name as a new contact, so texting? out of the question. then, several years later i got a BB 8100, amazing. I actually started texting so much I had to add unlimited to my plan, and now (8530) it's a drug. I cant imange even going to back to T9... if you dont won't a phone with QWERTY then just dont buy a BlackBerry...
raval76 Apr 19, 2010 at 11:37 am
This is not looking good for RIM! The Pearl 9105 and Bold 9650 are not game changers nor do they keep up with the competitors. They are evolutionary. The Pearl is positioned for the lower end of the market and Bold revamp is to maintain a product for corporate users. I am a hopeful BB user that these products are not what RIM was thinking we are going to be "BLOWN AWAY" with for upcoming launches. They need to stop reacting to Apple and Google and start responding, creating and producing. If this is the center focus launches for WES than they might as well abort the meeting and spend that time seriously rethinking their mental model. Think RIM...package a quick and robust touch screen, new applications, widgets, and a decent browser with flash support before releasing another product!
hdizzle Apr 19, 2010 at 12:02 pm
I couldn't agree with you more. RIM aren't really moving forward, whereas HTC have set new heights, and the iPhone looks phenomenal, I don't look at either the 9105 or 9650 and think 'wow', unlike the HTC/iPhone.
It's about time RIM took a step forward and started getting creative, releasing something unique and revolutionary.
MarcSMASH Apr 19, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Its not like all BlackBerry's are going this direction. You guys sound like RIM is going to steal back your phone and secretly switch your qwerty keyboards over to T9. It is merely a choice for people to choose from when selecting a BlackBerry.
iLovemy_bb Apr 19, 2010 at 12:25 pm
These so called 'smart phone' users gave the dumbest opinions and closed minds. Come on, RIM wants more people using berrys and if that means putting out lower level berrys that replace dumb feature phones then that's a way to go. If you all saw someone with a T9 pearl vs a dumb metro pcs phone, you'd say well, at least it's a berry. It has everything ur phone has with a different screen and keyboard. Everyone can't afford HTC/iphones as easily as some of us afford great berrys. Sit back and think about it. If there are 5 berrys to choose from on one carrier vs 2 iphones/3 htc/4 winmo devices it looks better to the consumer...
rxnasi Apr 19, 2010 at 1:03 pm
My mom wants a blackberry so bad but she is old and just learned how to use her T9 keyboard I think this would be great for her cause the keys are bigger to. I used to and might be able to type faster on a T9 I think this is great to have a choice anyway the pearl will have suretype which is not qwerty so I don't see y people a freaking out when it won't have qwerty anyway.
Joneser2006 Apr 21, 2010 at 1:02 am
It's that the Pearl was released, what 4 years ago? And what, a couple of new features? Four years for THIS???? Four years for wifi, and the ability to stream a YouTube video??? All of the R&D time and money for Grandma to be able to use a BLACKBERRY?????
**shaking my head**
Haven't seen the "Game Changer" rumored by Crucial, haven't seen progress from Storm launch till now. Bravo, they've spent a couple of years picking up their mistakes...while Android and Apple keep blowing RIM away.
RIM had their chance to reach out to the consumer market with the Storm...almost 2 years later and...what? They need to just stay on the BES side of things and make a better phone...like a...Bold flip or slider or something *rolls eyes*
mi_canuck Apr 19, 2010 at 12:57 pm
... they'll probably appreciate the larger number keys... let's fact it... actually *dialing* a number on a BB qwerty is a bit of a pain...
this is NOT for the email and sms junkies...
something for everyone... nothing wrong with CHOICE honestly...
breakmedown Apr 19, 2010 at 1:33 pm
I love how everyone is knocking on T9. I personally think T9 is what made this texting craze. It makes texting amazingly faster and more efficient than ABC. It's what made people want to text and then move on to a qwerty device. And texting isn't "new" I've been texting since 2002 and have only had a qwerty since '07. Having only 9 keys also greatly reduces the number of errors. I'm always hitting the wrong keys on my 8900, just like I do on a full size keyboard. This phone will sell to those people holding on to those old flip phones and chocolates. If you have anything more than a brain stem kicking around in your skull, but not much money, T9 and this phone is for you. If you're a half-wit who either can't spell or doesn't care to, stick with a qwerty.
L_Boogie820 Apr 19, 2010 at 1:36 pm
I will be the first to say I WILL NEVER buy this BB. Just like many others feel, T9 is pointless; at least now-a-days. QWERTY keyboards and even the SureType as seen on the Storm series have been the way to go for quite some time. Not everyone is looking for an entertainment phone (i.e.- iPhone), not everyone will be looking to have an 8mp dual camera(i.e.- HTC Evo). Not everyone is a fan of Android OS. Not everyone is a fan of WebOS. Not everyone is a fan of Microsoft Mobile. What I will say most people are interested in, or so it seems, is Flash on mobile devices. Will it happen, sure. Anything that can change the game of technology will be sure to happen. Blackberry, although some releases seem pointless, is still a damn good brand. Although the official 5.0 release for the Verizon Tour was horrendous, many good BB users have made Hybrids that have upped the performance. As far as Im concerned, BB was made for the heavy texter, the people who live off emails, and the younger generation *im 22* LOVE BBM...For me, its easier to give a girl my pin than #..at least she can be deleted and I can ignore future request. lol. Point is, is RIM HAS made some stupid choices *like making the second gen tour what the 1st gen SHOULD have been*, taking flash away from the 'updated' Curve, and now this version of the pearl, etc but it is what it is. Us as consumers have a voice in what we want to see from them. I mean this clearly wont sell well and RIM may lose money on it but hey, we didn't make this phone, they did. They DO have phones we do love. Just get what you like/love and let RIM do what they feel they need to do.
CustomGrain Apr 19, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I can't even use t9 anymore. Its suddenly too confusing. Not to mention some words u have to acually go back and manually input anyway. Too much hassle.
bsharitt Apr 19, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Nokia has been selling S60 non-QWERTY smart phones for years. I don't see any reason RIM can't.
ath20wj Apr 19, 2010 at 8:42 pm
I am a teenager, and speaking as so, we DONT WANT T9! Everyone I know who has a phone with T9 talk about how they can't wait to upgrade to something with a full keyboard, and my mother (who has seen the light and also has an 8530) trying to text on T9? Tragic. So who is this phone for? (meaning if young people dont like it nor the "older" group) BlackBerry never has made a smartphone with a "normal" keypad so why start now? I use to have a 8100 and I loved it's weird little set up keyboard, which isnt that weird if you've EVER used a ocmputer... why are they going backwards? It's like the flip Pearl... No.
Theblackestblacker Apr 21, 2010 at 12:06 am
blackberry is always known to have a QWERTY keyboard, so why start the T9 in oh...2010?!?!
birdman_36 Apr 21, 2010 at 11:13 am
Sometimes traditional users who text with T9 (ie. older folks) don't want a full keyboard because they "don't text". That's the demo RIM is trying to reach here
icycoldice Apr 23, 2010 at 11:31 am
WHO IN THE RIGHT MIND SET AT RIM CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA??
PEOPLE BUY BLACKBERRYS FOR THE KEYBOARDS!
After using a Curve 8300, and I can't go back to texting with T9.
untainted May 5, 2010 at 7:00 am
I have been forced to have the old school phones, because when I am in public at a dinner and so forth, I can sneak in text with *one* hand and NOT have to even look at the phone while texting. Nobody knows I am texting. It is POLITE.
The wider keyboard typically requires two hands so I do not get to sneak in texting.
This is why I am getting it. Very EXCITED. I dont like to look like a LOSER always texing the way many do with the two hands, I enjoy doing it very discreetly.
Now, I can have a cell that takes apps and all that :)
Blessings to all.