BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Phone, Indigo (T-Mobile)

by BlackBerry

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 2 x 0.6 inches ; 3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001I45NVI
• Item model number: 8120
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,671 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The latest edition of the BlackBerry Pearl, the 8120 brings support for T-Mobile's Hotspot @Home service, which enables you to make calls from the GSM cellular network and then seamlessly transfer them to your Wi-Fi network. The Pearl 8120 continues to offer all the communication features that you've come to expect from Blackberry smartphones, including email served up by the BlackBerry Internet Service and a full menu of messaging options (SMS, MMS, and IM). Other features include a 2.0-megapixel camera with video capture, Bluetooth for both communication headsets and stereo music streaming, MicroSD expansion, digital audio player, speakerphone, and voice-activated commands and dialing.

Quickly and accurately type messages thanks to the SureType enhanced predictive text typing technology.

T-Mobile Service
With T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service, you'll effortlessly transition between Wi-Fi calling and T-Mobile's wireless network while you talk. You can get unlimited nationwide calls over Wi-Fi--at home via your wireless router or at any U.S. T-Mobile HotSpot. You can also use the HotSpot @Home service via most open, or unsecured, wireless routers, as well as any secured wireless router for which you have access to the password from the owner. This phone is compatible with the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi standard as well as the following wireless security protocols: WEP, WPA (TKIP), WPA2 (AES-CCMP), LEAP, PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, EAP-FAST, EAP-SIM, EAP-AKA. Whenever you're not using a Wi-Fi network, this phone works just like a regular mobile phone, using your Whenever Minutes under your T-Mobile voice plan.

Additionally, this mobile phone operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via T-Mobile's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.

This phone also includes compatibility with T-Mobile's myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts--on any network, even landlines--without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile.

Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today's hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email.

Phone Features
Weighing just 3.21 ounces and just 0.55 inches thin, the Pearl 8120 manages to fit a QWERTY keyboard onto the handset's slim frame. Each button on the keyboard shares two letters and the unit automatically determines which letter is the intended one based on what it predicts you are trying to spell. This unique predictive text technology, known as SureType, makes the Pearl 8120's diminutive size possible. SureType also learns the words you use most often, further enhancing your typing speed.

It sports a large 240 x 260 screen that supports over 65,000 colors--plenty of real estate to view your e-mails, Web browser content, messaging sessions, and attachments. The venerable BlackBerry trackwheel has been replaced on this model with an innovative four-way trackball placed below the screen. On the rear of the handheld, you'll find a 2.0-megapixel camera and a self portrait mirror. The handheld's MicroSD memory card slot is located inside the device, behind the battery. There's also a standard 3.5mm headset jack that can be used with the included headset, as well as a mini-USB port for data connectivity.

More than just an email companion, the Pearl 8120 also offers a media player, 2.0-megapixel camera, and Wi-Fi connectivity--compatible with T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home.

The Pearl 8120 features an updated visual interface and integrates a new font rendering technology that displays characters with enhanced legibility at even the smallest point sizes. The BlackBerry Browser is further improved with a new "Page View" option that displays a full web page on the screen along with a magnifying glass that allows the user to quickly and accurately point and zoom in on a specific area of the web page. It also provides quicker access to Bookmarks and History.

With BlackBerry push technology, you don't need to retrieve your e-mail. BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, allowing you to be discreetly notified as new e-mail arrives. Support is also built-in for viewing e-mail attachments (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and PDF formats).

This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity, and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, audio/video remote control, and sending of vCard calendar and contact info. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. With Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), you just say the word and the 8120 can initiate a call with anyone in your contact list. Plus, you can use VAD along with the built-in speakerphone or with a Bluetooth headset for hands-free dialing.

The integrated media player allows you to create and edit playlists right on the handset. The Pearl 8120 also features a 2-megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and enhanced flash. The new camera also supports video capture in two resolutions: 240x180 or 176x144 for sharing via MMS.

Other features include:

• Instant Messaging: Connect with your IM contacts using popular applications like Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk
• Productivity Tools: View and update your calendar, schedule appointments, checks your task list and more while you're on the go. Also includes a calculator, alarm clock and memo pad.
• Notification: Polyphonic, MIDI, MP3 ringtones plus vibrate mode
• 64 MB internal memory, expandable via MicroSD memory cards (up to 4 GB)
• Downloadable BlackBerry Maps application provides directions and maps while on the road.
• Bluetooth profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures)

Vital Statistics
The Blackberry Pearl 8120 weighs 3.21 ounces and measures 4.21 x 1.97 x 0.55 inches. Its 990 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of talk time, and up to 360 hours of digital standby time. It operates on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as Wi-Fi 802.11b/g networks using the T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice phone, January 28, 2009

By 

J. Shuck - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Phone, Frost (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone)

Although I didn't end up keeping this Pearl, my complaints were with T-mobile and not the 8120. It was tough to gauge the reception of the phone because, in my area at least, T-mobile was mediocre. However, as a smartphone, it was very nice; my only complaints were regarding the WiFi and the keyboard. First, I didn't sign up for UMA and hoped to use WiFi just for data when around home or a hotspot; it didn't work very well and I ended up using the EDGE connection all of the time. The SureType keyboard was pretty decent for what it was; it was certainly better than T9. It simply isn't a full keyboard and though it tries to act like one through a T9-like dictionary, I ended up choosing a Curve the next time.
PROS:
Size - for someone who would like a smartphone that is small and is willing to trade a full keyboard for it, the size is really nice
Call Quality - Voices were loud and clear
Build Quality - the phone was quite solid, though the complaint of others that the battery door feels loose is accurate; it simply didn't bother me
Battery - I'm not a "power-user" but the battery lasted for several days for me with moderate IMing and web use
Screen - bright with ambient light sensor that dims the screen when a room is dark (I should mention that the extra width of the Curve screen is nice, though)
CONS:
T-mobile service - This is the singular reason I didn't keep the 8120
Keyboard - if you're going to write a lot of emails, you may want to opt for the Curve
WiFi - If you're thinking of the 8120 since the WiFi would make up for the phone not having 3G, it really doesn't

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Would have been 5 stars because I was accidentally pleased!, August 20, 2009

By 

clintmct "clintmct" (Westwood, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Phone, Indigo (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone)

I have been a fan of the PERL concept for a long time. I love the utility that the track ball brings and aids in the prevention of accidental calls when placed in your pocket, which is what you should be able to do with a compact cellular handset. I would love the Perl more if BlackBerry did not require the corporate data package in order for me to have unlimited MMS and SMS text messaging, which significantly increases the cost of ownership for an otherwise, simple and elegant handset that has the ideal dimensional profile for a consumer communication device.

Thats my gripe. The purpose of my review is to inform color conscience consumers, fasion orientated or not, that "Indigo" is a shade of violet and is not "Blue". The term Indigo is actually one of the more Cyan (pure blue) of the shades of violet and what T-Mobile labled as indigo, is actually more acurately described as "Purple" or "Aubergine"(eggplant).

I thought I was buying a blue phone and got a purple phone. But with the Blackberry blue silicone case, you can buy one cheap through amazon, you can own yourself a nice "BlueBerry" And its the most visually pleasing phone I've ever owned.

Clinton Born II

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars P.O.S., March 15, 2009

By 

Nobody - See all my reviews

This review is from: BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Phone, Indigo (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone)

The pearl is one of the, if not the worst, cell phones I have owned in 10 years.

Within the first few months:
-the trackball was working inconsistently
-the red call-end/power button functioned only half the time
-the headphone jack stopped working consistently. It takes 10 seconds for the phone to recognize that a headset is plugged it, which sucks when you're in the middle of a call. Sometimes it doesn't work at all.

What a P.O.S!

The only pro about this phone is that the calendar and contacts sync with my Mac OS.

To add insult to injury, T Mobile customer service sucks 8@!!5. They only get good reviews because they sound cheerful on the phone and act like they care. God forbid you experience a real problem--half of them don't know their a55 from their elbow. Tech support takes hours. Literlly! And tech support rarely helps (because of the a55/elbow thing).

I thought I hated Cingular/AT&T customer service until I switched to T Mobile. At least at Cingular they don't put on a compassionate facade then dispense crappy service, they just cut straight to the crappy service.