In common with other manufacturers, Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the new Blackberry Pearl 8100, intends it to negate the need for business folk to carry both a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant…

In common with other manufacturers, Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the new Blackberry Pearl 8100, intends it to negate the need for business folk to carry both a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant.
To this end, it’s smaller (4.2 by 1.97 by 0.57 inches) and lighter (3.1 oz) and generally more mobile-like. It’s also got a media player added for music, photos and videos, capacity for extra memory and a 1.3-megapixel camera, equivalent to the quality on most contemporary mobiles.

Early critics have pointed out that, unlike the classic BlackBerry, this new offspring lacks a traditional QWERTY keyboard – each button has two letters due to issues of space. It’s also arguably more difficult to navigate the new extensive menu options. On the plus side, fans approve of the trackball system (the eponymous Pearl in the centre of the device), generally believing it an improvement on the previous thumbwheel on the side. So, if you fancy making your peers jealous, the Blackberry Pearl is available now in the UK and the rest of Europe.