RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120
What RIM's aversion to 3G is we'll never figure out. With version 8120, RIM updates its beloved Pearl smartphone with Wi-Fi but still omits a 3G radio and, oddly, GPS, the latter of which can be found on both the 8110 and 8130. The shell is virtually identical to older Pearl models, and functionally very little here has changed. Aside from some minor interface tweaks (woo, new icons!), the trackball-and-two-letters-per-key experience is fully intact. The big news, of course, is the addition of Wi-Fi, and RIM seems to have finally gotten the kinks worked out of its 802.11g implementation; we didn't encounter any of the troubles we experienced with the BlackBerry 8820 last year. If you dig the BlackBerry's mature email features (who doesn't?) and can handle the whole bi-character key setup (and we know many who don't), the Pearl 8120's a solid upgrade to hold you over until a 3G version (fingers crossed) arrives. —Christopher Null
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WIRED__ Camera upgraded to 2-megapixels plus flash and video capability. Software is somewhat better at word detection and correction; even works well with odd, multi-word URLs. Crazy loud speakerphone. Very sensitive mic offered exceptional call quality in our tests. Very fast battery charging, and nearly nine solid hours of talk time in our benchmarking. Stable Wi-Fi implementation.
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TIRED__ Pearl keyboard still not for everyone. Lack of 3G is absurd. No GPS.
$199 (with 2-year contract), rim.com
(Photos by Jim Merithew for Wired.com)
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