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SINGAPORE: Corporate executives used to carry two mobile phones wherever they go - a personal phone and a BlackBerry. While a BlackBerry is superb when it comes to email, it's not a pretty phone that can gain one bragging rights.
But that improved with the introduction of the sleek BlackBerry Pearl series late 2006. The latest Pearl - the 8110 (S$538) - is an example of a phone that combines form and functionality.
However, you might mistake this quad-band phone for its antecedents - the 8100 and the 8120. I sure hope the Pearl series gets a major facelift in its next installment.
That said, there are some subtle improvements. First, the micro SD card slot is located on the left wall of the 8110, making it more accessible. In earlier versions, the slot sat behind the battery. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack and a mini-USB plug.
Plus, the 8110 has been upgraded with a 2.0-megapixel camera featuring an improved built-in flash and 5x digital zoom. And while its predecessors can't even set up a playlist, the 8110 allows you to create playlists, shuffle songs and select different genres. Unfortunately, there is still no equaliser.
Like other BlackBerry phones, push email remains its greatest strength. Setting up email accounts takes only minutes. But without 3G or WiFi capability, you have to rely on GPRS connectivity, which makes web browsing a tad slow.
Texting with the hybrid Qwerty keyboard is certainly not as intuitive as say, the iPhone. But after you familiarise yourself with the keyboard, you'll find that it's faster than most T9-based mobile phones. The voice reception of the phone is exceptional, with friends telling me that my voice sounds amazingly clear.
The biggest selling point of the 8110 is its built-in global positioning system (GPS), which uses BlackBerry Maps to help you navigate. Switching on GPS navigation in an open city area, I get seven satellites locked into my position within a speedy 15 seconds. You can also get step-by-step directions to your destination.
However, searching for points of interests yields some odd results. I was in Empress Place and searched for "hotels". Instead of the nearest Fullerton Hotel, the search returned with a hotel I have never heard of before some 3.4km away! - TODAY/fa
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