Cingular To Offer BlackBerry Pearl
T-Mobile is no longer the only cell phone provider to offer the well-received BlackBerry Pearl. This week, Cingular, the nation’s largest cell network, added the Pearl to its lineup of smartphones.
The Pearl takes its name from its on-board control system. “The little navigation button in the middle lights up like a pearl,” said Cingular spokesperson John Kampfe, who called attention to several other features beyond the phone’s pretty design.
For example, the Pearl can manage up to 10 e-mail accounts and notify users when e-mail arrives (as opposed to forcing them to download it themselves). It also has a wide range of text-messaging options powered by an on-board keyboard.
Its PIM, or personal information manager, includes contacts, calendars, a memo pad, and tasks. The Pearl also has a built-in Web browser and can access the Net through Cingular’s EDGE service, which, although not as fast as EVDO from competing networks, still offers downloads at speeds equal to or faster than ISDN lines.
Cingular has introduced HSDPA mobile broadband service — widely believed to offer the fastest mobile downloads — in select locations, and expects to finish the nationwide rollout in 2007.
Cingular Features
According to Kampfe, the Pearl complements a lot of the devices the company has been introducing lately. “This is another one of those devices that really fits into the crossover category, because it’s the first BlackBerry that has a camera and entertainment capabilities,” he said.
Cingular’s version of the Pearl has several features unique to Cingular, too. These include Push to Talk, which offers a walkie-talkie service that can switch calls to the cell network with only two clicks, as well as a number of “presence” features, such as icons in a user’s contact list that tell which colleagues have their phone on and can be reached for calls.
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