RIM Blackberry Pearl 8120

Looks are a big reason for buying a Pearl, soI'd like to see T-Mobile offer a snappier-colored case. The userinterface should be neater, as well. But with its quad-bandGSM/GPRS/EDGE and Wi-Fi support, T-Mobile's 8120 remains an intriguingoption for people who want a small phone with the ability to pick updata speed when Wi-Fi is handy.

Bothvoice quality and talk-time battery life were excellent: The T-Mobile8120 lasted 10 hours in our lab tests, the maximum amount of time wetest.

On the other hand, I likedthe software itself, which included a voice-command application thatworked very well for dialing contacts; a couple of games; and RepliGosoftware for viewing, printing and faxing Microsoft Office documents.And all the features I appreciated in the AT&T 8120--the sharp2.0-megapixel camera, the excellent multimedia player, and the SureTypepredictive text-entry system for typing on a 20-key keyboard--remainedimpressive. (SureType is something you should try out for yourself,however; as much as I do).

Ifound the T-Mobile 8120 ($200 with a two-year contract) less handsomethan the AT&T version, in part because of its mousy-grey case; theicons in the BlackBerry menu looked cartoonish, as well. The clutteredinterface is mostly a result of all the software T-Mobile loads on thedevice (AT&T's applications folder on its Pearl makes thingscleaner). Instead of this interface, MyFaves subscribers can go fortiny images of their MyFaves buddies (five people that you can spendunlimited time talking to).

The voice-over-Wi-Fi feature improves reception in locations wherecell signals are weak, and in my tests the technology (calledUnlicensed Mobile Access, or UMA) worked very well; the only visibleindication that the phone was not using T-Mobile's cellular network forcalls was the Wi-Fi network's SSID on the screen. Clearly, if you'rewithin hotspot range, Wi-Fi speeds up Web browsing and data-intensivetasks, too. However, using Wi-Fi for voice calls requires T-Mobile's$10-a-month HotSpot@Home Talk Forever Mobile service, an add-on that isnot available for the carrier's least-expensive plans.

T-Mobile isn't the first U.S. carrier to offer the Wi-Fi-equipped BlackBerry Pearl 8120