TechCrunch Desktop Logo
TechCrunch Mobile Logo

BlackBerry Pearl 8100 Hands-On

John Biggs

I got to see the Pearl firsthand last night and I was pleased. This is probably the first BlackBerry that someone with some sense of fashion would consider using.

Rather than looking like a lump of blue putty with a keyboard, the pearl is an ultra-slim, ultra-light smartphone that happens to use RIMs email client. No QWERTY keyboard on this bad boy – just a SureType numeric keypad with a little squirrel ball a la the Sidekick 3.

We’re going to have a full hands-on next week, but until then rest assured that if you’ve never wanted a BlackBerry and feel you have to get one, the Pearl is definitely something to consider. It’s currently $199 at T-Mobile.

Here are some reviews from around the web:

BlackBerry Pearl [Laptop]
Blackberry Pearl 8100 Officially Shot Out Of A Cannon [Gizmodo]

Techcrunch event

Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.

Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.

San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025
REGISTER NOW

Topics

, ,
John Biggs
John Biggs is a writer, consultant, programmer, former East Coast Editor and current contributing writer for TechCrunch. He writes mainly about technology, cryptocurrency, security, gadgets, gear, wristwatches, and the internet. After spending his formative years as a programmer, he switched his profession and became a full-time entrepreneur andwriter. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Laptop, PC Upgrade, Surge, Gizmodo, Men’s Health, InSync, Linux Journal, Popular Science, Sync, and he has written a book called Black Hat: Misfits, Criminals, and Scammers in the Internet Age.
View Bio
October 27-29, 2025
San Francisco


ONE-WEEK BUNDLE FLASH SALE

Founder Bundle Offer: Land your investor and sharpen your pitch. Save 15% when you bring 4-9 founders.

Investors Bundle Offer: Discover your next breakout startup. Save 20% when you bring 4-9 investors.

Bundle offer ends October 3.

Register Now
Loading the next article
Error loading the next article