Blackberry Pearl Flip

Editor’s note: With this post we welcome Rachel Murray to the WebWorkerDaily team. Rachel has been building web sites for more than 10 years, and currently manages the online presence of a nonprofit in the Boston area.

I’ve only made the transition from a “regular” mobile phone to a smartphone recently. I had been able to hold off up until now, but then the trusty Razr that I had for three glorious years just gave up on me. After a heart-to-heart with the sales rep at T-Mobile, “we” agreed that perhaps I should try the BlackBerry Pearl Flip for the new contract price of $50 (as opposed to the Razr for $20). I didn’t want to be a slave to yet another device, but he showed it to me, and it actually looked like a regular phone.

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip is like a secret smartphone. I think that’s why I like it so much. Here are some other reasons the Pearl Flip makes a great transition smartphone:

1. If you’re used to flip phones, you’ll love the comfort of the flip.
2. The design makes it more comfortable to hold than the comparatively bulky iPhone.
3. It handles email brilliantly, and multiple email accounts are no problem.
4. Basic functions are a snap to use: texting, adding/editing contacts, taking photos are all pretty straightforward.
5. The keyboard and trackball are surprisingly intuitive for me as a new Blackberry user.
6. The apps are decent…not mind-blowing, but decent. The NYTimes app is excellent for news in a pinch, and Google Maps is great as well. The UI of BlackBerry AppWorld is not as satisfactory as Apple’s App Store, but it’s still good enough for me.

As a new BlackBerry user, I have to admit it’s not all sunshine and roses. There are still so many things to learn about it yet, but I’m fine with that. When I’m ready to make the step up as a power user, I’m sure the Flip will help me get there.

Have you tried the BlackBerry Pearl Flip?