The Bold 9700 and one of BlackBerry’s most petite handsets, the  Curve 8900, look and feel practically as if they were stamped from the same die. Both measure exactly 4.29 inches tall and 2.36 inches wide, with the Bold packing just a smidge of extra flab on the belly for a thickness of 0.56 inches and weight of 4.3 ounces with battery. Make no mistake: the extra decimals can’t do much to diminish the superbly pocketable size and weight of the new Bold, which sidles up right next to the very similar Curve 8900 as one of the most portable smartphones we’ve ever tested.

The physical keyboard, one of RIM’s strongest features in most of its handsets, is maximized on space and layout. It might look a bit cramped at first but it’s just enough and comfortable for two-fingered typing. RIM shaped the individual keys with a chiseled edge, half of which faces the left and the other half facing the right. This is actually a clever and practical move — your thumbs get some sort of traction over the keys and helps prevent from slipping and hitting the wrong keys.

Again, RIM has fully transitioned it’s old and problematic trackball and replaced it with a touch-sensitive trackpad. This is probably the most welcomed change made on BlackBerry handhelds lately and it does seem to perform well.

Putting aside the fact that I’m terribly spoiled working on sizable slide-out QWERTY keypads like those of Nokia N900, Nokia N97 Mini or Samsung OmniaPRO B7610 and keeping in mind that people who get a Blackberry are actually fans of its candybar-style thumb QWERTY keypad, I’d say that BB Bold 9700’s keyboard is one of the best ones I’ve used on any device in this category. The fretted keys, which are slightly raised in the middle, make typing not only fast but more importantly, accurate.

The display on the Bold 9700 matches the Curve 8900 exactly for brightness, resolution and color, which is to say, it’s amazing. Granted, at 2.44 inches across, it won’t run beside full touchscreen phones, but half-VGA brightness crammed into such a tiny area produces a tack-sharp display that makes even the tiniest text and details look crisp. A powerful backlight produces all the punch you need to read under all conditions, without washing out the deep blacks and vibrant colors.

Research In Motion (RIM) has been targeting the entry-level market for some time now but it wasn’t very evident until they released another qwerty smartphone, the Blackberry Curve 8520. Like most other Blackberry phones, the Curve 8520 gets a stylish glossy finish and a sleeker look. It’s a bit smaller than the previous full qwerty Blackberry handsets but is still comfortable to use.

RIM ditched the usual trackball and replaced it with a touch sensitive optical track pad instead. The trackpad is really nice and comfortable to use but sometimes I find it cumbersome especially when scrolling over really long web pages or list of messages.

The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 is probably most notable for its design, since it brings a couple of new tricks to the table. The overall look of the phone, however, is similar to the Curve 8900, and the two models actually share the same measurements at 4.3 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick. The Curve 8520 is a smidge lighter at 3.7 ounces, and while lightweight, we thought the phone felt slightly plasticky. However, the black model features a soft-touch finish along the outside edges preventing the smartphone from feeling too slick. T-Mobile also offers the smartphone in a frost color.

Specifications

Camera: 2-megapixels, 5x digital zoom
Display: 2.46in (320×240-pixels)
Messaging: SMS, MMS, push e-mail
Connectivity: Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz), GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, WiFi 802.11b/g
Internal memory: 256MB Flash memory
Expansion slot: microSD
Other features: Multimedia player, wireless email, organizer, browser, phone
Standby/talk time: 17 days/4.5 hours
Battery: 1,150mAh lithium-ion
Weight: 106 grams
Dimensions (w x d x h): 60mm x 13.9mm x 109mm

The most significant difference with the Pearl compared to other BlackBerry devices though is its size. It measures in at 107 by 50 by 14.5mm and weighs a mere 89 grams, making it one of the lightest PDAs on today’s market.

From a physical perspective, everything about the Pearl oozes quality from the ultra sturdy release buttons for the back tray to the smooth rounded keypad that fits with the contour of the phone — we really wish more phones were designed to look this way. Even the Pearl’s added accessories speak style — a lamb skin tote, a smooth Bluetooth headset or a docking station that puts your phone rightfully on display.

You will want to make sure your nails are perfectly manicured before using this phone though, as all eyes will be on you once the “pearl” comes out. RIM has done away with its standard track wheel at the side and replaced it instead with an addictive luminescent ball that resembles a pearl. It navigates in all directions and is much more responsive than previous BlackBerry tracking devices.

One of the most significant of these is a trackball. Instead of using a D-pad like virtually every over handheld and smartphone, you move around and select things on the Pearl’s screen with a small roller-ball. RIM’s implementation of this is well done, and I found it very easy to use. I’m not sure it’s superior to a D-pad, but it’s at least as good, and it’s definitely better than just a scroll-wheel..

Aside from its keyboard, the Pearl is well supplied with additional buttons. On both the left and right side are what’s called “Convenience Keys.” By default the one on the left side lets you do voice dialing, while the one on the right opens the camera application, but these can be changed to whatever applications you prefer.

BlackBerry PearlAlso on the right side are a pair of buttons to increase or decrease call volume.

On the left side of the Pearl is the headphone socket and the device’s mini-USB port. I’m not happy about the location of either one of these. If you’re carrying this smartphone in your pocket with the headphones plugged in, you really want the socket to be on the top of the device. And the fact that the Pearl’s mini-USB port is on its side means that no company is going to be able to create a cradle for it.

Overall, the Pearl lives up to most of it expectations — we recorded a talk time way above the 210 minutes suggested by the vendor, and found navigation and other key areas of functionality up to scratch in comparison to similar devices on the market. It may not be quite “stealth” yet in terms of operation (Stealth was BlackBerry’s previous name for this phone overseas) but it is RIM’s first foray into the consumer space, and based on the popularity of its business-type models with consumers already, we think BlackBerry could have market, with this little Pearl, wrapped up in a clamshell.

At this point in time, a BlackBerry is just about standard issue equipment for anyone who needs to be easy to reach. There are a number of other options, most notably Windows Mobile smartphones, but the BlackBerry remains the tool of choice for business users. The company did this by catering their products to business users- their phones are great with email, are easy to use, and are packed with productivity features. In order to make the products even more attractive to corporate types the company left out many of the things that might be a security risk, like a camera, as well as leisure features, like a media player.

The BlackBerry Pearl rocks a 2.25-inch TFT screen that displays 65,000 colors at a 240×260-pixel resolution. Like the rest of the company’s devices, it’s not a touch screen, but it offers a sharp, clear display with vibrant colors and is great for viewing e-mail, images, and Web sites. It also features light-sensing technology, so it will automatically adjust the screen and keyboard depending on your environment; true enough, it adjusted the display’s light so that we could still read it in direct sunlight. You can change the screen’s theme; backlight time; and font size, style, and family. A small LED above the screen illuminates different colors for different status messages: green for wireless, blue for Bluetooth, red for new messages, and amber for low battery. There’s also a mute button on top of the device.

It is easy to get too wrapped up in the good looks and the extras, but when it comes down to it, people are going to be interested in the Pearl because it is a BlackBerry. This means the same excellent email, personal information management, and internet browsing as on their 8700. The QWERTY keyboard is gone, but once you get over that the main functions of the phone are largely unchanged. The calendar, messenger, address book, and memo pad are all basically the same as we have seen in the previous models, which is a good thing considering how well these have been received by consumers. For more information on this check out my review of the 8700, but since nothing much was changed we won’t get more into it here.

Rumors have been flying that a BlackBerry aimed to compete with the Treo 600 is soon to launch on T-Mobile USA. While the rumor that it would launch today is not correct, Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal has a review in today’s issue and notes that the device will be available early next month (from T-Mobile).

The big news is that the BlackBerry 7100t will sell for $199, well below what the Treo 600 is selling for without rebate. The 7100t is also the first device from Research In Motion without a QWERTY keyboard–it sports a 20-character keyboard that has a more conventional phone layout. RIM developed a predictive text technology called SureType to help out users.

Business or pleasure? BlackBerry is taking aim to satisfy both in a smaller package depending on your needs. BlackBerry drops the old school brick design and makes an attempt to become an everyday user’s companion with the 7100 series. A big leap in becoming the next Treo competitor; a champion who has yet to fall. Depending on what you are looking for in a PDA/phone combo device, decisions may vary on who the unanimous winner is in this bout. I have my opinion, but I will save that for later.

Coming fresh off of a 7290 review, I had my mind set on the way a BlackBerry should look, perform and feel; a two handed device that was to be left at the office when the clock strikes 5. With a catchy jaw line, speakerphone and Bluetooth I found myself using the 7100t with ease in a matter of time; however, looking for more out of it as an all-in-one device in the end.

Taking a change from convention, the condensed 7100t measures 119 x 59 x 21 mm and weighs 120 g. Aggressive styling and angular lines give it a more aesthetic appeal; more similar to a phone than a blue box.

The front contains a 240 x 260 px screen capable of displaying 65K colors; rather large compared to other devices on the market. Below the display, a QWERTY keypad is flanked by Send and End, and a Convenience Key used to open a list of useful links or open selected lists. With just 20 keys, each key shares two letters; requiring up to two key presses to choose a letter. However, when combined with RIM’s SureType predictive technology, users can text message normally, with one press, as the predictive text guesses what word is being typed.

A Power On / Off button and LED indicator are located on top; notifying users when new information has arrived. While the left side contains a standard 2.5 mm headset jack and USB port allowing data synchronization and battery charging. Meanwhile, on the right side, an End button and navigational trackwheel offers flexible navigation through the menu structure and email messages. On the back, a speakerphone port is located just above the removable battery door.

Out of the box, the RIM BlackBerry 7100t comes with a standard 960 mAh Li-Ion battery, handsfree headset, international travel charger, USB data cable, BlackBerry Desktop software, SIM card, and user manual.