Hands-on with BlackBerry Pearl CDMA

The BlackBerry 8130, known as the Pearl CDMA or the Pearl 2, is the first multimedia oriented BlackBerry for CDMA carriers.  Notable upgrades from the original are a 2 megapixel camera instead of 1.3-megapixel, stereo Bluetooth and a 3.5mm headphone jack instead of 2.5.  The Pearl 2 features 3G EV-DO data and microSD HC slot for memory expansion.  The 8130 launched first on Verizon Wireless, but will also be available on Sprint next week and later should eventually see a launch on other CDMA networks.

Its design and other features are similar to the standard GSM BlackBerry Pearl. It is pocket-friendly device with trackball (which gives it the name Pearl), SureType keyboard and square non-touch display.