| Although getting connected to the Internet is a concern on an ordinary computer, by definition the BlackBerry Pearl is always connected to the Internet via the complex mobile-phone networks (in this case, digital networks) that lie like an invisible net over North America and, indeed, much of the world. The bottom line is that when you purchase a Pearl, you automatically sign an agreement with a service provider: T-Mobile in the United States or Rogers in Canada. As long as your account is paid up, the Pearl is always connected through the digital mobile-phone network. Without boring you with the details of the various cellular and digital networks in North America, I'll instead indulge you with a short list of what coverage you are receiving on your Pearl, based on what you see on your display. In the top-right corner of your screen, just below the signal indicator, you'll find a word or an abbreviation (Figure 4.1); this tells you what services you can use. Suffice it to say that if you're in an urban area, or in any major corridor between urban areas, you are always going to be connected. Figure 4.1. The top-right corner of the Pearl tells you what level of service you are connected to 
Following is the list of words and abbreviations that show up on the screen to tell you your connection status: EDGE. If you see this, you can use the phone; send/receive email, SMS (Short Message Service) text, and MMS (Multimedia Message Service) messages; and use the Web browser with a high-speed data connection. GPRS. If you see this word, you can use the phone; send/receive email, SMS text, and MMS messages; and use the Web browser (although not at the same speed that you can with EDGE). edge. You can use the phone and send/receive SMS text messages. gprs. You can use the phone and send/receive SMS text messages. GSM. You can use the phone and send/receive SMS text messages. SOS. You can make only emergency calls. OFF. The connection to the wireless network is turned off (on the Pearl). X. You are not in an area that has wireless coverage.
Where the BlackBerries Roam Whatever contract you have with the service provider for your Pearl, that service provider doesn't have a network that spans every single nook and cranny of North America (or anywhere else in the world). Therefore, when you are in a location that isn't covered by your standard provider, you are said to be roaming. Roaming means that the Pearl is looking for the best possible network it can find in the area, no matter which network that is. The up side of this is that your Pearl works nearly everywhere, nearly seamlessly, so you can use it and go about your job without any problems. In fact, the Pearl I'm using while writing this book is an American Pearl set up in Chicago, but it works up here in Canada just fine. Every single feature works here without a hitch, even though the Pearl didn't go on sale in Canada until a month after its release in the United States (which is kind of odd, because Research In Motion is a Canadian company). Your Pearl's capability to work anywhere is a huge bonus to you in terms of productivity. You can use the phone anywhere effectively and easily without changing any settings or worrying about any aspect of connecting to the Internet or phone network. There is a down side, of course: Roaming has a nasty habit of being a tad on the expensive side. Roaming charges occur when your Pearl is outside its normal network area and uses a "foreign" network's system to provide service to you. When this happens, you are at the mercy of the service that you are attached to; you may pay anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars per minute in roaming charges. So if you're roaming in a remote place (both literally and in terms of your Pearl's coverage), be aware that cost may be an issue. Because I am in Canada while writing this book, my T-Mobile Pearl is using the Rogers Wireless network, as shown in Figure 4.2 just below the time at the top center of the screen. Figure 4.2. The owner of the network to which your Pearl is connected may be displayed at the top center of the screen 
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