Introduction

When I was asked whether I'd be interested in writing a book about the new BlackBerry Pearl, I jumped at the chance. Although I wasn't an active user, I knew a lot about BlackBerries (having used them in the past), and I'd heard that the Pearl was going to be a special device.

I have to admit that although I expected the Pearl to be great, it absolutely blew me away as I became familiar with the raw power and ease of use of this fantastic device. I, for one, am a converted Pearl customer, and I've just placed the order for mine (a Canadian Pearl rather than the U.S. model I used to write this book). Now I see why they call these devices "CrackBerries" in some circles.

Research In Motion has really outdone itself with this product. The only way to describe the power of the BlackBerry Pearl accurately is to call it a home computer in your hand. Indeed, the Pearl is essentially just that, but its interface and software are so simple and intuitive to use that mastering the basic controls takes only a few moments, and with the help of this book, you can squeeze every last bit of functionality out of this awesome product (Figure i.1).

Figure i.1. The BlackBerry Pearl is as sleek on the outside as it is slick on the inside

Speaking of this book, I tried to approach it in a way that gives you the information that's not supplied when you purchase the Pearl. Chapters 1 and 2 cover the history of the BlackBerry line of devices and examine the basics of the Pearl and what it can do, from the feature list to the interface. Chapter 3 details the email functions of the Pearl (arguably, what most people come to the BlackBerry for in the first place), and Chapter 4 covers the Pearl's ability to access the Internet.

Chapter 5 goes over the Pearl's functionality as a cellular telephone, from voice dialing to attaching pictures to phone numbers as a form of Caller ID. Chapters 6 and 7 detail the nonessential but extremely useful functions of the Pearl, such as MemoPad and the new (and powerful) BlackBerry Maps feature, as well as Bluetooth and wired headsets and accessories. Finally, Chapter 8 talks about the Pearl's built-in camera and the Media Player that's part of the Pearl's heart and soul.

I wrote this book in Canada, using my Pearl on the Rogers Communications wireless network, and some of the Pearl images in this book reflect that fact. If you are using your Pearl in another location with another carrierin the United States with T-Mobile, for exampleone or two of the icons you see on my home screen may be different (or in different places) from what you see on your home screen. Beyond those few cosmetic differences, the Pearl works the same way wherever you are, and the instructions in this book work the same way too.

I sincerely hope that this book is a help to you. I expect that you are going to enjoy your Pearl as much as I enjoy mine!