Verizon announces BlackBerry Pearl 8130, new BlackBerry plans
Oh the sweet smell of victory! Verizon Wireless has officially announced the first American-bound CDMA BlackBerry Pearl. The Verizon BlackBerry 8130 is no secret horse, having been rumored and revealed time and time again. Even so, it’s nice to see our CDMA-loving friends get a bit of SureType love. The Verizon Pearl sports Ev-DO, GPS (which happens to be locked to Verizon’s proprietary VZ Navigator), a new browser, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and an external microSD slot that provides support for cards up to 8GB in capacity. Not too shabby. The handset will be available online and in physical stores on November 8th for a somewhat shockingly high price of $249.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. On the flip side, Verizon is bringing its BlackBerry BIS plans in line with Sprint’s recent price drop, offering unlimited data for $29.99 a month. Not too bad.
Thanks, to everyone that sent this in!
On Jan 31, 2008 @ 7:26 am, Yeah Right Said:
I was sold on the BB 8130. I have been a Verizon Customer for some time now. I have had phones from them that forced me to go back to a land line. I live less than 1 mile from their tower and I struggle for service unless I drive 3 blocks from my house. But, I decided to listen to their repeated stories of how a new tower is being put up in my area.
I spoke with a young man at the VZN kiosk. He spoke of all the things the 8130 was capable of. I looked online and found that there is a Garmin bluetooth GPS for the 8130 (GPS 10x). Then I saw there are applications that will allow edits of Word, Excel, etc. I was sold.
I then came across the disabled GPS and other apps by VZN info. NO DEAL! Yes, I tried the VZ Navigator. If you are not in your VZN network area, the VZ Navigator does not work. There I was, all set to use their version of a GPS and I couldn’t get it to work. Fortunately, I too know how to read a map. But, as soon as I got back home, I called VZN. I verified this with the Customer Service of VZN and a couple of their sales reps. You have to be in your own area to use it. If I need a map of my own area, I shouldn’t be out driving around.
Third party software? Let me count…BlackBerry (maker of phone) = 1st party, VZN (service provider = 2nd party,hmm, BlackBerry’s GPS would equal 1st party software. Are they trying to say BlackBerry comes equipped with viruses? BlackBerry…Are you going to put up with that kind of slander?
VZ Navigator does not work outside your home area. I won’t be using Verizon much longer. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure I would rather pay their cancelation fees for all 4 of my VZN phones than listen to more of their lies for 2 more years.
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On Feb 2, 2008 @ 1:29 pm, raj Said:
you obviously dont have your facts straight. VZNAV works anywhere you get VZ coverage not just your home local area. I have used it in multiple states. Verizon has one of the best coverages so the places you would not be able to you use it are very few. It uses satellite signal just like a normal in car gps would use so it is not dependent on cell towers. And a gps like a Garmin or Tom Tom all need to be updated if you want it current which cost around $70-100. I would rather pay the 9.99 a month and have nothing to worry about. Worry free speech to text navigation and Verizon will be launching traffic later this year on ther VZ NAV service. All this in your cell phone. you cant get any better. IF your cheap i suggest you look at Google Maps…free mapping software….im sorry to say but you pay for what you get.
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On Feb 2, 2008 @ 10:54 pm, Anrew Said:
You VZN fanatics are rediculous…I myself had VZN for 4yrs and i must say that their customer service and prices suck!!! They charge way to much for their internet options (compared to competitors) and you don’t get anything you wouldn’t get from using another carrier but at a cheaper rate. I had a BB 8130 and had nothing but problems with it. I recently switched to T-Mobile and obtained the BB 8100 and have been happy ever since. Everything seems to work just fine and i don’t get any errors i used to get when trying to sync the BB 8130. And if you want to talk about tethering T-mobile offers is at no charge!!!! I’m sorry but after switching from VZN to T-Mobile i must say i’m more than satified. Not to mention the 5 star custome service you recive with T-Mobile. They are great. And i already know that after posting this there are going to be those die hard VZN fans that will have something to say about my entry and thats fine. All i have to say is keep waisting your money…you’ll wise up one day.
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On Feb 4, 2008 @ 8:51 pm, dennis Said:
I am currently selling a Blackberry Pearl 8130 for Verizon Wireless on eBay. It was used for a week but looks and functions like it was just taken out of the box. The ESN is clean and ready for activation. Take a look! Its perfect for those who are already on a Verizon contract, all you have to do is call up verizon and have them switch phones for you.
http://cgi.ebay.com/RIM-Blackberry-Pearl-8130-Verizon-Wireless-MINT_W0QQitemZ160205699845QQihZ006QQcategoryZ64355QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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On Mar 11, 2008 @ 2:10 pm, me Said:
you can get this at any store, for 99 dollars! You must visit the actual verizon store to get it this cheap, so why pay 150?!
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