[johnnyrichter]

Anything I could say about the pearl, has pretty much already been said.

Pros
-It's small. Put it in any pocket, and forget it's there.
-The aftermarket backing is great.
-It can do pretty much anything one of those big 'ol MotoQs or other BBs can do, in such a smaller package.
-RIM is always pumping out updates. This pretty much goes for all BBs rather than just the 8100 series, but it's still a pro worth mentioning.
-It doesn't have microsoft software on it. Again, pretty much can be said for all BBs but this is another pro worth mentioning. Just one more step towards a windows-free world! ;)

Cons
-Some aspects of the 8100 series can seem "cheap"...I.E., keys fall off, trackball screws up, screen gets scratched way too easily. I guess it just depends on the phone and the user. My screen is prone to scratches, but the trackball has been working fine and my keys haven't fallen off...but my fiance's enter key fell off 2 days after she bought her 8130 brand new in the box!
-Internal memory. This is probably the most important of all the cons. It's a smart phone, why put an amount of internal memory that you would expect from something like a samsung or razor or other non-smartphone? The technology is there.
-It's small. Yes, this can be a con too depending on how you look at it. To me, it being small is a con when it comes to web-browsing or watching videos...that screen is pretty tiny compared to other phones with the same capabilities.
-The keys are also fairly small, so people with bigger hands may have trouble with them.

With all that being said, I'll use my 8130 over anything else out on the shelves. A phone that I once hated(after buying it to replace my Razr2, and was my first smart-phone ever) has quickly become an integral part of my day-to-day life.

[bidaci]

I can't see the numbers to dial the phone on the qwerty keypads. Still seem to use this thing as a phone more then anything else. I do wish it had a bigger/wider screen for emails and such but still use the same keypad look.