[Spectral]

I recently got a Pearl, and while it's a great phone overall, I noticed serveral things that I could do with my cheap RAZR V3 that the Pearl either can't do or makes it such a pain that it becomes impractical:

1. The RAZR supports per-application locking, meaning I can password protect individual applications such as "messaging" or "calculator" or whole categories like "media". This way the phone prompts for a code every time a protected application is accessed. Often I let friends use my phone and more often than not they browse through my stored pictures and attempt to read my text messages and then complain about needing a code. On the Pearl, once you enter the unlock password, you essentially have full access to everything. I could find no way to set fine-grained access controls.

2. There doesn't seem to be a way to set a default number for contacts who have more than one. If I have a contact with a home and mobile number and I usually call the mobile, from the Address book, I have to either call, scroll, call, or click, scroll, call - at least 3 keystrokes. If the contact has more than 2 numbers and I usually call the one that ends up in the middle, this is even more annoying since now I have to carefully scroll while looking instead of just a quick motion.
Solution: phone remembers last dialed number per contact.

3. If reception is lost during a conversation, the Pearl plays a disconnect tune, but if the other party hangs up, there is no notification whatsoever, even the LCD remains off. My RAZR always plays a disconnect tone when a call is ended if the option is enabled, and its LCD lights up to give a visual indication as well.

4. With my RAZR, whether I hang up, the other party hangs up, or the call is dropped, the LCD turns on and displays the duration of the call for a few seconds before returning to the home screen. If I want the same information with the Pearl, I'm forced to go to the call screen, press menu, and then scroll to and select the status option.

5. I don't see a way to hide caller ID either per contact or for next call only, so each time I would want to do that, I'd be forced to go to Phone, Options, General Options, Restrict My Identity, Yes, Back, Save, then place my call, and afterwards I'd have to repeat the procedure and set the option to 'No'.

6. If you're setting an alarm or event notification, no matter what ringtone you choose, it will play a maximum of 3 times. You can't get it to play in a loop, so if you're a deep sleeper, you might have to set several alarms in a row or a long tune.

That's my list so far. If anyone knows of ways to remedy any of the above either through settings or custom applications, I'd love to hear about it.

[JSanders]

2. Nope, your BB will always default the last number you called at that contact entry. If you called the mobile for John Smith last, it defaults to it. If you called Mary Smith last at office, it defaults to it.
5. Or precede each call yo wish to block with *67 or whatever the code is.

[sgtcasey]

Yes, *67<area code><number> blocks caller ID for that specific call on the T-Mobile network. I use that all the time when placing test calls from my Pearl at work so the customer I'm calling can't try to call me later on. :P

Dave

[Spectral]

Originally Posted by JSanders

2. Nope, your BB will always default the last number you called at that contact entry

I didn't realize this, thanks!

*67 works, but it's annoying because if I want to only use it once, I have to look up the phone number and type it manually, having a menu driven one-time block would be nice. Point taken, though.

[tprime]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8100/4.2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

[QUOTE=Spectral]

Originally Posted by JSanders

I didn't realize this, thanks!



*67 works, but it's annoying because if I want to only use it once, I have to look up the phone number and type it manually, having a menu driven one-time block would be nice. Point taken, though.

Save the number in your phonebook with *67 in front.

[chrissym731]

Kinda sounds like you should have stayed with the Razr!! Have you had good luck with it? I have know a lot of people that they just die, quit coming on all together most of which were before they were even a year old. I just wondered if it was a bad batch from Cingular or if it was a Razr problem as a whole!

Have you started a list of all the things your Pearl can do that the Razr can't? You might be hurting it's feelings!

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by chrissym731

Have you started a list of all the things your Pearl can do that the Razr can't? You might be hurting it's feelings!

You go chrissym!

haha

[Spectral]

Originally Posted by chrissym731

Kinda sounds like you should have stayed with the Razr!! Have you had good luck with it? I have know a lot of people that they just die, quit coming on all together most of which were before they were even a year old. I just wondered if it was a bad batch from Cingular or if it was a Razr problem as a whole!

Have you started a list of all the things your Pearl can do that the Razr can't? You might be hurting it's feelings!

My RAZR worked fine for over a year, and still does. There are defective ones, but that's true for any product.

I know the Pearl can do a lot more, but it's not a matter of quantity of features. I'd really like the ability to password-protect individual apps. The other things I listed is just something I noticed and can live without.

[tprime]

To me comparing Razr and Pearl is like apples and oranges.

[PsychoMaiko]

What's funny is I too was pretty annoyed when I first got my pearl. The pearl is the first non-Motorola phone I've owned so I definately know where you're coming from. I can relate to numbers 2, 3, and 4. Here are a few more I can think of

When saving a number, it automatically stores as the Work number when 99% of the time, I'm trying to save a cell phone number.

I miss having those left and right soft keys (I believe that's what they are called) that stores a shortcut to a selected application.

Oh yeah, this one took a little bit to get over but the pearl buttons feel very wabbly and unstable compared to the RAZR's precise, laser-cut thin keys.




Well, one thing I noticed that the pearl does that no Motorola did was show the time during a conversation, so I was pretty happy about that

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by PsychoMaiko

When saving a number, it automatically stores as the Work number when 99% of the time, I'm trying to save a cell phone number.

If it automatically saved the number as cell or home, an equal number of people would ask the same question, don't you think?

Originally Posted by PsychoMaiko

I miss having those left and right soft keys (I believe that's what they are called) that stores a shortcut to a selected application.

Soft Keys = Convenience Keys on the Pearl, left and right, programmable to a wide variety of applications and features for one button access.

[akg]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry 8100: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8100/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Originally Posted by JSanders

If it automatically saved the number as cell or home, an equal number of people would ask the same question, don't you think?

Soft Keys = Convenience Keys on the Pearl, left and right, programmable to a wide variety of applications and features for one button access.

I also think it should default to mobile when storing a number but it's possible that there are people out there who are constantly storing work numbers. Most of the time when I get someone's number it's a cell number, but maybe that has to do with the fact that all the work numbers are already in my contacts in Outlook. I must say I have never typed in (or received a call from) a work number for a contact I didn't have stored already and that I wanted to store. Maybe it's just me but while there's the possibility you would want to store a work or home number, if you are going to have a default I think the mobile number makes much more sense.

The other thing that annoys me is there is no option to add a number from the call log to an existing contact. I know you can copy and paste but this is something that I do quite often and I think a menu option would be nice. Of course both of these things are conveniences and don't make or break a phone for me.

[rouen1969]

I have always used Motorola... and had 2 different Razr's in 2-1/2 years... I loved my Razr!!! When I 1st bought the Pearl, I hated it! I had given my son my Razr and contemplated a trade. BUT... 4 months into Pearl ownership, I love it! No way would I go back!

I compare it to my divorce... yeah, there were some great things about my ex-husband that on occasion I miss... it's called a comfort zone! My new boyfriend (10 years my junior) is wonderful... fully upraded and new! LOL... At first it was scary... but over time I have discovered he is far superior to the old one!!! LOL

Now haow's that for an analogy?!?!?!

[beyondalegend]

Originally Posted by tprime

To me comparing Razr and Pearl is like apples and oranges.

That's what I'm saying!!!!

[akg]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry 8100: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry9000/5.0.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

The RAZR is a phone and the Pearl is a smartphone that combines the phone and a host of other features...and obviously it won't be able to do all of these features as well as stand-alone devices. Inversely there are many phones that perform the phone functions very well but to access your email you have to log onto gmail mobile through a crappy WAP browser every 5 minutes to make sure you never miss an email .

Sometimes we take for granted the email experience a BB provides and no other device can. All the other stuff is extra and unnecessary.

[Spectral]

Originally Posted by PsychoMaiko

Well, one thing I noticed that the pearl does that no Motorola did was show the time during a conversation, so I was pretty happy about that

Actually it does if you enable it: Settings, In-Call Setup, In-Call Timer.

[tgeekb]

Originally Posted by akg

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry 8100: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry9000/5.0.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

The RAZR is a phone and the Pearl is a smartphone that combines the phone and a host of other features...and obviously it won't be able to do all of these features as well as stand-alone devices. Inversely there are many phones that perform the phone functions very well but to access your email you have to log onto gmail mobile through a crappy WAP browser every 5 minutes to make sure you never miss an email .

Sometimes we take for granted the email experience a BB provides and no other device can. All the other stuff is extra and unnecessary.

Well said. A BB and a plain cell phone are two different animals. A BB is first about email. I understand your frustrtion about certain aspects of the Pearl but you have to realize what a Pearl can do and go with it. For some people it may not be a perfect fit.

[PsychoMaiko]

Originally Posted by Spectral

Actually it does if you enable it: Settings, In-Call Setup, In-Call Timer.

Are we talking about the actually time or the time the convo has been going on?