About a month ago Candy talked about her new PalmPre so I thought it only fair to share some things about the Blackberry Pearl.

In the Smartphone world you can get in some great discussions when you bring up Palm vs. Blackberry. I happen to be a Blackberry girl. I have a Pearl and have clients (and many friends) that I have successfully moved to Blackberry devices.

As with all Smartphones you can get your e-mail, calendar, texting, and web access on the Pearl. When I first got my Pearl I went with the regular data plan through my cell provider. It worked great, but I had to tether to do syncs with my desktop. I was able to find some applications that did many of the over-the-air syncs which helped a lot. A few months ago one of my clients upgraded to a Blackberry Exchange Server and because I needed to have access to e-mail on that account I upgraded as well. That was the BEST possible upgrade I’ve ever done. Now everything syncs over the air – my calendar, my address book, task lists, everything. There is nothing better than being out somewhere and knowing that every single phone number you’d ever want is right there in your phone.

This Blackberry is my first trip into the Smartphone world and I was leery, at first, about whether I wanted and needed the added features of the phone. Today, I can’t imagine not having my phone next to me. When I decided to get the Pearl I was concerned with the size of the other Blackberries (at the time the Curve was the only other option available from my carrier). I liked the slim, sleek feel of the Pearl so I went with that. Unfortunately, I’ve quickly outgrown the phone however.

While I rave up and down, from here to Alaska about how great the phone is, I highly recommend getting at least a Curve if you are going to be a power user. If you’re not sure about the benefits of a Smartphone and want the smaller size the Pearl is an awesome phone. I’ve never regretted my decision to get the Pearl – I’m just very ready to upgrade (and have an appointment with my rep already for the day that my big credit is available for my new-every-two phone).

In the coming months I’ll share some of my “must have” Blackberry applications. For now, let me share one aspect that is unique to the Blackberry that I’ve grown to love: Blackberry Messenger. It’s a Blackberry instant message/text message program. But, it does so much more than that. You can have multi-user conversations. You can see when the other person has received AND read the message you’ve sent (which is great when I’m sending my assistant a message). You can share files and pictures. Best of all, it’s free for Blackberry users.

My Blackberry and I are very close.  It’s never far away; it’s my alarm clock in the morning and my link to friends and family throughout the day. I’m very much a Blackberry fan and when I meet someone with a Blackberry (especially if it’s new or another version than mine) I don’t hesitate to talk about it and I’ll even ask to play.

If that makes me a geek gyrl, so be it. I’ll take that title proudly.

Written by Lanel Taylor
EMAIL Lanel.

Lanel is the lead bookkeeper at Taylored Office Solutions, Inc., a virtual freelance bookkeeping company she launched in 2002.

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