Uiteraard borrelen direct na de introductie van de BlackBerry 8100 de eerste officiele reviews op. Hierbij een kort overzichtje van de toch wel positieve artikeltjes:

• BusinessWeek: The Pearl is clearly an effort by RIM to make the corporate-oriented BlackBerry more attractive to consumers. I suspect, however, that its main appeal will be to folks in traditional BlackBerry markets who are willing to sacrifice ease of typing for a phone that is smaller, cooler, and more versatile. For them, the Pearl should be an easy winner.
• Herald Tribune: All that's missing, acknowledges RIM co-founder Mike Lazaridis, is GPS location tracking and Wi-Fi capability. But again, compromises are what it's all about in this pursuit of little gizmo nirvana. If you can't handle it, feel free to carry a laptop.
• NewYork Times: The BlackBerry Pearl is a do-everything device that comes closer to the perfect cellphone than anything before it.
• Cnet: Though nothing revolutionary, the addition of multimedia features and the already solid e-mail capabilities make the RIM BlackBerry Pearl an attractive device for business users and consumers alike. (Rating: very good 7.3 out of 10)
• PCMag: Research In Motion (RIM) throws away its suits and ties with the Pearl, a delicious little multimedia smartphone that—surprise!—just happens to be a BlackBerry. Slimmer than a closed RAZR, it is the first BlackBerry to ship with a camera and music/video players. This little gem is guaranteed to become a winner with the young and mobile. (Rating: very good 4 out of 5)

Overall krijgt RIM met zijn Pearl dus een goed rapportcijfer. Enkele manko's die ik in de meeste reviews terug zie komen: het kleine toetsenbord (tsja, wil je nou een klein sexy device of niet), SD-kaartje onder de batterij (dus rebooten als je de geheugenkaart eruit haalt), middelmatige camera (1.3mpixels is wel erg low key), music player met weinig features (referentiekader is hierbij toch wel de iPod).