With a change in design the BlackBerry Pearl 9105 offers all of the superb features experienced on other models but in a compact design (108×50x13mm and 93g). The QWERTY keyboard has been removed in favour of an alphanumeric keypad with optical track-pad and dedicated media keys. Typing long messages without a QWERTY layout has been overcome with BlackBerry SureType predictive text input that learns the words you use most for speedy input at minimal effort.

BlackBerry Application World gives access to an impressive array of downloadable apps and with a 3G HSDPA Web browser, Wi-Fi connectivity and multitasking new apps can be downloaded quickly in the background whilst other features on the Pearl are being used. Pre-installed tools include push email, document viewer/editor, organiser, GPS with BlackBerry maps and BlackBerry messenger with notification when messages are delivered and opened by the recipient.

Its not all work and no play with thoughtful inclusions such as synchronisation with iTunes and a media player that can provide up to 30 hours playback from one battery charge. Three methods of enjoying your favourite music tracks include a loudspeaker, via headphones connected to the 3.5mm audio jack or by connecting either a mono or stereo Bluetooth headset.

The TFT display has a great resolution of 360×400 pixels, perfect for viewing images captured on the 3.2 megapixel camera. Great images can be captured easily with the aid of auto-focus, flash, 2.5x digital zoom and video record function. The 256MB internal memory can be boosted up to 32GB with a microSD card to store a huge amount of picture and music files.