This Time It’s Not A Hoax: Verizon To Get BlackBerry Pearl In May

by Robb Dunewood on April 3, 2007 · 43 comments

It looks like the BlackBerry Pearl may head to Verizon and Sprint as soon as May 7th and this time I am not making it up.

According to Seeking Alpha, Merrill Lynch believes that potential launch of the BlackBerry Pearl on Verizon and Sprint is just over a month away. This is legitimate news as compared to the BlackBerry April Fools prank that I played on RIMarkable readers April 1st.

Verizon BlackBerry Pearl

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  • BH

    You failed to mention that the BlackBerry 8300 will come out on T-Mobile on May 7 as well.

    You’ve said before that you would switch to whomever offered the 8300 if it came out before a BlackBerry with a camera came out on Verizon. What will you do since it looks like they may both come out the same day?

  • Amit

    I am glad that it is coming out but I don’t like the color scheme. Do you have any other pictures of it?

  • Adam K

    While I am waiting for the next QWERTY keyboard device, I am sure many users of this carrier will be very pleased with this news.

  • http://www.rimarkable.com Robb Dunewood

    BH,

    I purposely didn’t mention the 8300 coming on T-Mobile becasue I thought that it give us something to talk about in the comments. I am kind of partial to the SureType keyboard and I definately like Verizon. Chances are I would go with the Verizon BlackBerry Pearl.

    Amit,

    This picture is just a random BlackBerry Pearl picture that I added to this post. I am not sure what the Verizon BlackBerry Pearl will look like.

    Adam,

    I know for a fact, that many a Verizon BlackBerry user, myself included, is jumping for joy right now.

    I seriously was about to switch to T-Mobile, and still may depending on how I like the 8300, however, I am leaning more towards the Pearl.

  • Adam K

    Robb,
    Notice I move to a first name basis when the news is good (LOL)
    I think the issue would be adjusting to the SureType. Especially for the group that may respond to 50 or more e-mails in a given day. I guess another term for QWERTY Pearl is the 8300 or 8800 models. I will definitely take a look at the Pearl as soon as it becomes available.
    I look forward to reading your reviews first of course : – )

  • Dalton

    Oh joy! The loyal customers of VZW will now get another phone that has been out almost a year! I hate how VZW tries to keep their customers quiet by pulling this type of crap. I have an idea…Try coming out with the latest devices when they are actually the latest devices??? That would just be too easy and make too much sense.

    Also, I do not want to hear the usual CDMA nonsense as a reason they lag behind. Believe me, a company as big and successful as Verizon and RIM can and do have the cash and resources available to make this happen in a reasonable time frame. Wake up Verizon or you will continue to lose customers to other carriers.

  • http://www.rimarkable.com Robb Dunewood

    I just wrote last week about how the time of Verizon coming out with year old BlackBerry devices and touting how superior their network is compared to everyone else is coming to an end.

    The only reason that I will probably stay with Verizon is because I think that I like the the form factor of the Pearl better than the 8300. I will check an 8300 out to make sure that the additional features don’t warrant the increase in size.

    Additionally, my Verizon bill is paid by my day job, so, if I am going to switch carriers, it will be because T-Mobile offers a device that I want, but cannot get on Verizon.

  • Adam K

    I am told Verizon has the best quality network. Does it become an issue of what is important? The network or the moderness of devices? Maybe a topic for another thread revolves around the current state of the networks.

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  • Marcus

    i, too, am waiting for a qwerty cameraberry on verizon. i think they just like to milk their customers as long as possible, which is why it’s taken so long to see the pearl.

    i’m very happy with verizon’s network, though, or else i would have switched to cingular and gotten the 8800 months ago. my phone drops a call about once every 6 months. plus, verizon works perfectly in our subway (washington dc metro), and the others do not. that’s actually huge for me.

    guess i’ll be here, waiting with baited breath for the 8830.

  • jwheels

    Don’t think you are alone VZW customers. Us Sprint “faithful” (idiots more like it) have been in the same boat. Cingular keeps getting the new and improved motors while we barely get a wooden paddle.

  • BlackberryBeard

    In the right setting with the right person a wooden paddle can be kinda fun.

  • nick

    I don’t know who writes the Notable Calls blog that is the original source of this date for a VZW Pearl -no doubt they are far better informed than I. Nonetheless, it bears repeating that I have had two different VZW retail reps (in different locations) tell me that the 8100 will to come to VZW for two reasons -1) lots of negative customer feedback on non-QWERTY devices (7130); and 2) there device testing group feels the trackball isn’t durable enough. I hope the analyst is right – I’m flirting with dumping my contract to get a Pearl-like device, I’m pretty desperate.
    BTW, one rep insisted that the 8800 in May/June was the next RIM for VZW. Now, about the crippled B-tooth!

  • nick

    sorry, i meant 8100 will NOT come to VZW. should have proofed.

  • Dave

    I certainly hope Nick is incorrect about no 8100 coming to CDMA (either VZW or Sprint). I’ve been with Sprint for a long time and actually believe in their network (even if none of my friends do). I get free Cingular/TMobile devices (including 8100s/8800s) for testing from work and they both suck for phone coverage, also EDGE is super slow compared to Sprint EVDO.

    I’ve beat up a Cingular 8100 pretty bad and the track-ball was fine. Plus I love SureType over Qwerty any day… so much faster typing.

    Get it going Verizon/Sprint! Maybe we’ll all have to wait for a “9100″ model. Poop.

  • nick

    believe me, i hope i’m wrong too

  • Marcus

    The blackberry shown is by SunCom Wireless. Its been out for a month now

  • BlackberryBeard

    There will not be a Sprint 8100 Pearl. They are coming out with an 8820 or 8830. The Sprint high – level technical person was shocked when I asked about the 8300 and wouldn’t give me an answer.

  • Rich Wagner

    Maybe Sprint will come out with a BlackBerry Pearl, or, maybe they won’t. All that I can say is that the Pearl has been one of the best selling BlackBerrys of all time and if Sprint doesn’t intend to carry it, they just need to make sure that they offer some BlackBerry with a camera in it.

    That goes for Verizon as well….

  • Pingback: T-Mobile BlackBerry 8800 Coming April 23rd… Possibly | RIMarkable | The official, unofficial BlackBerry Weblog

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  • BPMOU

    I just spoke to our corporate sales manager, long story short I am switching to a LG 8600 from a 8703e due to network issues at my home until the new pearl is out. He confirmed that it is coming and they had all of the documentation on it. Including that it is a Rev A device and that should be available in June, and they will have pricing by the end of next month. He also confirmed that it will be a grey color not black or white.

  • nick

    yeah…that sounds pretty solid! :)

  • John

    For T-Mobile, the question now is will the company wimp out and release only the 8300, as opposed to the 83xx, and not offer its customers the latest BB with a camera, WiFi, AND GPS – relying, instead, on the 8800 to satisfy those who want GPS at the expense of a camera/WiFi?

  • Bryan

    Has anyone gotten any updates about if Verizon is really getting the 8100 Pearl?

  • T.J.

    The bottom line verizon better get the blackberry pearl or I’m gonna jump.

  • Sonny

    According to the Blackberry rep in my area…we are not getting the Pearl.
    We are getting the 8830 “Cyclone” in May and then one other that is slated for
    October (give or take). The Pearl would be a fantastic idea as I would like one
    myself, but I’m affraid I don’t think we’re getting it.

  • orr

    At my company all the salespeople and the entire management team are given Blackberries. We are on Verizon. In recent months both the CEO and VP of Sales have switched to Cingular to get the Pearl. I’ve been holding out hoping the New Year would bring the Pearl to Verizon. Seems all the carries bring out new phones in the 2nd quarter. Well, if Verizon can not show me a Pearl (or something very similar) before June I and I think many others in my company will be moving as well.

  • Pearlizon

    Its the 7th an no Pearl… is it gonna be the 14th or what?

  • Pingback: Is the BlackBerry Pearl Coming to Verizon? | RIMarkable | The official, unofficial BlackBerry Weblog

  • PissedSprinter

    yeah, what’s goin on???

  • frank

    Yep, dying for an update. I almost switched to Cingular JUST for the Pearl. The service didn’t work, so I sent it back.

    When is Pearl coming to Verizon?
    Frank

  • Luvphns

    Well It’s the 30th & VZW doesn’t have the pearl – they launched the 8830 which has the trackball & is CDMA/GSM – RIM says it’s the best model on the market …… but no Pearl – what happened to the guarrantee?????

  • David

    June 6th, and I can’t find any news nor source that Verizon is even considering the Blackberry Perl in their line. My current phone is near death (only holds 10mins of talk time- with a new battery). I’ve held out in the hopes VZW will come out with it by end of May or at least mention it in June.

    Looks like i’m moving to AT&T. Considering i’m on the family plan and all our contracts are up- it’ll be a group move.

    -D’Angelus

  • bj

    I spoke w/ a representative from bb yesterday as well as folks from VZW and it looks like it may be at least 6 months until VZW carries either the bb pearl or bb curve! Is that lame or what?!!

  • Karen

    I just spoke with Verizon customer support, and they said Verizon has no plans to carry the Pearl. I did switch to T-Mobile to get teh Pearl. Love the phone, hate the lack of coverage

  • bj

    Doing a bit more research it looks like the bb pearl will be to vzw sometime in Q4 – quite a ways off, but for the coverage, I think that I am willing to wait.

  • Max

    Looks like it WAS a hoax after all!

  • Paul

    I’m with AT&T, I mean CIngular, I mean AT&T, I mean Ma Bell and went from the 8700 to the Pearl to the Curve, back to the Pearl. As for the SureType versus QWERTY, it takes about a week to get used to, but the Curve keyboard is worse than the 8700 and my typing’s so bad is doesn’t matter how many/few keys I have to hit, there are still mistakes. As soon as VZW figures out that the Pearl’s by far the best Blackberry on the market, they’ll get it too. Unti then, I’ll have to wait in the land of fuzzy signal and no coverage – cell phone purgatory.

  • Ryan

    whats the latest with the pearl for verizon?? when is it coming out?? Im tired of waiting and getting impatient!! rrrrrr!!

  • W

    Ready to leave Verizon. due to not utilizing the from what I hear the best blackberry out there to support thier network. THis is rediculous. When will the Pearl be availible to verizon?

  • chino

    Spoke to a government verizon rep…he said the pearl is not coming to verizon. Said that b/c of the launch and success of the Blackberry 8830 they will not be releasing the pearl. Sucks!

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