While I am sad to report that I am giving up Chocolate, I am pleased to report that I am now into the Pearl.

The LG is a really sweet phone but I just couldn’t avoid the fact that I really need a Blackberry, and RIM finally came out with a BB that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to carry around, the Pearl.

So far I am really pleased with this device, including the build quality (which I have always thought RIM was weak on) and the features. It is disappointing that RIM is not committed to the Mac community, they still don’t offer a OSX version of their sync software, however PocketMac does have a product that is free (licensed by RIM) for Mac users. I have a beta version of their 4.0 software that does support the Pearl, and is also integrated with Mac’s iSync software (very cool).

The one thing that could be improved, and it’s probably not a RIM issue, is in-vehicle bluetooth integration. I can pair up the phone with my car, but I wasn’t able to transfer the address book to the vehicle meaning I can’t look up a number and dial from the steering wheel. Minor issue, but when you spend a lot of time in your car these things become important.

Lastly, RIM moved away from “the wheel” in favor of a joystick (which you can see in the image above). This is surprisingly effective as a pointing device and as a side benefit it is much easier than the wheel for left-handed people like myself.

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