Barnes & Noble took the wraps off of its latest eReader, the “All-New NOOK,” just last month. Its grayscale screen strays from the NOOK Color, and while the device still runs Android, it looks and feels much more like a traditional eReader. However, the new NOOK has a brand new E Ink Pearl display that not only works as a touchscreen, but refreshes less often than other eReaders and transitions faster. I’ve been using the new NOOK for the past week extensively, staying up late at night reading and pulling the NOOK out on the subway for quick page turns between stops. At $139, the NOOK is competitively priced with the Wi-Fi Kindle, but is it good enough to be your next (or first) eReader? My full review is after the break.

Hardware

Remember going to the library and picking up a thinner book and thinking to yourself at least this won’t be a pain to lug around? That’s the exact feeling I had the first time I picked up the new NOOK, and it’s the same feeling I get every time I pick it up. The NOOK Simple Touch eReader is 6% thinner than the original and 35% lighter. It measures 6.5in x 5.0in x 0.47in, which is about the size of a small paperback. Of course, the best part is that the NOOK can pack up to 1,000 books and magazines, and there’s even a microSD card slot for adding more storage. At 7.48oz, the NOOK is light, too, so it’s never noticeable inside a bag. In fact, during one dinner I pulled the NOOK out of my pocket and a friend remarked “Whoa, you can fit that in your jeans?” Yep.

The entire body around the device’s 6-inch display, which has a 50% greater contrast than the first edition NOOK, is a soft touch rubbery material. The NOOK feels very sturdy and I doubt you’d have much of an issue with cracking if it fell off of a coffee table. There’s a microUSB charging port on the top of the eReader, and there’s also a hatch on the right side for adding a microSD card.

There are four physical buttons surrounding the display that can be used to quickly navigate forwards or backwards through a book. I was a little confused by which button performed each function at first: when you turn the page on a book it doesn’t always reflect the actual print book page, so it can sometimes be difficult to tell if you’ve stepped forwards or backwards in the story. These buttons worked well and I adjusted to them after about five minutes of reading. You can also customize which button does what.

User Interface

The All-New NOOK’s user interface is exactly what I want out of an eReader. The main home screen shows a thumbnail your of latest book, magazine, or newspaper and how far into it you are; you can tap it to quickly resume reading the book where you left off. However, there’s also a list of new available reads to the right of that icon, and below both there’s a large area with suggestions on what to read next. These suggestions — large icons of the book covers themselves — are pulled in from what your Facebook, Twitter or Google friends are reading. If you have your Facebook, Google, or Twitter account setup on the NOOK, you can also quickly share the title you’re reading with your friends.

There’s an on-screen keyboard that pops up from the bottom of the screen whenever necessary. The keys are on the smaller side given the device’s compact design, but the keypad is actually pretty easy to use. You’re not going to be sending long emails from the NOOK, and it’s definitely sufficient for quick searches as is intended. At any time you can press the home button below the screen to navigate to the settings, back to the home screen, or change between seven text sizes or six font styles.

The all new NOOK is equipped with support for Wi-Fi networks, which means you’ll only be able to download books when there’s a Wi-Fi connection available. The 3G Kindle, by contrast, allows you to download books from anywhere. This was never an issue for me, since I am usually only reading a few books at a time, but it could become an issue if you forgot to buy the newspaper before hopping on the train. Wi-Fi was a breeze to setup, thankfully, and books downloaded in just a few seconds.

Reading Experience

I absolutely loved using the NOOK Simple Touch Reader for… reading. I stayed up more than a few nights reading a Jay McInerney novel I’d been meaning to read, and appreciated being able to quickly read an article in the latest edition of Foreign Affairs magazine on the subway.

The only reason I haven’t purchased an eReader for personal use yet is because I absolutely despise the refresh flicker that E Ink technology typically exhibits when you advance to the next page. The all new NOOK eliminates that almost entirely. Pages only refresh after the sixth page turn, so text appears to just quickly morph each time you want to advance further in a book. I’m in love with it.

The one issue with the refresh technology is that sometimes a page won’t fully refresh, and so there’s a little ghosting from the previous screen on the new one. This only happens when navigating around menus and the main home screen, however, so it didn’t interfere with my reading experience. It’s also easily resolved by moving to another menu option.

Unlike the Amazon Kindle, the new NOOK doesn’t offer a full-blown web browser. You can secretly access one by searching for a web address in the search box, but most sites don’t load properly. Perhaps this is a feature that Barnes & Noble will activate in a future update, but I wouldn’t rely on it.

Battery

I’m not sure that a battery life section is necessary here, because the NOOK’s battery life is insane. Barnes & Noble says it will last for two months with the Wi-Fi off, but I haven’t had the unit long enough to confirm it. The point is: you don’t need to worry about charging the all new NOOK. It uses a microUSB charger, too, so you can simply carry your cell phone’s charger around (unless you use an iPhone… or a Veer, or something) and use that whenever needed.

Conclusion

The choice between going with a Barnes & Noble eReader and an Amazon reader is a tough one. Amazon offers the new “Kindle with Special Offers” for $114, which is surely an attractive offer to some (in fact, it’s currently the best selling Kindle). The NOOK and Kindle also have different book stores, of course, so if you’re upgrading from a Kindle you won’t be able to take your old books with you — at least, not without a few workarounds.

But for me, it comes down to the overall reading experience, and Barnes & Noble has pushed the current eReader technology boundaries with the new NOOK. Its Pearl E Ink touchscreen display meant I didn’t have the extra bulk of a physical keyboard, and also that the pages refreshed less often — an annoyance that has delayed my personal entry into the eReader market. Most of my previous eBook purchases have been through my Amazon Kindle account — I read books on my phone, computer, and tablets pretty regularly — but the All-New NOOK has convinced me it’s time to make the switch.

Friendly reminder, folks… RIM’s latest candybar device and lower cost QWERTY 3G handset are now available for purchase from your friendly AT&T store. If you need a refresh on the products, here we go:

BlackBerry Pearl 9100

• SureType keyboard
• 3G
• Wi-Fi
• GPS
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• 1150mAh battery
• $149 with 2 year agreement

BlackBerry Curve 9300

• QWERTY keyboard
• 3G
• Wi-Fi b,g,n
• GPS
• 2 megapixel camera
• $99 with 2 year agreement

If you’re in the market for a BlackBerry handset from AT&T which one are you going to go for? Or do you think you’ll hold out for the BlackBerry Bold 9780?

Read

Today, AT&T announced that they will begin selling the BlackBerry Curve 3G and BlackBerry Pearl 3G in time for the holiday buying season. The Curve 3G (9300) will be available on an unspecified date — before December 25 — and will retail for $99.99 with a new 2-year contract (no mail in rebate required). The Pearl 3G (9100) will be available starting October 17 in stores and online and will retail for $149.99 on-contract (again, no rebate required). The devices will add to AT&T’s BlackBerry lineup which also includes the Bold 9700 and Torch 9800.

Read

We’ve just been sent in some visual confirmation of what we already knew: Wind Mobile will be adding the BlackBerry Pearl 3G to its pre-paid handset lineup. What we didn’t know, and our source was kind enough to tip us off on, is that the handset will be officially announced today. No details on price were provided, but we’re confident the handset will retail for right around $300. There you have it.

UPDATE: The device is now up on Wind Mobile’s website for $300.

Via a press release, RIM has announced that BlackBerry 6, which will debut on the BlackBerry Torch 9800, will also be available for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and 9650, as well as the BlackBerry Pearl 3G. Great news for all you Bold owners out there (sorry 9000 owners)! Here is the official verbiage from the release:

BlackBerry 6 will debut on the new BlackBerry® Torch™ smartphone (announced today) available from AT&T on August 12 and it is also designed to run on select BlackBerry smartphones already in market. Subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead, the new OS is expected to be available for the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700, BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 and BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G, as well as future BlackBerry smartphones.

The OS will be available, pending carrier approval, in the coming months. Hit the jump to view the full release.

RIM Unleashes BlackBerry 6

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Aug. 3, 2010) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced BlackBerry® 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry® smartphones that retains the trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh, approachable and engaging experience that is both powerful and easy to use. BlackBerry 6 features a redesigned interface that seamlessly works with a touch screen and trackpad, expanded messaging capabilities that simplify managing social media and RSS feeds, an advanced multimedia experience that rivals the best in the industry, a convenient new Universal Search tool, and a new and efficient WebKit-based browser that renders web pages quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience.

“BlackBerry 6 is the outcome of RIM’s ongoing passion to deliver a powerful, simplified and optimized user experience for both touch screen and keyboard fans,” said Mike Lazaridis, president and co-ceo, Research In Motion. “Following extensive research and development to address consumer needs and wants, we are delivering a communications, browsing and multimedia experience that we think users will love, and we are thrilled to debut BlackBerry 6 on the amazing new BlackBerry Torch smartphone.”

Visual, Fluid Interface
BlackBerry 6 has been redesigned making it easier and more intuitive, with clean, sleek visuals and natural, fluid navigation. Designed to be both fresh and familiar, the new interface enables a productive, fun and highly satisfying user experience whether using a touch screen or trackpad and keyboard.

BlackBerry 6 offers multiple views that help users better organize their applications and content. Icons are arranged on the Home Screen in 5 customizable views (All, Favorites, Media, Downloads and Frequent) that are navigable with simple swipes. Users can organize where they want their icons to appear, and can add contacts or web page shortcuts directly to the Home Screen.

Also new to BlackBerry 6 are visually-rich, context-sensitive Action Menus. Within a given application, by clicking and holding the trackpad or through an extended touch of the display, users can bring the most common actions or tasks of an application to the surface. In addition, users can seamlessly multitask by holding down the Menu key, which pops up a visual grid of all the applications currently running, so users can instantly switch between applications.

A powerful Universal Search tool is also accessible from the Home Screen. By simply clicking or tapping the Universal Search icon, users can search for any content on their handset, the web or in the new BlackBerry App World™, which is also integral to BlackBerry 6.

Fast Rich Web Browsing
BlackBerry 6 integrates a new and efficient WebKit-based browser that renders web pages (as well as email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. It features tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, an auto-wrap text zoom feature that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements, and pinch to zoom.

Social Feeds and Text Messaging
The new Social Feeds application simplifies the management of social networking and RSS feeds and provides integrated access to the native BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™, AOL® Instant Messenger™, Google Talk™, Windows Live™ Messenger and Yahoo!® Messenger applications for BlackBerry smartphones. Social Feeds streamlines the user experience, provides an integrated view of friends’ activities across multiple social networks, and lets users post updates across multiple networks simultaneously. Users can also easily add their favorite RSS Feeds from the Social Feeds application or directly from a website while browsing.

RIM’s new Text Messages application also adds exciting new features for users who communicate mostly via SMS and MMS, including the ability for users to now view a conversation in one threaded ‘chat’ as well as share photos, videos and other rich content.

Engaging Multimedia Experience
The multimedia experience in BlackBerry 6 is designed to give users a more engaging and streamlined experience with album art everywhere in the new music and video players. The new BlackBerry® Desktop Software 6 integrates media sync for easily syncing photos and videos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*. It also includes Wi-Fi Music Sync, a unique feature that allows users to view their entire iTunes® or Windows Media® Player music libraries from their BlackBerry smartphone, create and edit playlists, as well as select music for download. When in range of their home Wi-Fi network (or via USB), the changes are synced with iTunes® or Windows Media® Player and the songs are automatically downloaded to the smartphone. BlackBerry 6 also gives users access to a range of camera modes that can help them capture better images. Editing, organizing and sharing shots is amazingly simple, with intuitive options for grouping pictures.

The new Podcasts application makes it easy for users to find and manage audio and video podcasts. Users can view all the podcasts saved on their smartphone, browse a catalogue of podcasts available for download, subscribe to them, and wirelessly download the content directly onto their smartphone. There is also a dedicated YouTube® application, so viewing and sharing videos is easier than ever and users can also easily search for videos using the new Universal Search tool in BlackBerry 6.

Compatibility with Existing BlackBerry Smartphones
BlackBerry 6 will debut on the new BlackBerry® Torch™ smartphone (announced today) available from AT&T on August 12 and it is also designed to run on select BlackBerry smartphones already in market. Subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead, the new OS is expected to be available for the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700, BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 and BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G, as well as future BlackBerry smartphones.

The kiddies over at PocketBerry found a parts supplier selling a AT&T branded bottom plate for a maroon BlackBerry Pearl 3G (9100). Hopefully, the parts existence – if genuine — indicates that the classic candybar handset will be headed to AT&T in the not-to-distant future. For those that need a quick refresher on what the Pearl 3G’s stat sheet looks like: 360×400 display, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS, 256MB of flash memory, 624 MHz processor, microSDHC (support up to 32GB), 1150 mAh battery, and BlackBerry OS 5.0. Man, things have been quiet up in Waterloo lately. Come on BlackBerry OS 6!

[Via PocketBerry]

Read

In 2006, RIM launched the BlackBerry Pearl 8100. It’s critical reception was mixed, but there’s no denying it helped propel the BlackBerry brand to super stardom. Since then, smartphones have become even more mainstream and many serious competitors have emerged. Yes despite all of the competition and its own success, RIM has remained relatively true to its conservative tradition. Even today, a time when more than half of its customers are consumers, RIM is still sticking with a Java-based OS that has remained relatively unchanged since the Pearl first hit the scene. This year, RIM announced to little fanfare. Can a consumer product from a company that is business-centric at its roots survive in the age of Android and iPhone? Hit the jump to find out as we review the BlackBerry Pearl 3G from Rogers.

The Rogers Pearl 3G ships with OS 5.0.0.629 and has about 130MB of free memory out of the box. Without getting into the ins and outs of the software (sorry, but we’ve been there and done that about 50 times), let us just say that this particular OS build is solid overall. As for the phone itself, like all RIM devices, the call quality wonderful and reception was excellent whether over 3G, EDGE or Wi-Fi. We have to admit that we didn’t observe any notable speed improvements while using Wi-Fi (in fact we found 3G to be faster for web browsing, which is either a testament to Rogers’ network or a shoddy Wi-Fi chip), but the fact it’s on board is a plus, especially with 802.11n. A 624MHz Intel XCore CPU helps the Pearl 3G go through the motions with ease. Not once did we see a spinning clock.

For a phone that many deride as being meant for little girls and sissies (shouts to Justin Bieber fans), the Pearl 3G is a solid device that can withstand drops and tumbles that would make other phones wide-eyed with terror. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its build issues. Even for a low-end smartphone, the fit and finish is nowhere near as good as it should be. Dust easily gets trapped between the display and the housing, and light seeps out around the display, trackpad and keypad.

Speaking of the display, yes it’s small at 2.4″, but it’s also very sharp owing to its resolution of 360×400. The only issue we have with the display actually has nothing to do with the display, but the light sensor which controls it. Its performance was erratic and for the lack of a better description, seemed to believe it was opposite day. When we wanted it to be bright it went dark and vise versa. It might be a small thing to complain about given that you can turn off the light sensor, but that would needlessly drain the battery. And regrettably, the battery on the Pearl 3G wasn’t exactly what we were hoping it would be. Coming from the BlackBerry 9700 and its incredible battery life, the Pearl 3G is a let down. With relatively light usage we struggled to make it through the day.

The SureType keypad is a bit of a contentious issue in these parts. Apart from feeling rather slippery thanks to aggressive ridges and a very smooth and glossy surface, we still aren’t sure what to make of the concept after all of these years. While we understand that there’s no way RIM could comfortably cram an entire full-QWERTY keypad into the 50mm wide frame of the Pearl 3G, a part of us thinks that there has to be a better way — but we don’t exactly feel like going off on a tanget over this. With that said, we shudder to think of the struggles of a first-time SureType user who didn’t take the time to populate the custom dictionary. If you don’t do that, you’re in for one hell of a frustrating time.

The camera on the Pearl 3G does an admirable job when compared to other 3.2 megapixel sensors. It performed well in low-light environments, was able to achieve focus without much of a delay and booted up quickly enough that we find no reason to fault it. Here’s a sample taken in a dark room in which a computer monitor was the single source of light.

The external speaker on the Pearl 3G is situated directly below the keypad and faces towards the ground. To put it politely, the external speaker is simply awful. You’d think that a phone with dedicated media keys would have decent acoustic qualities, but the speaker on the Pearl 3G isn’t even average. A few years back we accidentally drowned a Sony Ericsson W810i while it was ringing (long story, don’t ask) and would have gladly swapped out its drenched speaker for that found on the Pearl 3G. We liken it to a police radio.

The Pearl 3G isn’t for everyone. No one’s trying to say that it is. Power users would be best served by staying away from it and so would those who are looking for a feature-rich smartphone. Ultimately when considering who the phone is designed for — the casual user who wants a dependable phone with more perks than a featurephone and what is still the best platform for PIM — the Pearl 3G is a pretty solid choice.

It’s not surprising since we told you this would be the case, but today Canada’s Rogers Wireless today announced the immediate availability of the BlackBerry Pearl 3G and Acer Liquid e. While they’re both obviously quite different handsets in that the Liquid e runs Android 2.1 and that the Pearl 3G is, well, a BlackBerry, both are available for $49.99 on contract and $424.99 off. The question is: Do you prefer a BlackBerry with SureType keypad and 3.2 megapixel camera, or Snapdragon-powered Android smartphone with a 5 megapixel camera? Decisions, decisions.

Read [Pearl 3G] Read [Liquid e]

In an internal communique to employees this evening, Rogers announced that it has launched the BlackBerry Pearl 3G. Now en route and expected to arrive at dealerships across the country over the next few days, Rogers has priced the Pearl 3G at $49.99 on a 3-year contract with voice and data or $449.99 outright. Anyone planning on picking one up this weekend?

UPDATE: According to another Rogers connect, the device is now showing up in Rogers’ system with a promotional price of $29.99 on contract. Hit the jump for a screenshot.

Thanks, anonymous!

Although T-Mobile has remained mum on the issue of whether or not it will carry the BlackBerry Pearl 3G, it’s good to sell the phone so far as Uncle Sam is concerned. Both the SureType and T9 siblings have passed, as the AWS 3G variants just received FCC certification. Of course with rumors recently circulating saying that T-Mobile had passed on the Pearl 3G in favor of a cheaper, 3G-capable Curve floating around, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not we’ll ever see these hit the shops.

Read

So check it out… RIM’s huge BlackBerry hullabaloo, Wireless Enterprise Symposium, or “WES”, officially kicks off tomorrow in sunny Orlando, but that didn’t stop the Waterloo folks from busting out two — count ‘em, two — hot new smartphones prior to all of the festivities. Wanna know what they are? Hit the jump to find out.

BlackBerry loving, code division multiple access junkies rejoice, as today, RIM announced the latest addition to its CDMA BlackBerry portfolio: the BlackBerry Bold 9650. We would love to say we didn’t know the 9650 was coming…but we’d be lying. Here is the skinny on the new addition to the Bold family: CDMA EV-DO world phone with support for HSPA and UTMS (2100 MHz) networks, Wi-Fi b/g, optical trackpad, GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, 4.4” x 2.4” x .56” and 4.8 oz., 512 MB of flash memory, microSDHC card support up to 32 GB, 1400 mAhr battery, and BlackBerry OS 5 — the press release did not list a processor clock speed. The new handset will be available in the U.S. in May. Not exactly the most  earth-shattering announcement, but hey… it’s something.

Then there’s the Pearl 3G. If the Bold 9650 was a phone we could see coming from miles away, the Pearl 3G could be seen from the exosphere. Just a touch smaller than the original Pearl 8100 at 108mm x 50mm x 13.5mm, the 3G is said to offer, “uncompromising performance and top–of-the-line features,” which include: 360×400 display, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, Wi-Fi b/g/n (a RIM first), GPS with BlackBerry Maps, 256MB of flash memory, microSDHC support up to 32GB, 1150 mAhr battery, and BlackBerry OS 5.0 — all of which is kept purring by a 624MHz processor. The Pearl 3G will be available with a SureType keypad (model 9100) as well as with a traditional T9 keypad (model 9105). Why is RIM just now making a smartphone with a T9 keypad? According to RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, “more than three-quarters of the people in the global mobile phone market are still buying handsets with a traditional alphanumeric keypad, we think the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G addresses a substantial market opportunity. It allows consumers to upgrade their traditional mobile phone to a full-featured, easy-to-use and fashionable 3G BlackBerry smartphone [...] while maintaining a handset design and layout that is familiar and comfortable.” The Pearl 3G will be available for a multitude of carriers starting in May.

We’ve got the official press releases linked up for you below.

Read – Bold 9650

Read – Pearl 3G

It looks like the BlackBerry Pearl 9100 will be more expensive than anticipated when it launches with Bell and Rogers, as a leaked screenshot from a Canadian big box retailer has the phone listed at $79.99 with a 3-year voice and data contract. It was initially believed the it was believed that the 9100 would be priced at $49.99 on contract owing to its $449.99 off-contract price. The Pearl 9100 has yet to be announced by RIM or any of its carrier partners, but Rogers Wireless dealerships have already started receiving display units. TELUS will be picking up the 9100, although at this point its pricing remains a mystery.

Read

It certainly can not be long now, folks. HowardForums staple and Rogers dealer “Treatz” has taken delivery of dummy models of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 in white and Pearl 9100 in red. No word yet on when Rogers (or any other carrier, for that matter) plan on launching the pair, but with WES kicking off in just 5 days — yes, the BGR crew will once again be in attendance — we’re dead confident that we’ll be able to nail down a release date. But for now we’re keen on knowing what you guys think of the two. The general consensus here at BGR is that white 9700 is hot as hell. The red 9100? Not so much. Hit the jump for one more pic.

UPDATE: One of our Rogers connects sent us in two additional shots of the BlackBerry 9100. You know where to find ‘em…

Thanks, Treatz!

Well, there it is: the BlackBerry Pearl 9105 complete with T9 keypad. The images, which were posted and subsequently removed from the Google Group id-blackberry-archive, show the phone as looking identical to the render we saw at the end of March. What’s particularly interesting to us is that even though the keypad is quite the departure from SureType, no changes appear to have been made to the configuration settings in Input Options when compared to the current Pearl and Pearl Flip line-up. When we last checked in with the 9105, word was going around that it was headed to Europe in May or June, but recently a few little birdies informed us that it will also be making an appearance Stateside. We’ll see.

Thanks, Astor

Read

It looks like Fido’s corporate security team isn’t having its best month because someone aptly nicknamed “FidoMarketing” has leaked the details of its Q2 handset and price plans. There’s not a heck of a lot of exciting things here, although the BlackBerry Pearl 9100 is listed and is apparently coming very soon:

• BlackBerry Pearl 9100 – May 4th
• LG GW300 – April 13th
• Nokia 3710 – May 18th
• Nokia X3 – May 18th
• Novatel Wireless MC988DF – May (singled out for being 28.8Mbps, a sign of things to come to Fido/Rogers no doubt)
• Sony Ericsson Aspen – June

In terms of plans, Fido is still struggling to find its identity. It has really cheap handsets, yet the plans that go along with them are pretty mediocre for Canadian standards. FidoUNO, Fido’s UMA service, will be decommissioned as of June 1st, but a new CarryOver Minutes plan (not available to City Fido or corporate customers) will be introduced which allows one to accumulate rollover minutes over 6 moths. Data plans will also get a bit of a change with news plans with the introduction of Wireless Internet Options. Basically what it all boils down to according to the documents is this:

• $15 – Unlimited Email and IM
• $15 – 100MB/100MB BIS
• $25 – 500MB/500MB BIS
• $30 – 1GB/1GB BIS
• $40 – 2GB/2GB BIS
• $40 – 3GB
• $50 – 5GB
• $50 – 15GB [sic]
• $80 – 8GB
• $150 – 15GB

Be honest, people. What are you thinking?

Read