The name BlackBerry conjures a singular image: big cars, business suits, five-star accommodation. The BlackBerry is undoubtedly a power device for higher echelons of the corporate world. But for lesser mortals, it’s an annoyance. The phone gives half the features at twice the cost, and no matter how hard you try, it’s just out of reach.

So we decided to pit the two new BlackBerrys—one built for style (the Beauty, BlackBerry Pearl 8100), the other from the stable of raw power and functionality (the Beast, BlackBerry 8820)—against each other. While the Pearl is slim, with an elegant small screen and a hybrid rubber keypad (every key can be used for two letters), the 8820 retains the patented BlackBerry look with a wide screen and full Qwerty keys.

Even the keys provide a unique experience. In the 8820, e-mailing, texting and reading is a breeze; the keypad is roomy and even with thick fingers, typing is fast an efficient. With Pearl, the dual letters take a little getting used to, but the typing uses a predictive function that gives a genuine T9 experience.

Yet, both the phones have a similarity: a central track ball is the main navigation key that doesn’t add up to a good performance. While the ball helps move up and down in the menu, multidirectional movement (as in a game) gives surprisingly inaccurate results.

Even the functions appear to be on the opposing sides of the multimedia fence. The Pearl has a 1.3-megapixel camera with a strong flash, which gives standard quality pictures while completely ignoring video recording. The 8820, on the other hand, has no camera; ergo, no recording. Yet, when it comes to watching clips or listening to music, both the phones have practically the same systems and produce similar quality.

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