Grab your Alltel BlackBerry 8130 Pearl now
By Will Park on Friday, December 14th, 2007 at 10:29 PM PST In Alltel, Announcements, Devices, RIM (Research in Motion)
Alltel’s finally joining the BlackBerry 8130 Pearl-party with today’s announcement that the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Pearl 2 is now available to all Alltel subscribers. If you’re not familiar with the BlackBerry 8130 Pearl by now, well, you should have been paying attention – there’s going to be a quiz at the end of all this.
Anyway, this SureType successor to the original BlackBerry Pearl will be bringing that 2 megapixel camera and integrated GPS receiver to Alltel’s “Largest Network.” There’s also that regular 3.5mm headphone jack, microSDHC card slot, all packed into the Alltel-only Amethyst (we call it “Blue”) colored body. A 2-year contract and a rebate will net you an Alltel-flavored BlackBerry 8130 Pearl for about $150.
i was just told by an alltel rep that blackberry sent him an email and that pic.msg will be updated no later than aug. sept. unless something changes.
That’s good to know babygyr177. I hope it’s true or else i think alltell (or i should maybe say verizon by that time) will have a bunch pissed off customers.
i just bought my 8130 off ebay from some other alltel customer. not sure why he sold it, but its a cool phone. ive had it for like a week, and just got it activated a few days ago. this is my first camera phone so i was pretty hyped about sending picture and video messages which my freinds do pretty often. so by buying this phone i figured id have the upper hand right? haha now im readin all this and turns out this $500 phone doesnt send picture messages wtf… you have to send them as an email attachment or something like that. im pretty pissed about that issue not being solved by now, but so far everything else is pretty sweet. havnt experienced the memory leak issue though. hell i dont even know how to work 75% of the functions! and im a pretty technologically inclined systems engineer. they need to offer a class at local community colleges to learn about these phones. anyways, good luck to all you guys with your phones. theres a ton of other smart phones on the market, i may be lookin into a different one. but for now its alright.
take care
Very, very dissatisfied with BB Pearl 8130 and Alltel. Had it less than a month when 2 buttons popped off. Alltel said it wouldn’t be covered under insurance since it is not a manufacturers defect although phone hasn’t been dropped or abused. Yesterday another button popped off. Alltel said if they had 100 or so complaints then it would be a manufacturers defect but since no one else has had problems like this it won’t be covered. Have been a loyal Alltel customer for over 15 years but am very unhappy with service I’m getting now. Why should I have to pay for something that is obviously defective and no fault of mine?
well i got my BBP not so long ago. My dad bought it for me and now i’m reading all this negative messages about it n i feel guilty about my dad buying it for me. At first it was kinda crappy and it wasn’t working i called customer service and they walk to me through how to fix it n IT WORK n now its working really good my internet is SUPER fast, i don’t want to jinx it n say i love it but i do i hope i hope i hope and pray to god that it keeps working really good otherwise i’m going to feel really guilty becuz i didn’t even want the BBP. I just didn’t want the da razr anymore i hated it so i hope my phone doesn’t do any of those problems otherwise i’m going to kick the sales persons ass! for selling it to my papi n not telling him all the problems o n by the way I HATE I HATE I HATE that i can’t send pics i’m a pic freak so they better fix it n hurry up n If they don’t i say ALL BBP OWNERS REFUSE TO PAY OUR PHONE BILL TILL THEY FIX IT! o idk something like that u know. We need to do something about it becuz thats gay how they sell phones but don’t tell us the problems yea yea i know i should of google the BBP first but i didn’t even that my papi was going to get it for me n thats my story n i’m sticking wit it !THNX for all the tips guyz!
hello i have been playing around with my blackberry pearl for sometime and yes it def takes some getting use to .One QUESTION does anyone know how i can set up a ringtone for my messages or is it just impossible?
ok.
the 28th of this month will be the day the patch is released. so all you picture messing fiends out there will be able to send them w/ you your BBP( all rejoice)
and to chocolata
on the place where you pic loud, vibrate, quiet you scroll to the bottom of that and pick advanced then go to loud or normal and go to the type of message then select, and for free ringtones go to myxer.com.
ok. thats it
$ out.
Kash how do you know that it will be here on the 28?
hi. i have had my bbp for almost 2 months now? i hate that i cannot send picture messages. i bought this stupid phone and 1. i cant send pictures 2. my call log and messages get deleted at least once a day 3. i miss phone calls like crazy! does anyone out here have the same problems??? how can i fix these problems??
Chelsey
If your messages are getting deleted just google blackberry and memory or go to crackberry.com and search you Will find an answer to your issues there.
Tried my best.
ok, maybe im just missing something, but i cant figure out how to set ringtones for my messages. everytime i get a txt it just beeps twice. i would like it to use a ringtone or something.. can anyone help me plz?
nvm, i figured it out lol
Hey kash its the twenty eighth and it hasn’t come I’m thought you were gonna be right. But I guess I set my hopes too high…..well unless it comes later and then I will feel like an idiot. Till then
how would we know that we can send mms messages? would it just be on our phones or would we have to do an update when RIM releases it??
Chelsey,
We will receive a text message to a link to update our phones.
when you get missed calls, it sends you a text saying you have a missed call. can someone tell me how i can stop the texts saying i have them. i get alot of missed calls and its annoying to check all these messages? i love my bbp except for pic texting. i hope they hurry up and fix this. thx
I know I said the 28th but I found out that source I got it from was misinformed. I’m sorry but I said what I was told. It will come soon. Let’s just hope before 2009….or the merger finishes..because if not then I’m getting the thunder.
Jess, every time you miss a call u will get a sms. No way to turn that of. U can do immediate call forwarding to ur mailbox though, but then u don’t get any calls at all.
I read a lot of ??? I had at the beginning. There are a couple books from the “dummy” series by Rob Kao. He also has a very good forum where he answers questions. Check it out at: http://www.blackberrygoodies.com/forum/index.php
I also read a lot about loosing sms or call logs. BB has a memory issue. In fact, all BBs have that. If you have a lot of 3rd party software on it the RAM will go low. The phone is designed to dump “unimportant” stuff first (like msg, call logs, etc.). There are several ways to improve the RAM situation. Check out above mentioned forum. Pulling the battery 1 or 2 times a week is also mandatory. This resets and clears the memory.
Lastly the MMS problem. I contacted Alltel many times about it and there is still no softwareupdate in sight. I suggested all customers with Pearls should write to RIM, because this is rediculous and uneccaptable. CS told me to write to Alltel cause they bought the phone from RIM KNOWING it has no MMS capability. Shame on Alltel!
well i contacted rim and they told me that it’s alltels problem and not rims
Well to clarify a few things in this blog!!
Frist to fix the text/call log issues, make sure programs that can be saved to a memory card, ARE!! (pics,ringtones,videos, and voice notes). Also make sure that programs, default ones, that you arent using are deleted to make room for ones that you are going to use. In options, there is the ability to set your phone to turn off and on automatically, do this for it will help keep the memeory clean and programs closed. The issues is this, the Pearl has 64 mb of internal memory avlb. if the memory is being used by running progams, too many 3rd party apps or media stuff it will delete the least important info on the phone ie. call log and messages. Another suggestion, when exiting programs make sure to hit options/exit not just hitting the end key for this will end not hid the programs and keep memory avlb. (if issues still occour get the CURVE for it has 96 mb of flash memory avlb)
As for mms, sorry no short term answer, WE (alltel and rim) never created a MMS service pack for this phone model, not sure why. The issues are going back and forth between the two companies with no resolve. Again it sucks, but you are still able to email/send pics though BB Messanger(which rocks, best messaging client I have used!!)
Plese before complaing and blaiming a company(for memory issues)learn the in and outs of your phone and know how to use the memory properly.
Hope this helps up and comming crackberry adicts.
Are we able to send mms messages now with the pearl?
Not like a traditional mms message,where you would send them by the phone #, you are able to email messages as well as send them via blackberry mess.
What I don’t understand is why does the HTC PPC 6800 and 6900 Touch and the blackberry 8330 curve have MMS and pearls don’t….I had a pearl for awhile and now I have curve and I love my MMS!! Alltel just seems as if they dont want to invest to much money in the Junior blackberry.
Not sure why nate506 is so excited about being able to email messages (Blackberry Pearl 8130). I can’t take a picture and send it to my kid’s phone (he just has a average flip phone.) You would think this is basic technology. Anyone who doesn’t get email on their phones (LOTS OF PEOPLE) can’t get pictures. I can’t even receive pictures! This is totally crap. Would have never bought this phone if I knew it didn’t have BASIC features.
i agree COMPLETELY. i traded in my old at&t flip phone and switched to alltel for a shiny new bb pearl. It was good, for about the first hour. it would constantly delete my call log and texts as soon as i got them; not to mention the horrible turning hour glass that had me constantly doing battery pulls! The whole “not being able to send or recieve videos or pictures” was a pain in the ass too! i’m paying $115 a month for this thing and it has just been a huge nighmare. So, last Saturday i went up to the store to pay my bill and complain about the phone. They let me trade in the pearl for a new red curve and just pay the $40 difference. (Which shouldn’t have been the case because it’s their problem anyways). So overall i’m pretty happy with the large screen size and the reliability of the memory. But i still can’t get video messages!!!!! so what’s the point in paying so much money for something that can’t perform the functions of a free phone? ahh well, i just hope they get around to fixing it soon
MMS Messaging is now available for the pearl!!!! NO lie, go into your options, advanced options, host routing table, hit your options and select register now, this will enable mms messaging…..just noticed it last night cot 7th……. hope this makes your pearl experience better!!!!
‘when you get missed calls, it sends you a text saying you have a missed call. can someone tell me how i can stop the texts saying i have them. i get alot of missed calls and its annoying to check all these messages? i love my bbp except for pic texting. i hope they hurry up and fix this. thx’
check above post for pic messages
Open up your phone function (hit the green button) hit you bb options button, go to call logging, select none, then hit the back button to save this will take care of the missed call message!!
‘ok, maybe im just missing something, but i cant figure out how to set ringtones for my messages. everytime i get a txt it just beeps twice. i would like it to use a ringtone or something.. can anyone help me plz?’
to change this,if you haven’t figured it out, from the front screen go to the top right of your phone, to you profiles, go down to advance settings, select the current active profile, there will be a sms setting for ringtones,go into this profile, there will be a in holster ringing option and an out holster ringer profile, once you have it set to where you want back out of this screen and it will give you an option to save settings.
okay so my blackberry pearl updated yesterday and it says that i can send mms! im so excited but i have tried a million times to send a picture and it wont ever go through. why finally after months and months does it just tempt me to send a picture and then wont send it! i hate alltel! can someone please help me! i tried doing what nate said and when i clicked on host routing table thing it had a huge list of number and letters and i didnt know which one to click on. that might be my problem! please help me!
i have a alltel blackberry pearl 8130!
Ok so I registered my phone but yet I still are nothing saying I can mms it says my phone is registered on the wireless network but under compose message options I still only have SMS and email? What’s the deal was this legit or a hoax?
Shawn
My problem is the opposite of yours. My phone says compose mms but it won’t go through! It does say I’m connected to the network but it still won’t go through. This sucks!
Shawn he is telling the truth but it is misguided.I called and the tech support people told me Rim accidently sent out the mms messaging option so if you did what he said soon after he posted you would have the option. But the odds aren’t good that you will be able to send or receive mms most of the time. At least until AllTel releases the new OS
Well I rebooted my phone thinking like a pc 4 any updates 2 take effect it would have 2 b restarted but 2 no avail still nothing so I called cs n she told me they were still testing but getting ready 2 release it this month but wld have 2 b downloaded from blackberry.com…. So you lucky few got well lucky cuz I had no such luck! However if it won’t go threw maybe u got the service books but that the network doesn’t allow it yet since it isn’t technically released or u got the software but no service books idk I am officially lost now! Lol but when it comes 2 Alltel that doesn’t take much! Just waiting 4 the storm 2 release n I’m ditching my pearl n Alltel n jumping ship 2 Verizon!
Mine is working great on both sending and receiving mms! Bout time!!!
my mms on my blackberry pearl 8130 is working fine i can send and receive mms now!!!!! itz bout time!!!!
this sucks not being able to send/receive video/picture messages….I have had my phone for a little over a month now and just thought nobody was sending them anymore until I talked to several people and they said did you get my message about “blah-blah” or why didn’t you respond to the picture and so I just looked dumb founded and told them I wasn’t getting anything but texts….I thought I was doing something wrong and starting doing research on how to correct it and found this “blog” and am not happy at all….i am considering taking it back but it has been over 30 days since I got the phone…don’t know what will happen!!?!?!?!
when using mms it sometimes wipes out all my sms history but leaves emails…..strange!!! anyone else having this issue?
Shayne ingle
I don’t have your problem but I have a question. Is your mms fully functional or does it fail most of the time like mine? I can receive but when I go to send it fails all but forwarded mms messages which only go though infrequently
after having alltel service for many years, i have become completely disenchanted with their line of bullshit! my wife and i bought blackberry pearls within a week of each other in august of this year. one day mms miraculously appeared on my phone but not on my wife”s. after checking with the local office i was told that it was a software problem and should be fixed “in a few weeks”. a few weeks passed with no resoulition of the problem. i then e mailed alltel and was told it should be fixed “in a few weeks”. i also was told that at present the pearl could not receive or send mms. obviously i was talking to an idiot as mine worked fine for about a week before it quit working!
my point is this: alltel needs to quit lying to their customers and tell the truth. if the “software problem isn’t gonna be fixed until next year, thats ok but don’t keep bullshiting the customers with this “a few weeks” story. this has shaken my faith in the alltel system and i will be changing carriers just as soon as my contract expires. i am considering legal action because when we purchased our phones, we were told that mms service was available and it was not! sounds like false advertising to me! after buying this POS idid some research and found out that people have been waiting a year for mms service and still don’t have it. what in the hell is alltel’s definition of “a few weeks”? i was much happier with my motorola flip. this was one of the stupidest things i ever did, and believe me i’ve done some stupid things in my life!
after another nasty gram to alltel i received a reply today. the technician admitted that they have no firm date when mms will be activated on the blackberry pearl 8130.. at least i didn’t get the “in a few weeks” answer. i appreciate the honest answer, but i’m still pissed about alltel receiving money for something that they do not deliver!! maybe a class action lawsuit is the way to go.
Anyone know a good lawyer? I’d like to participate in the class action suit.
Wow, I’m glad I’m not crazy when I couldn’t figure out how to send/receive picture texts on my pearl. that really sucks and I think a problem that does need to be fixed PRONTO.
Wow, sounds like some pretty pissed off people, huh? I’m a wireless rep at Alltel, and to reply to Gene, I highly doubt that anyone was “bullshitting” you about when MMS was supposed to be released. We’ve been told the same things that we pass on to the customers when they ask. Everytime we have been told a date that it was supposed to launch, that date would come and go with no results. We have been just as frustrated as you, my friend. It’s not really fair to attack Alltel and everyone who works for them when you don’t know the whole situation. There’s other ways to get your point across than ranting and raving and pointing your finger and slinging insults, my kids don’t even do that.
When the MMS option mysteriously showed up on the pearls a few weeks back, we were told that it was a slip on RIM’s part and that it wasn’t supposed to be released to the public yet, but someone obviously made a mistake. I’ve been in a Pearl since March, and I’ve been waiting for MMS with just as much anticipation as the next guy. MMS IS NOW AVAILABLE. You have to go to software.alltel.com and there is a 4.5 OS update to add to your phone, and MMS will work from there on out. It is relatively easy to do, you don’t even need to use your desktop manager, you just follow the prompts and plug in your phone to your computer and go! MMS is working perfectly on my phone and those I know who have done this upgrade. Hope this helps, and not everyone at Alltel is lying to you or “feeding you bullshit”. If I treat the people that I rely on for my paycheck that way, it wouldn’t be too smart of me, or benefit the customer or myself in the long run. I’ve got mouths to feed, and believe it or not, most of us are really out to help you as best we can!
Thanks,
K
Thanks Keith….I did exactly what you said and everything is working great! If everyone else follows your instructions, the MMS problem should be resolved for good. Thank goodness! I was about to get the Curve because this update was taking forever!!
Thanks again,
Jeff
Thank you that work perfect I sent my first Picture on it 5 mins ago and it went though wow I have had the phone for almost 8 months now. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!
Still after downloading the awaited 4.5 which should had fix the mms problems, to my amaze, you can send pic but i cannot recieved any. Alltel repres told me its my phone so they change it and still will not recieved, now they are saying there is still problem with the mms program. Hope now when they switch to verizon, we can get this fix!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got my Pearl about a month or two ago. Overall, I like the phone, but it doesn have some issues.
No.1 would be deleting texts and calls. It seems everyone has this problem. Your best bet, from my findings, is to delete anything you don’t use to free up as much memory as possible. Also, deleting hisotry and cookies helps to.
No. 2 would be sending pic and video messages. It’s silly that a SMARTphone can’t do something as simple as send an MMS. My boyfriend had the cheapest of camera phones and even it could send pics and vids.
No.3, the salesman lied to me about the Pearl having a radio feature. You simply pick a genre and it plays music. He even showed it to me on his BB. It wasn’t a Pearl, but he said every BB had it. I have yet to find it.
You have to be smarter than the phone. I have a pearl and I love it… Because I know how to use it. If you have a memory card and your phone still deletes messages you need to delete any unnecessary applications. Also make sure you have memory cleaning on and try clearing cookies pushed content and history in your web browser. As far as pic messaging use your email address. Doesn’t seem to be any different than reg pic messaging to me.
Hey you guys i was thinking about getting a pearl so overall is it worth it is it a nice phone or not???????????????????????????
this bb is the worst thing i have ever had my old razr was better than this. my messages deleted and calls deleted again and i had important thing in my messages. and i even have a memory card and it dont help at all. this pisses me offf. alltel get this fixed and dont play dumb when i come in and say my shit deleted and say this is the first you heard of it!!!! FIX IT NOW!!!