BlackBerry Pearl won't ring in your pocket

Anyone who's had the good fortune of seeing a Pearl in the flesh knows that it's one extraordinarily good looking phone, particularly by BlackBerry standards. Unfortunately, where we come from, phones that don't ring are called "paperweights" -- which is exactly what the Pearl becomes when the trackball gets nudged. You know, like if it's in your pocket, or your purse, or pretty much anywhere besides a stationary counter top. As it turns out, when the phone rings, the handset immediately silences the ringer with even the slightest movement of the trackball, regardless of whether keylock is enabled. While we do appreciate the Pearl taking the initiative for us and ignoring phone calls so we don't have to, there is an occasional situation where we like to make the decision ourselves, and until RIM issues a fix users simply don't have that option. Strangely, two Engadget editors patiently attempted to explain the issue to a RIM representative this week at CTIA for several minutes without success; we think the first step to RIM issuing a fix would be for the company to understand the problem, so we could be in for a bit of a wait. Maybe the words we were using were too big?

[Jason @ Jul 17th 2009 12:55PM]

I bought BlackBerry Leather Holster for 8300, 8310, 8320, and 8330 Curve (Black) at this website http://www.dealsshoppie.com/product/search.php?ID=B001321FX0&product=BlackBerry+Leather+Holster+for+8300,+8310,+8320,+and+8330+Curve++(Black).27 users rated the product with an average of 4.0.The information provided there was very helpful.

[Z @ Sep 17th 2006 12:58PM]

Once a few big business deals (the businessmen) or a few death will occur (the doctors) because of this great feature, I guess they'll consider something... ;-)

[BlessedBullet @ Sep 17th 2006 1:03PM]

I would think most people who have a Blackberry would use the holster since it's ahrd to fit in a pocket... Wouldn't the holster help preventt his problem?

[Weegee @ Sep 17th 2006 1:14PM]

@ BlessedBullet

Currently there is no OEM holster for the Pearl. There is one coming out the 27th of September, but until then this is a huge problem.

[Devin Lussier @ Sep 17th 2006 1:19PM]

@2: The Pearl is designed to be one of the smallest Blackberries yet, so that you actually can put it in your pocket. They're trying to bridge the gap between stylish and businessy with this one, so it's pretty important that they fix this. I'm certainly interested in getting one but they'll need to fix this soon otherwise it's a deal-breaker and I'll get the MDA.

[Thom Steinhoff @ Sep 17th 2006 7:27PM]

The worst part about this feature is one bump it's released, a slight slide it's pointing to emergency, and another bump and it is calling 911. A few times I've pulled it out of my poket and realized I've been on with 911 for 20+ minutes. They are not happy with this feature themselves.

As for the holster, put it on and get into a car without taking it off. Almost guaranteed to pinch your flesh so bad you leave a welt--that's why I never wear it.

Nothing compares to a Blackberry, but that is one feature THEY HAVE TO FIX!

[andrew @ Oct 12th 2007 3:43PM]

The 8820 has the some problem with calling 911 while locked. Anyone know how to disable it. I blogged about my experience with ATT techsupport and they do not know the answer.

http://graymerica.com/wpblog/technology/worst-cell-phone-feature-ever-key-locked-blackberry-8820-calls-911/

[spud boy @ Sep 17th 2006 1:22PM]

.
Got news for you guys--this isn't new. My two-year old Blackberry 7100t does the same thing. It's never been a problem for me. That's probably why the RIM guys seemed puzzled by your claim that this is some sort of a bug.
.
.

[CJ @ Sep 17th 2006 1:31PM]

@Weegee,

I think you're mistaken:

http://www.blackberrypearl.com/h-function.jsp#

Click on Accessories. There is a "BLACKBERRY LAMBSKIN LEATHER SWIVEL HOLSTER" there:

"The Lambkin Leather Swivel Holster is smooth and its durable leather exterior protects your BlackBerry Pearl smartphone, while its soft interior cleans the screen every time you use it. And you can adjust its convenient swivel clip for maximum comfort whether you're standing or sitting. "

[ScottBerry @ Oct 17th 2006 11:41AM]

The pearl hardly rings for me, I just typed a search and come to this page. I have had one for a week, and it is already too much.
The "Lambskin Holster" would be like putting this into a leather sock. The pearl has default security and phone settings that turn it off and lock it when it is "holstered" I don't remember seeing anything about the lambskin holster that works with this feature. I think it odd that RIM can't get a shapely piece of plastic on the market for this. I have Java.lang.nullpointer problems, and the first one I returned after the 2nd day, It wouldn't boot after I set a SIM pword. Not my idea of a good way to spend money. It does look nice as a paper weight, makes MP3s sound pretty good too!

[Kesey @ Sep 17th 2006 1:55PM]

I've the the pearl in my pocket for a week now and I've yet to experience this. Way to manufacture "news" engadget.

[Scott Canoni @ Sep 17th 2006 2:07PM]

A bug to one man is a feature to another :)

Does it switch to vibrate when you touch the trackball?

[TexRob @ Sep 17th 2006 2:47PM]

I was about to get one, but until this is addressed I won't be getting one. Don't be such a fool Kessey, you either don't get calls or you have been lucky and your trackball doesn't get hit in your pocket. I've read about this problem on some BB forums, it's not something they are manufacturing.

Between this and the video lockup problem, they need a patch badly.

[Erk @ Sep 17th 2006 2:55PM]

@CJ

Don't tell Weegee he's mistaken when you provide a link that doesn't even give you the option of buying...the site itself tells you to go to www.shopblackberry.com and this is the link:
http://shopblackberry.com/_blackberryaccessories/cgi-bin/go.cgi/webstore/category_by_model?frompage=front&category=BlackBerry%208100

Now tell me, where's that "lambskin leather" holster? Nowhere to be found...the only one is a crappy looking pouch that says will be available on the 27th. Do your research before pointing other people's "errors".

The issue with the trackball can be minimized by reducing the sensitivity setting and/or using a pouch/holster from another model, so far people have been able to use the holster from the SDA, BB 7100 and the armband holster from the MOTO SLVR L7.

[Mischa @ Sep 17th 2006 9:16PM]

Everyone says these are so cool-
but I DONT WANT MY KEYBOARD DIVIDED in 2!!!

Nor do I need to play Centipede.

Treo for me.

[5 Year Treo User duped into Pearldom. @ Sep 17th 2006 5:38PM]

Um. This is the least of the Pearl's problems. This piece of crap is impossible to use. I am returning mine to T-horible tomorrow.

[CellularMountain.com @ Sep 17th 2006 5:35PM]

This could be a huge problem. Not everyone wants to carry a holster. I gave my wife a holster for her treo 650, and she rarely uses it. She always just throws it in her purse. If she just talks and tosses it back in her purse without shutting it off, it will answer calls by bumping into stuff in her purse. They should have a setting for this feature/problem.

[dan @ Oct 15th 2006 12:02AM]

they do. you can set your phone to have the key presses silence the incoming call, not answer it. this way the calls are only answered by pressing the green "send/call/answer" button.

[Josh @ Sep 17th 2006 5:38PM]

When will manufacturers make a keylock actually lock all the keys? I have the Samsung i730 and even when the keylock is on as soon as you get a call the send and end buttons are active. This means that when you remove it form a holster you either answer or hang up on whoever is calling you. Key lock means lock all keys!!!

[Chris Thiessen @ Sep 17th 2006 6:17PM]

I know one of the guys who writes RIM's phone software, so I forwarded this to him.

[yubastard @ Sep 17th 2006 8:00PM]

wow, you had to be talking to an idiot, because I'm a dumb mofo' right now, and I got it, lol

it's a feature every cellphone has, but it's no use if I cannot take my calls! I'd like to see that mystical pearl in action, but if the company does not understand the problem... then that's a dumb mofo' company AND a dumb mofo' phone.

[T-Will @ Sep 17th 2006 8:46PM]

Why does 911 need to be built-in as a speed dial on any phone? If you're coherent enough to hit the speed dial button, then wouldn't you be coherent enough to dial 911+SEND?

[Derek @ Sep 17th 2006 8:50PM]

I got a pearl a few days after they came out, and I have a few other gripes...Yes, not answering my calls is annoying to people that like to call me, but if the phone is on me I check it compulsively anyhow, so I'm not really all that inconvenienced by the missed call thing.

My problem is that the thing won't synch to the BlackBerry Connect software via bluetooth, and a T-Mob customer service guy gruffly told me last night that it's a firmware issue there's no fix for yet.

I'm on hold with the T-mobile folks right now, since the instructions for unlocking the phone date from another blackberry and do not apply to my beautiful new gadget...

I get the feeling that anyone who wants one of these should wait a few weeks until this sort of early-in-product-lifetime stuff gets sorted out.

[malibuandy @ Sep 17th 2006 9:18PM]

Everyone is being too picky about this issue. The Pearl is so far superior to anything on the market so far in the following ways:
Amazing voice quality
Small size
cool look
great feel
great camera even though 1.3 megapixels
ease of use
brightest screen anywhere
music
video playback
extra bold type even old people can see
trackball which works so much better than scrollwheel
Bluetooth earpieces easier to turn on and off
faster web browsing on Edge than GPRS
programmable side keys
much improved sure-type
dialing from homescreen

Have had my 8100 from the first day and set the trackball for higher resistance and have not missed a call, and I get about 100 a day. Not saying it can't happen, but if it is a problem I am sure RIM will fix it. Meanwhile every day I enjoy it more and find some new feature that makes it better.
Of course the e mail is also far superior to any oterh device. Blackberries always did everything right but looked dorky. Now it is the coolest looking device anywhere. Am sure that most people who try one will want one, whether they have a big Blackberry or a Q or a Treo or anything else. Gave my Ipod to my kids and my Casio camera is just sitting. A true all in one device. RIM is the best and the Pearl is a pearl! I am sure they will fix this issue, but it is being blown up way out of proportion.

[Derek @ Sep 17th 2006 9:17PM]

Still...on...hold...now with RIM...after stumping 2 t-mobile reps...on (presumably) 2 continents...same phone call as when I was typing that last comment. Doesn't everyone love gadget companies?

[Tmobile BB God @ Sep 19th 2006 9:37AM]

Pearl Issue
Yes the trackball is super sensitive if you turn down the sensitivity to like 40 completely solves the problem for most users. There is no unlock (subsidy unlock) for that handset yet RIM might be able to fix that. Just wait 90 days and RIM will release a OS update that should resolve these and other small user interface issue. Glad to hear that everyone is satisfied with the service and signal reception that was the main issue with the 7100 series that T-Mobile tried to fix with the pearl. at Least no ones griping about it yet!!

[Respex @ Sep 17th 2006 9:31PM]

Where is the qwerty keyboard?

[Deluxe @ Sep 17th 2006 11:20PM]

Just a quick question, is email still the only feature that makes these things 'amazing'? I generally don't tend to follow western phones since I live in Japan - where email is just as standard as a screen, and few handsets even support SMS.

[xelencin @ Sep 17th 2006 11:25PM]

The Sidekick 3 does the same thing but it keeps vibrating after its muted.

[J. R. @ Sep 18th 2006 9:08AM]

I have a Treo 650 and it has the same kind of issue. If the side rocker button gets bumped it automatically goes to silent. I've missed a couple calls that way. I'm really starting to hate my Treo too... Locks up ALL the time...

[Wideruled @ Sep 18th 2006 11:47AM]

As one of the other posters have said, this is not a new problem. ALL blackberries have done this since they have included the phone function. One solution is definetly to turn down the trackball sensitivity. I had to turn mine up since it didnt feel right to me.

Being an Ex-Tmobile phone monkey it doesnt surprise me that some of the people dont know how to setup the bluetooth sync yet. Im sure in time they will learn (or be trained on it) but until then please hit up the blackberry forums.


http://www.blackberryforums.com/general-8100-series-discussion/

[Eric Porres @ Sep 19th 2006 6:03PM]

Got the Pearl on day 1, and have had an excellent experience thus far (previous berries were 7105t and 7230). By default, I lock the keyboard when I put it in my pocket (hold down * to lock). I found that with an open-faced phone I got into the habit of locking the keyboard so as not to call someone accidentally from a favorite key, etc. When a call comes in, by default the screen comes up with two options: Answer or Ignore. Scrolling the pearl will select either of those two things and 'clicking' will select one or the other. I also have my phone set by default to Vibrate then ring in my 'Normal' setting so maybe I've just got lucky with how I use the phone to not have encountered this problem yet. As with all BlackBerries, RIM does take some care with OS upgrades, and with a lot riding on this product launch, I'm hopeful that they are paying attention to Engadget and the comments herein. I've added this write-up here: http://www.porres.com/conversation/?p=137

[moz @ Sep 24th 2006 5:03PM]

Isn't anyone else annoyed as re: the mp3 player that the headphone jack will not accomodate a normal, headphone sized plug? Are you supposed to just use the mono headset to listen to mp3s? That's fratarded.

Otherwise, I dig the thing. . .

[Kevin @ Sep 28th 2006 1:36AM]

things I would like to see addressed with the pearl:
.volume button should function to switch profiles
.hold a key to turn on camera light for use as a flashlight
.video recording
.additional option to vibrate and ring at the same time
.light sensor responding better to light conditions

please forward these concerns to someone important in canada so my pretty new phone can be perfect

[sergei @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:43PM]

1. Trackball light - why????? It is far more luminous than the keys, it blinds, can't see the keys while typing

2. Volume is too low - can't hear the ring most of the time. Phone should continue to vibrate when ring turns on : in general, "Vibrate then ring" sounds like a cute idea, but is pretty useless.

3. Need to be able to assign shortcut app to other physical keys, not just two - UI is clumsy by modern standards, need one-key shortcuts
4. Phonebook still uses silly "Home" "work" , "mobile" designators. For those of us who have "Bob US" and "Bob Italy" number, that just doesn't work.


Overall, why invent this sort of stuff when Nokia/Ericsson has already done all the UI usability work, just copy?

[Istrappini @ Oct 9th 2006 6:27PM]

Now I know why I've been missing so may calls. This is a serious problem, one of several. I love the phone, it's functional, sleek and it's tiny. Perfect fit for your fifth pocket in your jeans. Thus the track ball problem.

A couple problems;
The ring volume is much too low and the ring functions are a pain to change, you can't just press the side volume adjustment buttons to change styles.

I guess there's Video problems with certain formats, but I haven�t seen that yet.

Maybe this is normal for a Blackberry but if you receive a Text message the screen and keys do not light up, only the LED. the Led is barely noticeable. it's a pain if its on your desk at work with the ringer off.

My Biggest problem that no one has mentioned yet is with the Media drive. Apparently this phone does not support the 2 Gig Micro SD card. It does not say anything about this anywhere. I bought a non refundable 2 gig card that�s useless because of a Firmware problem.

RIM Guy's, please send an upgrade quick! I really like your phone but these are serious problems!

Also, I hope they offer replaceable faces cause these sreens are going to get sratched.

[sergei P @ Oct 11th 2006 1:09PM]

just returned the thing back to Tmob.

1. very poor battery life: with basic telephone/email usage (no music or camera), phone needs to charged every 12-16 hours
2. Poor call quality - tubby, compressed, mumbly sound, far worse than 4-year old Ericsson t610
3. keyboard is aggravating in its own right - but the highly luminous trackball(pure cosmetics, nobody needs illuminated trackball) makes it a torture to use.
4. Low ring volume => missed calls.
5. Dysfunctional Bluetooth implementation

These are big things. There are smaller things - design and implementation boo-boos which are too numerous to even begin to list - but for a previous user of Sony -Ericsson, Pearl is just too raw. They have jammed some "consumer" functionality into the phone, which is a good idea, but they did it in a sloppy, just-for-show way.

[jmomo @ Oct 15th 2006 3:49PM]

I have had a Pearl for about two weeks now and was wondering why I was missing so many calls. I just confirmed that this is true by using my girl friend's phone to test mine. Whenever I move the pearl, just a little bit, it immediately silences the ringer.

This is a very serious problem. I'm missing calls because of this.

[Jawad @ Oct 16th 2006 4:45PM]

Have read the posts with interest... Have had my Pearl for about a week now and while I love the thing, the problem with the phone not ringing when calls are received because of the trackball is a COMPLETE DISASTER. Those of you that don't appreciate it as such are simply unbelievable... just nuts. This problem has quickly reared it's ugly head and become an incredible irritant. Moreover, I don't have to move the device for this to occur. Let's say I'm out and about and then I come home, take the Pearl out of pocket and set it down on a table and go about my business. Unbeknownst to me, I am frequently missing lots of calls because I had used the trackball in the past and it still *thinks* it's being moved, but no one is touching the phone.

An accompanying, and UTTERLY BIZARRE problem that I'm having (and the T-Mobile service people tell me it stems from the same software issue), is that the phone frequently and suddenly stops ringing when I AM dialing someone else. In other words, I dial a number and hold the phone up to my ear and...nothing...nothing...nothing...nothing -- then, suddenly, person I am calling says "Hello?", or if they aren't there, voicemail comes up. Anyone have any more info on this ridiculous glitch??

These two issues alone are completely unacceptable to me. Incredibly irritating. This phone is going back to T-Mobile promptly if there isn't a fix within a matter of DAYS. Forget 90 days. No way I can wait that long, and I suspect I'm not the only one.

I sincerely hope RIM sees these comments and the dozens like them. You people have made a great product with such stupidly fatal flaws. Absurd.

[Rick @ Oct 17th 2006 1:29AM]

It is my impression that the ringer stops when the trackball is moved to any degree because it was intended that way. I noticed that when I get an in holster call and the phone rings, as soon as I begin to retrieve it from the holster, the ringer goes silent. My impression was that this was intended to reduce the distraction that an audible ringer would produce in public settings, as soon as the owner physically goes about retrieving the phone. In one respect, this is ingenious and a great way to silence the thing asap in public.

I did some tests by dialing my Pearl with my desk phone. I would roll and nudge the track ball, and it would silence the ringer. I noticed that it did not answer the phone. However, if your phone moves in its case and does it just when the call comes in, I wonder if it could silence the ringer before it actually becomes audible? I doubt it. Also, if you bumped your case just right, and depressed the trackball just at the right time so the curser was on answer, I guess you could inadvertanly answer the call in holster. Is this likely? I doubt it.

I did something that I thought was kind of resourceful. I have the new TMobile brand leather pouch for the Pearl. They finally went to the magnetic flap closure, which I like. I can't shake the thing out of the holster when the flap is closed.
Anyway, I noticed that there is no interior channel, or recess down inside to prevent the trackball from coming into unintended, or needless contact with the pouch interior. So I took the pouch and folded the front firmly to crease it ONLY from the bottom, to just under the magenetic portion near the top. This created a recessed aread that allows the trackball to stay clear of any contact with the interior until I lift it out to answer a call. I tested this and only when I lift it out of the pouch did it stop ringing. Because the TMobile pouch is designed with some kind of stiff reinforcement under the leather, this folding of the pouch face created a permanent recess. By the way, this pouch is of very nice quality, and the belt clip, though stationary, is very secure, and very well made.

There is this other issue, however. The ringer goes silent, and I can't get it to come back on. I suspect that this is a "BUG" and only when I remove the battery for a few seconds and reinstall it does the ringer come back to audible. Perhaps I am missing something, but it may well be a bug that RIM needs to address. I am not surprised as most any new product design has a few quirks. The issue is, will the company respond to these and fix them.

How about a trackball lock/unlock button, or include the trackball lock in the keyboard lock function. Again, I think that RIM wanted us to silence the ringer asap by allowing trackball movement to achieve this. I am not sure that this is answering the phone for anyone, but maybe I am wrong. It could silence the ringer before it sounds enough for some to hear it in certain circumstances, so I guess this ingenious feature isn't universally ideal. But then, life is full of trade offs it seems.

I like the dang thing, and I get all my email in the field, which has been a real help to me. I do wish it was almost the size of the 7130, however. In fact, if they come out with a 7130 type with trackball, then I am very interested.

[arts @ Dec 12th 2007 5:14PM]

I have a blackberry pearl (8100) when it rings, if i try to silence the ringer by pressing the button on top of the phone this doesnt silence the phone. It stops it ringing for about 3 secs and then continues to ring.

Is there any way to mute the phone when it rings

[Rick @ Oct 17th 2006 8:09PM]

Overall mine has performed well, but there is this weird "it won't ring anymore" issue. As I said, I have to remove the battery for a few seconds, and then after powering back up, the ringer works.

I thought about the holster issue further, and I think the rigid lined plastic or synthetic shell that is molded to clear well the track ball is the ticket.

Will any of the BB 7130's work with T-Mobile? I heard they won't because they won't have the T-Mobile software built in.

[Jenkins @ Oct 20th 2006 1:28AM]

Another potential problem with the pearl is that finger grease and dirt will ultimately jam the ball, just like the old style computer mouses. That is why optical mouses have been developed for PCs.

[Jason @ Oct 20th 2006 12:19PM]

Another option you can change is to change how many times it vibates before it rings. Go to the profile section, scroll down to the advance option. Select your profile and go into phone. You will have the option of changing it from 1 to 3 (2 is default). Change it to 1 and it will ring quicker and you will have a better chance of heaing the phone.

[Jason @ Oct 20th 2006 12:21PM]

This is of coarse if you want it to vibrate. You can also select phone only and it will cut out the vibation totally. Not a solution, but a chance to stop missing calls.

[Rick @ Oct 21st 2006 1:55PM]

I noticed that after it sits around awhile, the LED stops flashing, I have to turn it off and back on for it to resume its fine flashing routine. I ordered a new open face holster from Fortte for it in custom color, so it won't have the track ball nudging and will be more secure in my hand during calls. Check out fortte's website as they have several (yes it's true finally) holsters or pouches for the Pearl.

Rick

[Kevin Taylor @ Nov 7th 2006 2:15PM]

My problem is related to this issue but more extreme. My Pearl worked fine for a week and then quit ringing. It never started ringing again, no matter how I change the menu settings. Even more strange, when I make an outgoing call, I hear no ring while it is trying to connect; there is just a prolonged silence until someone picks up or a voicemail engages. I must keep looking at the screen to know whether it is trying to connect or not.

[Bluedelyse @ Nov 16th 2006 9:32AM]

I have missed a bunch of calls and now at least know what the issue is after reading here! I've had mine for a month (of course, just after the retail return time) and the zoom feature on the phone has stopped working. The scroll works for everything else, just no more zoom. I've only used the camera a few times (and I think the picture quality is pretty bad), but I bought this phone for the size and outlook sync. To have it "repaired" leaves me without for over a month, so I'm not interested right now. My biggest issue is that it is just the beginning of something worse!

[klewwy @ Feb 10th 2007 12:30AM]

Hi Bluedelyse.

Saw your comment about the zoom not working on the camera. I had the same problem. I found a post that said to remove the battery, and put back in and it fixes the problem. Sure enough...it works (not sure why).

My problem is that I'm on my 2nd set of headphones (since late October), and I'm only getting audio in the right ear. I'm not treating it harshly, so I think they've not been very good at "testing" it in the real world.

k

[koraisiva @ Feb 15th 2007 9:12PM]

I am having strange problem with my Pearl. when I make a call I don't hear anything
on the phone. If I switch to speaker phone I can hear the ring and talk. When I get a call it rings on the same ear speaker on the phone. If I use the head phone i don't have any problem.