dennis.ca

The Blackberry Pearl, as far as I'm concerned, it the perfect size for a phone -- Demure enough to slide in a pocket and light enough to forget it's there. It's also very expensive, very shiny, and very prone to scratches.

Enter Speck's SeeThru Hard Shell Case and Holster for the Blackberry Pearl.

Shipping, Packaging

Canadian customers will be dinged twice for shipping -- once by Speck and and once by UPS. The only shipping option Speck offers to Canada is UPS Air.

Anyone who has suffered through cross-border dealings with UPS knows about their ridiculous brokerage charges. A 2-pound package with a value of US$90 required CDN$15 in brokerage fees (due on delivery).

Packaging is a simple plastic box; thankfully not one of the heat-formed monstrosities that requires a plasma cutter to open. Nothing exotic or extraneous here.

Fit and Finish

The case itself is translucent charcoal-coloured plastic. While no installation instructions are included, there are only three pieces -- everything is self-evident once removed from the packaging.

Installation literally takes a few seconds. Fit and finish is as close to perfect as you're going to get with a two-piece case. All ports and connectors line up perfectly and there is no discernible effect on signal strength once the casing is in place.
The plastic is thinner than I had envisioned; the impact on size and weight of the phone is minimal. The casing is easily removed by pulling on a tab on the back (very close to the Blackberry battery compartment cover release).

There are two areas of the phone that remain exposed once the case is installed:

1. The 'metal' camera lens/mirror/flash panel on the rear of the phone; and
2. The keyboard/Pearl button

One piece of advice I'd give would be to throughly clean the phone and inside of the case before installing. Particles stuck between the screen and cover are obvious (and annoying).

Overall

• Above average fit and finish;
• Super easy to install and remove;
• No apparent impact on signal strength; and
• Very low weight and size addition.

Speck's leather Blackberry Pearl case wasn't available when I ordered (drat!), which I probably would have opted for instead.

Speck SeeThru Hard Shell Case and Holster for the Blackberry Pearl, US$24.95