Datasheet

to, say, London or Beijing. All you need to worry about is turning
on your Pearl (and maybe the extra roaming charges). Because
your BlackBerry Pearl is quad band, it will work in more than 90
different countries.
What is quad band? Basically, different cellphone networks in dif-
ferent countries operate in different frequencies. For example, the
United States operates two frequencies: 850 and 1900 MHz; Canada,
850 and 1900 MHz; Europe and Asia Pacific, 900 and 1800 MHz. Your
Pearl is designed to work in these four frequencies — 850/900/
1800/1900 MHz — so you are covered no matter where you go.
Well, almost. Check with your network service provider before you
hop on a plane just to be sure.
Two dominant technologies compete in the worldwide cellphone
industry today:
 Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA): This is available in
the United States through Verizon Wireless.
 Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM): This is a
tad older than its CDMA rival. This is available in the United
States through Cingular and T-Mobile.
Nothing stands still in this world, and this saying is proven by the
fact that GSM has spawned Global Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and
EDGE, a second-generation technology that has been growing in
popularity because it works on the same GSM phone infrastruc-
ture. This combo GSM/GPRS is also available in the United States
through most of the major network service providers. As you
might have guessed, GSM/GPRS competes in the marketplace
against CDMA.
Why is this a factor? Or, to put this more bluntly, what’s it to you?
Well, because CDMA and GSM/GPRS aren’t compatible — which is
what happens when you have competing technologies going for all
the marbles in the marketplace — your phone works on only one
technology. When you travel outside North America, you face the
burning question: “CDMA or GSM/GPRS?” (The non-acronym ver-
sion of this question is, “Will my BlackBerry work on this country’s
network or won’t it?”) If you currently work with GSM/GPRS, you
should be okay because most non-North American countries are
on GSM/GPRS networks. If you’re a CDMA kind of person, you might
have some “issues,” as they say. When in doubt, talk to your net-
work service provider.
Chapter 1: Your BlackBerry Is Not an Edible Fruit
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