Attention BBHub readers: your assignment today is to call Cingular stores about Pearl

Posted Nov 15th 2006 8:54AM by Russell Shaw
Filed under: Cingular-AT&T, Pearl 8100, Rumors

We're getting a lot of conflicting info about when exactly Cingular will launch the BlackBerry Pearl.

We hear it may be in some of the channels this week, but other documentation points to a December 1 launch after T-Mobile's exclusivity window expires.

Sometimes- as we saw with T-Mobile store personnel offering Pearl previews to customers before the official release date-store people are in the loop.

So readers, I am trying something new today. An extension of what many bloggers call "citizen journalism."

If you are willing, I'd like you to call one of your local Cingular Wireless store today and ask when the BlackBerry Pearl will be available. Be nice, but let's "flood the zone."

If you are near a store, you may also want to stop by and ask them the same question.

You can also call Cingular's customer service and ask them the same question as well.

Or, if you are a Cingular BlackBerry enterprise customer, call your rep if you would like.

Next, here's what I would like you to do.

Via the Comments function in this post, tell us what the Cingular people you spoke with told you.

Be sure to provide the name of the city the store is located in. Not the employee name, or even the specific store. We don't want to get anyone in trouble.

Why am I doing this? It is my belief that the larger the sample of Cingular quotes, the more accurate a picture we will be able to draw.

Later today or first thing tomorrow, I'll round up what you have found, see if there is a pattern, and then I will make a new post from that.

Reader Comments

(Page 2)

21. The cingular stores I checked said sometime later November or early december.

Would very much appreciate if folks can also ask if 2 versions of Pearl are going to be released or not. I need to upgrade my 8700, therefore would be very curious to know if Pearl (With FULL QWERTY) be available this December. Please let us know what you find.Regards

Posted at 1:07AM on Nov 16th 2006 by Soccer stud

22. Davis CA Cingular store said they should have them after black Friday.

Posted at 10:04PM on Nov 15th 2006 by Borat

23. I work for Cingular. And the last person you should ask about when a phone is coming out is store reps. We (yes I work for cingular) are purposely not told when new phones are going to come out. They feel if we knew, sales would go down because people would always be waiting for the latest and greatest phone. So call all you want, are you're gonna get is some bs speculation.

Posted at 3:07AM on Nov 16th 2006 by NoOne

24. I used to think that that the pearl was going to be out by the 17th.... But i checked the cingular site this morning and they just put up the blackjack and the Cingular 8525, but no pearl.... i dont think they would release the pearl the next day after 2 other smartphones were released. Guess i wont have a new phone to show off on thanksgiving....

Posted at 7:22AM on Nov 16th 2006 by BKM

25. I was at an expo yesterday and had a chance to hold the blackberry pearl for cingular. It actually had a cingular logo on it and I was told while i was using it that it will be very soon to release. My guess is this week maybe early next.

Posted at 8:48AM on Nov 16th 2006 by blackmamba

26. I've been waiting for what feels like forever now. Just release the damn thing already! :)

Posted at 6:43PM on Nov 16th 2006 by Afreet

27. I was informed by our NBI account manager as well as someone in a call center that it would be available in two weeks as of Friday, November 17th. That would seem to jibe with the December 1st timeframe.

Posted at 9:19PM on Nov 22nd 2006 by Brian Mc.

28. The cingular store I talked to said that they had received confirmation that their unis were shipping from the warehouse, and he expected them after the holiday.

Posted at 4:38PM on Nov 21st 2006 by PearL0ver

29. I spoke with the Merritt Island, Florida, Cingular Store about a half hour ago. The Pearl will be available on the 29th of Nov. He mentioned that they were told it should have been before Thanksgiving but "something" happened.

They have a list to add your name, sort of a preorder type thing, and I am number 1! (I'm excited about that) They are offering it for $149 after a mail-in-rebate.

Posted at 5:32PM on Nov 22nd 2006 by Kerrie

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