How to Find a (Buggy) BlackBerry Pearl

I could have named this post “How to Find a Lost Mobile Phone,” but there is something unique about the BlackBerry Pearl that makes it extra difficult to find; the ring tone sometimes does not work after plugging in and taking out the headset. Calling your Pearl to find it will not work in this case (arrghh!). It’s one of the BlackBerry Pearl bugs that makes the $599 iPhone tempting. On the other hand, perhaps not having a phone is a good break from the daily routine, allowing for some needed space to think about other things?

I rely on my BlackBerry Pearl a lot (more than a car to be honest). Staying in the “Matrix” of my professional and personal life requires that I be able to communicate (in an instant). Anymore, I rely on e-mail just as much I do the phone to hook up with people. Running a company and managing a family of four requires a constant shuffling of priorities and being connected to people, tasks, etc. Not having my BlackBerry is not just an adjustment, it’s a hassle!

Here is a little story on how to find a BlackBerry Pearl when the ring tone bug sets in.

As I was going to bed the other night, I could not find my BlackBerry Pearl? I thought, “well, it’s got to be hear somewhere as I know I just read an e-mail from it while watching something on TiVo.” So I went to bed peacefully, anticipating that I would find it before leaving for work the next day. When I woke up, I had this sudden feeling of worry: “What was I looking for before I went to bed that was so important?” I finally realized that I was starting my day not knowing where my little BlackBerry Pearl was.

“Crap!” I thought, “Photo shoot at 10AM – what if one of my kids gets sick and I have to pick them up? Oh yeah, I told a few people to ring me in the afternoon,” blah blah, blah. It was my turn to get up with the kids and get them ready for their day, but I could only think about where the heck my BlackBerry Pearl was? After the morning routine, I did a quick scan around the family room, kitchen, etc. It was no where to be found. I tried calling it, but could not hear anything? “Double Crap!” Was I using it with the headset last night? I never put it on vibrate, so a weird sense of loss started to set in. “Maybe my kids took it to bed? Maybe I accidently threw it away? Did it fall out of my shirt pocket into the toilet when I was, err ah, in deep thought?” 5 Minutes before leaving the house, I decided to upheave to couch and side chair. Nothing! I called again thinking the phone was buried and if I turned off CNN I might hear something. Nope – nothing.

Now it was time to go and get the family going on their day. “Okay, I will have a few minutes after everyone leaves to check the upstairs.” Nothing! At this point, It was time for me to go. Wow, “How weird it is not to have my BlackBerry leaving the house.,” I thought. All of the calls I wanted to make during my commute were not going to happen. I kept feeling the urge to grab my phone and follow up, get things going, etc. Arghhh!

A whole day went by without my BlackBerry, and I must say I started to ween off of it towards the evening. That said, I was now obsessed, on a mission to find the darn thing. In my mind, I was at the point where I was just going to get a new one, but I had to find it for my conscience sake. I tried everything, what else could I possibly do? As the sun set, it finally came to me: “I can wait until it is pitch dark, turn off all the lights, and hope to see a glow when calling my BlackBerry!” Ahh, at last some calm. It was a sure thing.

As the night fell I read my RSS feeds and patiently waited until it was pitch black. Finally, at 9:30PM or so I got up, turned off all the lights and started calling my BlackBerry. The search downstairs turned up absolutamente nada. I made my trip upstairs, hit redial and sure enough began to see a pulsating LCD under a coat rack, behind a laundry basket, nestled in a corner on the upstairs landing. Long at last, I had found my BlackBerry Pearl.

One day without my BlackBerry is simply an inconvenience to say the least. It could have gone so differently, but because the BlackBerry Pearl is buggy, the one thing I thought I could rely on to find it (the ring tone) did not work. I am sure RIM knew about this bug, but let the Pearl fly anyway thinking it would be a minor inconvenience. In the grand scheme of things it was a minor inconvenience and it was nice not having to be so attached to something. So, yes, I was peeved, but finally found some humor in it all for you to enjoy. That said, I’m definitely getting an iPhone!