RIM was up against it when it launched the revamped BlackBerry Pearl last November, going head-to-head with the much-hyped iPhone. But a few months into the battle, it seems the business brand of choice has achieved a crossover handset with the staying power to last the distance.

Competing for a similar audience, the Pearl offers business functionality in a more obviously 'mobile' consumer guise. Like most of RIM's products – and unlike the iPhone – it thrives on the understated. The shape and size have remained much the same to the original Pearl , and aside from a lick of navy blue paint there's little to mark this handset out from its predecessor.

Welcome to Wi-Fi

Under the sleek blue-and-chrome chassis, though, some essential maintenance has taken place to confirm BlackBerry's status as the communicator of choice. Wi-Fi is the main newcomer, although 3G is yet to join the standard EDGE network connectivity.

Despite this, you should find plenty of Wi-Fi hotspots using the Manage Connections menu, thanks to the partnership between O2 (currently the Pearl 's exclusive network partner) and The Cloud. Saving a Wi-Fi profile – like your home network – allows the handset to automatically log on whenever in range, so there's no need to tinker with any settings on a regular basis.

Of course, the small screen can't really compete with the likes of the iPhone when it comes to the web browser, but changes are afoot on this front as well. A new full-page view has been incorporated, with a magnifying glass that allows you to zoom in on a particular area. It's not perfect, but it helps – and if your main browser use is for things like checking the football scores you'll be fine.

Everybody knows the BlackBerry's raison d'etre is mobile email, and despite extra consumer flourishes the heart of the 8120 is still in its abilities as a communicator. Push email – where your messages are 'pushed' from the server directly to your phone's Inbox – has always been the BlackBerry's main attraction, and works seamlessly.