PEBL now available from T-Mobile

After much anticipation (but without great fanfare, apparently), T-Mobile has officially added the Motorola PEBL to its online offerings, listing it for $299.99 with a one-year contract. Word that the PEBL would be on T-Mob has been circulating for some time, and the carrier added it as a "Coming Soon" option earlier this month; reports were that T-Mobile wanted to have the PEBL available online by the second week of this month in order to pick up some holiday volume, and it looks like they made it — barely. 

[Thanks, KB]

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Bahhhh!!!! I just picked this up at an unlocked price.

[PeL @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Brother in law works for Motorola and played with the PEBL and the Q last week. He loves the Q due to its size and screen but he didn't like the PEBL, as the shape makes it hard to hold and seems to continually want to slide out your hand.

[Calvin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Ritz Camera and LetsTalk.com is offering the Nokia N90 with T-mobile Service for $600 or without service for $700
http://nokian90-ritzcamera.letstalk.com/brands/n90/landing1.htm?landId=1&brandId=357&cmpId=328

[Timmay @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

GRPS phones are soooo 2001... how about a PEBL with some EDGE to make it interseting.

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I have the pebl in my hands at the moment and I love the feel. Its a bit small and might take some getting used to but its better than this razr thing.

[Brian B @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Matt
How much and where?

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

importgsm.com and a hefty price but worth it. bluetooth headset, extra battery and other goodies.

[vf @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

$299? I'll wait 2 months and i'll be at least $100 less.

[Dr Doom @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

In the flesh, this is one of the cheapest looking and feeling phone on the market. The buttons are especially bad. People will still buy it though because they think it's cool :-(

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

@ Timmay,

http://importgsm.com/product.php?productid=102&cat=0&page=2 says it supports edge.

[Matt Thurston @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I'm buying this or the T809 this weekend. I want a clamshell, but lack of EDGE and the VGA camera are making me lean towards the T809. I'll have to play with it at the store.

[Jeff Allan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

$299? Are you kidding me? Totally not worth it.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I got mine as an upgrade on the Orange network in the UK for �15, and I had to extend my contract for another 12 months.

[Craig @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

It's amazing what people will pay just for how a phone looks without considering how well it works.

If the carriers were smart, they'd contract with some of the premier design houses (not just tech design, but fashion as well) and start cramming so-so technology into fashion-plate handsets -- that seems to be what a lot of people want. Not my bag, but people come in all sorts of strange flavors, you know.

[Alex @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

myworldphone.com has it for $499 unlocked. Anyone find it cheaper?

[Ant @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

This phone's cost is near the 299 selling price, that is why it is so expensive.

Exclusively offered by T-Mobile for a limited time, the Motorola PEBL will be available to T-Mobile customers on T-Mobile.com, MyT-Mobile (web-only upgrades) and 1-800-T-MOBILE beginning December 14. The handset will launch in all retail channels and to customers performing upgrades through Customer Care in January 2006.

[doyouflip @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I really don't get it. What's the draw of this thing?

[Brian B @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

the new samsung slider at tmobile is much cooler.

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

and this is better than the RAZR how??

[tom @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I haven't read being mentioned here, but my friend has seen it and he said the antena slides out and the phone opens up automatically when u press a button.

[Abe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I played with one of these a month ago. Really good looking phone, but the springloaded opening mechanism makes the phone fly out of your hand when you open it. I gave it to two people and showed them how to open it, and they both dropped it the first time they opened it.....maybe I just hang around really uncoordinated people?

[tom @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I haven't read being mentioned here, but my friend has seen it and he said the antena slides out and the phone opens up automatically when u press a button.

[Ben @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Does anyone else think that the PEBL is more aimed at the girls then the boys?

[jay @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Is this a take from au design project?
http://www.au.kddi.com/english/au_design_project/models/index.html
3rd from left?

if so, it is a crappy interpretation. Still it is a better looking phone than most, Motorola becoming the Apple of cell phone design.

[Ty @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Does anyone know if this phone will be available for other services like cingular, like they did with the razr?

[TonyTK @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

The PEBL is not aimed at girls. The Pink RAZR is aimed at girls. The PEBL is black and its a fun phone. The auto-flip thing is neat. There is no "button" you just press down and towards yourself and it opens up.

[Tucker @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

what a crappy name, PEBL, tiny stone... things that float in water, churches, PEBL's, very small rocks... a duck!

[Bob @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

i still would like to know how ppl think that motorola leaving out letters is good marketing. It just makes them seem unintelligent. Moto ROKR, PELB, SLVR, RAZR. good job mtrla.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

My N90 shits all over this shoddy phone.

[Michelle @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Phone snobs. Geez. I like my phone to be a phone. Not interested in too much else. The smaller the better, so I can slip it into the pocket of my tight jeans without distracting from the view.

[Joe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I ordered the Pebl off of the Tmobile site, they shipped it super fast, I ordered it Thursday, received it on Friday. I'm sure the price will drop but I'm super happy I ordered it and it got to me that quick.

I am really enjoying the feel and look of this phone, the Moto interface is pretty much the Razr's but I like the size and design of the Pebl much better. This phone def turns heads, it's really unique with a huge "wow" factor, in the way the Razr was when it first came out. I'm digging the velvet body it seems to have on it and compact size, and the spring loading flip is also really cool. This phone feels like a quality phone when you hold it, not flimsy, but has a great weight to it.

I've had great reception in my area so far and am completely satisfied with it even with a $300 price tag, and I've owned 2 Razr's, the Sidekick II, and the Moto A630, so far I like the design on the Pebl the best out of all of those.

Everyone's going to have an opinion, but I have it and would recommend it to someone that loves its design and wants it based on it's abilities as a phone and not an end all device.

[Allen @ Dec 21st 2005 4:28PM]

What is the phonebook like? Can you store multiple numbers for a single name?