Blackberry Now

I just recently got a Blackberry Pearl from T-Mobile. After reading some things online, I saw some people saying things about having open programs on their Blackberry Curves, and other Blackberry models and how to check if there are any programs running.

But I never have seen anything about BlackBerry Pearls. Do programs automatically close when you hit the back button when you’re in a program? Or are they minimized? And if they are minimized how can I see what programs are running, and how to close them?

I know with some phones, like the Blackberry, you have to buy the extra internet service, or whatever.
But- could I just buy the Blackberry Pearl and just use it as a phone on the Verizon network?

I’ve tried replacing the battery and nothing has worked. Does anyone have any answers? The Blackberry and carrier websites have provided no help.