no more data...should I keep it
 

my employer decided to not reimburse me for my data charges any longer. I almost never used the web, mostly e-mail. I do not want to add $35-45 (cingular data plan) a month to my bill. Do you think it is worth keeping just for the PDA/phone type features?
Thanks in advance

I would.

I used a BB dataless for years. The calendar/to do list/notes/contacts/etc without data are still light years ahead of any other phone, and you can still sync easily to a pc, something that a vast majority of other phones can't. Obviously, I say do it.

If you don't need the emails coming to your BB, then you don't need the data plan. The blackberry is a great fully functional PDA :)

Thanks, I will keep it :)

Using email requires the data plan, so you would need to keep it if you want to keep getting email on it.

Personally I'd get rid of it and get yourself a Palm Pilot or PPC device instead. There's no arguing that for non-wireless functions the amount of applications available for those platforms make them better all around PDA devices, wireless aside.

Wirelessly posted (NakedBerry: BlackBerry7250/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

if you got the Palm Pilot you would have to carry two devices instead of one. Its a pretty good phone. Keep it.

Agree ..... Only downfall I see is you would have to carry 2 devices, a Cellphone & PDA.

I would still keep the BB as a phone and off-line PDA (using desktop manager to sync calendar and addresses with outlook). Like you, I'd like to only have one device and the QWERTY keyboard would still be useful if you ever send SMS text messages. Plus it's nice to have your phone's address book synchronized (even offline via USB) with Outlook.

I personally wouldn't get enough use out of Palm or Windows Mobile device to justify it. I don't have any Palm or Pocket PC applications I'm dying to run. Nor do I find the PIM applications on the BlackBerry to be limiting (vs. a Palm or PPC). So I would keep it.

Man, I've had the hardest time trying to figure out whether a BB data plan is required or not. I was told by two separate reps at Nextel that it IS (w_w_w.nextel.com/en/solutions/blackberry/email.shtml) required. The Nextel Authorized dealer that sold me my 7100i had/has no knowledge of this. Both reps at Nextel insisted that they will know I have a BB and that it will be added to my bill without my consent even if I signed up for only a voice plan. I have recordings of the conversations.

This (w_w_w.blackberrycool.com/2006/02/10/001359) site says that a BlackBerry purchased on contract is subject to this rule because RIM gets kickbacks on the data plans. However, a compatible BB brought from outside doesn't have this requirement, and that only a SIM switch from a voice plan on another phone is necessary.

Question #1: If I don't have a SIM to use, how do I get a new SIM card from them without letting them know it's a BlackBerry, or does that even matter since I wholly own it?

Question #2: If I bring my own BlackBerry does that also mean I can use a standard phone data plan (the cheaper $10-$20 ones) to check my gmail, send emails, etc.?

I would love to be able to use this great device without the data plan. I'd be thrilled if I could use a non-BB data plan.

Sorry about the web addresses. Can't post URLs yet, what a stupid rule.

Buy a different phone and swap the SIM card into the BB.

No. It does not matter how many times you try to conceive a way to work around the BB data plan - you will fail. RIM is a multi-billion dollar company with the US Government and several Fortune 500 companies as their clients - believe me when I tell you, they have designed a system that allows your BB to work ONLY with a BlackBerry Data Plan. Please trust this as fact.


You can't.

Nextel requires the BB data plan. At least they used to, and I'm sure they still do. They won't provide your BB service unless you have the BB data plan. You don't have to have a voice plan, but you do have to have a data plan.

Nextel is a special case. Nextel will detect the BlackBerry running on their network and add the data plan to your bill without your knowledge. Even if you don't have a data plan and are using voice only - it won't matter on Nextel. This is regardless if you bought a subsidized BlackBerry or one from eBay (free and clear). Search the forums for evidence of this. My suggestion is to switch to a carrier that is less draconian about this.

also if you buy a BB from the carrier without the BB data plan, expect the price of the handheld to be higher as RIM (and the carrier) will be giving your less subsidy. This is to be expected as they will be obviously getting less money from you each month.

I attempted to do a similar thing with a Verizon 7130e, and the verizon rep stated that it will attempt to connect to the data network, and since there is no data plan, it will charge an outrageous price. She said she couldn't even block the data, and because its a BB. Additionally, she stated that other pocket pc type phones would work in this manner.

I was thinking if there was a way to "block" the cmime (at least delete the book) that maybe this would not be the case. - thoughts & comments are welcome

Has any one been successful in doing this or has heard this song and dance before?

Thanks for your help...

I'm sure it's not possible to block data from a BlackBerry, but a colleague of mine has a PocketPC phone with Verizon and he has had them block data to his phone. He doesn't access the web, e-mail or anything like that. So it is, in fact, possible to block data to a non-BB PDA phone, but no way to block it from a BB.

Cingular is the only carrier I know that does not require the data plan. I switched from verizon for that reason. I love the bb as a PDA/phone combo.

Both my wife and I use BB's on CIngular without the data plan.

Me too, but the cell reps treat me like I don't need it. The truth is that I don't, I just need the contact managment, calendaring and notetaking, and no other "phone" has a beautiful display and navigation system like the BB does.

Hmmm. There's gotta be a way, you can use it on a network without data, right? Like when you're overseas? Doesn't the provider have to set up somestuff on their end? If you just swap a SIM into it from a regular phone, how are they going to know it's a BlackBerry?

I spent all day recording conversations with T-Mobile, Nextel, and Cingular asking many of these questions. 6 out of 7 reps at Nextel said that the Data Plan is mandated, the other one was absolutely sure that it was not. T-Mobile said that a plan was not needed. TMobile Call

I didn't ask Cingular.