[catharsis3k]

I'm a fairly mobile guy, on the move a lot, and a BlackBerry would be exactly what I need.

I want to get one but I am not sure about how exactly they work. I spend most of my time in Europe although I am from Canada. I want to get a BlackBerry device to my Vodafone subscription in Romania but the only one they have available is the 7290 for 450$ US...which I think is a total rip-off.

I am in Canada right now and I would like to purchase a BlackBerry from here to use overthere. I saw that I can buy a bunch UNLOCKED but they all have that little letter at the end - t for T-mobile, v for Vodafone, etc, etc.

Does that letter still matter if the phone is unlocked ? Are there any special settings that remain for T-Mobile even though the phone is unlocked ?

Q1. In other words, can I get an unlocked 7100t from the US and use it on my Vodafone plan ?

Q2. I also have other SIM cards for other countries where I travel. Does inserting a new SIM card in the phone automatically lock the phone to that carrier ?

Q3. When downloading e-mails, does it actually download the entire e-mail or just the headers ? I am asking because if it downloads the entire e-mails, I might have to put a filter in place for messages above X size not to make it to my BlackBerry e-mail.

Edit: I am talking only about data transfers(getting my e-mail) - I don't care for phone calls.

Thanks in advance!

[digital/blasphemy]

I'm sorta a newbie, but I'll answer your questions the best i can

Q1. In other words, can I get an unlocked 7100t from the US and use it on my Vodafone plan ?

yes, you can. that's the beautiful thing about the BB. My last phone (sidekick 2 *shudders*) data services were inherently tied to the original carrier (IE an unlocked sidekick 2 would only work on T-mobile service for data)


Q2. I also have other SIM cards for other countries where I travel. Does inserting a new SIM card in the phone automatically lock the phone to that carrier ?

It won't "lock" the phone to any carrier if you purchased an unlocked Blackberry. it will, however, attach the BB to whatever service provider you are using temporarily

Q3. When downloading e-mails, does it actually download the entire e-mail or just the headers ? I am asking because if it downloads the entire e-mails, I might have to put a filter in place for messages above X size not to make it to my BlackBerry e-mail.

the entire e-mail. I'm not sure if you can set it up to only receive headers, and then if you want the entire e-mail, you can retreive it.

[NJBlackBerry]

Does that letter still matter if the phone is unlocked ? Are there any special settings that remain for T-Mobile even though the phone is unlocked ?

No, the letter doesn't matter at all. It is a model identifier. The 7100r, v, x, t uses slightly different cases. The 7101i and 7130 are different devices and different networks.

Q1. In other words, can I get an unlocked 7100t from the US and use it on my Vodafone plan ?

Yes. But they do not come unlocked and if you buy a locked one - beware of eBay - you may have difficulties unlocking it. Outside of the original carrier, there are no free unlocking services.

Q2. I also have other SIM cards for other countries where I travel. Does inserting a new SIM card in the phone automatically lock the phone to that carrier ?

No. But be aware that unless the SIM card is enabled with a BlackBerry Data Plan - NOT JUST GPRS - you will not get your e-mail. Easier said than done.

Q3. When downloading e-mails, does it actually download the entire e-mail or just the headers ? I am asking because if it downloads the entire e-mails, I might have to put a filter in place for messages above X size not to make it to my BlackBerry e-mail.

The previous poster is incorrect. Only the first 2.5k of the message comes down. You select "More" or "More All" to get the rest of the message.

[catharsis3k]

thanks for the infos!

can you then tell me what the difference is between all the 7100's then ?

I see that despite sharing the same specs on the BB site, they all look different - are there any differences underneath ?

Am I better off from a technical point of view with a 7100t/v/r/x ?

EDIT: Thx NJBB - looks like you already answered this new question of mine before I even asked it!

Also, I will not be getting the GPRS plan but rather the BB 30mb for 35$ US per month plan. I hope that will do it

[NJBlackBerry]

The 7101i is for Nextel/iDen network only.
The 7130e is for Verizon/Sprint CDMA networks only

The 7105t is a slightly updated version of the 7100t. A little different keyboard and screen.

All of the other 7100 variants are exactly the same. No differences under the hood. Different case. That's it.

[blip99]

do yall know if u can put ringtones on a 7100i

[NJBlackBerry]

No thread hijacking please.

There is a dedicated forum just for Ringtones, Themes and Wallpapers. Please search in there - there are tons of ringtone threads.

[catharsis3k]

thanks for all the replies NJBB - you really know your stuff.

only have a few last ones.

I think I read a FAQ on this site where they recommended various phones for various situations - international use, domestic, etc.

Is that FAQ still valid and if yes, how come the 7100 wasn't listed as best international ? Is it because in that example they weren't comparing the unlocked version ? Am I better off with another model if I am to travel a lot and use different GSM providers or will the 7100 be just fine ?

Lastly, is the 7100 fairly new or is there a newer model coming soon and I should wait for that instead ?

Thanks again for all your help!

[digital/blasphemy]

Originally Posted by catharsis3k

Lastly, is the 7100 fairly new or is there a newer model coming soon and I should wait for that instead ?

the 8700 is already out for cingular, and should be released on T-mobile in the very near future (mid-april right?)

the 8700 has the full QWERTY keyboard, faster processor, and EDGE support

[pinetreerr]

I have a 7105t (T-Mobile) since they came out last fall. I've been very happy with the device. It replaced my original RIM 957 and a Verizon phone. Paired with a Plantronics Discovery 640 BT wireless headset.

I have the phone and Blackberry (BES) plan as my employer supports BES (although my 7105t is a personal device and not paid for by my employer). I've got it linked to BES and to several personal email accounts. All works like a charm. Love the size, but wish it had EDGE network support for the increased speed. See that the 8700 is coming to T-Mobile, but would prefer not to have the increased size. Perhaps T-Mobile will support EDGE on a future 7105 sized BB device???

Also will note that recently was in Australia for two weeks. Everything worked like a top. EMails cam through just fine (I have the additional "world" plan for data from T-Mobile.