[Sweden]

Hi!

I am from Sweden, where backberry's hardly even exist.
Im going to Miami in two days and have been looking into buying an unlocked BB 8120. i know for a fact that the phone itself will work in Sweden, but as ive been looking around on the forum i was shocked to see that the Wifi might not work if you dont have a data plan?

The main reasons im buying this phone is the wifi and the GPS. Is there any way to make the wifi work without a data plan? I mean if the hardware is there, then it should be able to fix, or?

Thank you for your time!
//Sweden

[JSanders]

Welcome to the BBF!

WiFi will work, just not ALL services.

WiFi on BlackBerrys- General Questions - BlackBerryFAQ

http://www.blackberryforums.com/wifi...-can-t-do.html
(^^says 8320 model, but same applies to 8120)

Good luck. As the 8120 is new, you may need to purchase it locked, and have it unlocked through an unlocking vendor, such as HorizonWirelessOnline.com - Horizon Wireless, Canada’s Cellular Repair Center ß

[Sweden]

What a turn-off

I was really looking forward to the 8120 as it is a very small and neat looking phone with alot of functions, and i really am trying to avoid the iPhone but the whole Blackberry idea just took a huge turn. No way whatsoever to enable all the features in wifi without a data plan? I mean I wont even be using an american operator...

[JSanders]

OH, you expect to get push email and all the complete data services for free?

Nope, gotta have a Data Plan for some of those. Mind you, much of it IS WiFi capable, if you read the threads and links I posted you will see what. But you just can't run an auto without fuel, and paying for that as well. Or a BlackBerry.

[Sweden]

First off, thank you for your reply.

Secondly, "you cant run an auto without fuel" ofcourse, but the way I see it if a phone has wifi one should be able to surf to whatever website, check email, go use instant messaging etc. This was, as i said, the main reasons for me getting a blackberry, and since i live in sweden i can't get an american plan (verizon, at&t etc) simply because we dont have those in Sweden.

So to sum it up, if i purchased a BB i wouldnt be able to utilize it to a full extent, right? I mean if you look at iphone, nokia N95/N96 they have wifi and once you get them the wifi is all yours, no restrictions.

Thank you for your help!

[JSanders]

I believe that if you do read the information I provided, you will see that "the wifi is all yours, no restrictions", does apply here. No websites will be restricted or unavailable because you have a BB.

However, using RIM's push email is available only to those on a Data Plan, and a few other services that are exclusively native to BlackBerrys, as well as some applications that use the BlackBerry network. The BB, as you are discovering, is not just another iphone or nokia, and there is a reason for that, it does much more.

[Sweden]

Hi again!

I read through the links, i just expressed myself in a bad way.
Basically what i wanted to say is that if i buy it i would want all the functions to work...

Could you give me (if you have the time and energy) a few reasons to buy a BB peal 8210 over an iphone for example? (except for the size of course) Not really familiar with BB as we dont have them in Sweden.

Thank you very much!

[aiharkness]

Wirelessly posted (8700g)

I couldn't speak to the wifi, Sweden, and so did't respond to your first post. But I think what you are coming to see is that the usual assumptions about pda's and smart phones don't always apply to the blackberry.

In my opinion it is the push email function is *the* reason for choosing a blackberry, followed by the simplicty and reliability of the blackberry. That's my view and others certainly can disagree. And many use do use blackberrys without a blackberry data plan, or any data service, for that matter.

[JSanders]

The iPhone will be better for simple internet web browsing, if that will be your main usage.

On most all other counts, I think many users find the BB superior (the push email, keyboard, security, etc.). Now, you CAN use the BB browser to check your webmail, same as going to any webmail account on a laptop or a iPhone. Blackberrys are known for their data security and dependability of the RIM network, however you won't be using those features without a BB Data Plan, hence my hesitation to recommend a BB over the iPhone.

Does that help any? What is your intended main use of the device, whichever it be?

I am sure other users will chime in here to agree/disagree with me and make other points I have not, so don't take my opinion solely. Let's see what others say.

i think the carrier 3 or something like that does have BBs in Sweden, though limited, I think.

[JSanders]

I "adjusted" the title of your thread to note the iPhone comparison, maybe attract a few more users to comment. Since the 8120 is a relatively new device, it might help get a few more opinions posted here. But almost any 8320 model features will be the same as the 8120, except the keyboard, screen size and lesser details.

I spend a week in Sweden once, loved it. Primarily Stockholm and Guteberg (spelling?).

[Sweden]

Yes, Sweden is nice if you come here as a tourist =)

here is the deal, if i was living in the US it would be no question about it, 8120 all the way, but since i live in sweden and they dont have them there i wont be able to get support etc etc. And that is the main issue right now (and the fact that everything won't work as it does in the US in terms of features etc)

[JSanders]

Check out your carrier I referred to, they likely will provision the 8120 on their network, just not sell it.

[cell_gruz12]

With Data, is checking your email and receving free?? You only get charged for sending e-mails right? checking e-mails wouldn't take any data?

[JSanders]

With a BlackBerry Data Plan, you don't get charged for each email, so to speak. The plans are often unlimited in nature, with some usage per month contracts in Canada and European carriers. It is a data measurement (amount of data) that is allocated and/or charged, not the number of emails sent or received.

[cell_gruz12]

Does receiving e-mails and "just checking" gmail/hotmail cost data?

[aiharkness]

Wirelessly posted (8700g)

Originally Posted by cell_gruz12

Does receiving e-mails and "just checking" gmail/hotmail cost data?

If one is paying per kb, there is going to be some cost even if the user does nothing but have the handset powered on. This would be in communication overhead with the handset simply telling the network 'I'm here'. Add data sent to the handset to update the email and PIN headers, and probably other 'overhead' data flow I'm unaware of.

[cell_gruz12]

So when the 8120 (wifi) is relased, not only hotspot @home voice call, but would e-mails also be functional with wifi? If I can do free e-mailing with wifi, I probably won't subscribe for data as I am only a student and don't need e-mail every minute.

[david_uk]

Originally Posted by Sweden

Hi!

I am from Sweden, where backberry's hardly even exist.
Im going to Miami in two days and have been looking into buying an unlocked BB 8120. i know for a fact that the phone itself will work in Sweden, but as ive been looking around on the forum i was shocked to see that the Wifi might not work if you dont have a data plan?

The main reasons im buying this phone is the wifi and the GPS. Is there any way to make the wifi work without a data plan? I mean if the hardware is there, then it should be able to fix, or?

In Europe the BB 8120 supports WiFi, the 8110 supports GPS. You can have either, but not both.

The 8120's WiFi connects via your router to BlackBerry's own servers, which need to be able to authenticate your device, which means a data plan. I see that Telenor in Sweden offers a BIS service here BlackBerry Internet Service

When using WiFi, your messages and browsing do not come out of your monthly allowance (usually 6Mb though this can vary). So you get a free ride, and faster performance too.

As other posters have suggested, the iPhone is at present a very different beast from the BlackBerry, being possibly better for browsing but miles behind on messaging. This may change with iPhone 2.0 which promises greater convergence, MS Exchange support etc.

It hardly needs saying on this forum that a BB is much more than a smartphone, it's a remote control pointed at an incredibly efficient and mature infrastructure which, to paraphrase Mr Jobs, Just Works.

So, take your pick, but don't expect unbiased advice here!

[aiharkness]

Wirelessly posted (8700g)

Originally Posted by cell_gruz12

So when the 8120 (wifi) is relased, not only hotspot @home voice call, but would e-mails also be functional with wifi? If I can do free e-mailing with wifi, I probably won't subscribe for data as I am only a student and don't need e-mail every minute.

See JSander's posts above, and the long thread on what a user can and can't do with wifi and without a blackberry data plan.

[gadawg133]

I read the post about what you can/can't do via wifi..but I still have a question:

I'm picking up the 8120 from ATT next week--will the Gmail application work via the wifi? In JSander's post, it was noted that the Gmail application will work with TMobile after the Feature Enabler is added, but no mention of ATT.