[airfoil]

Hey Guys,

Just recently got to play with a Nextel 7520 and I absolutely have to get a BlackBerry for myself. I plan on using it primarily for web browsing and e-mail. I'll also be chatting and ssh'ing into machines ocassionally. A Blackberry appears to be just what I've been looking for for a solid portable on-the-go computing solution.

I'm also VERY interested in writing some software for the BlackBerry.

I currently have a SonyEricsson T610 with T-mobile and I saw the earlier thread about getting the 7290 working on T-Mobile's network. I'd be interested in giving this a try as well. Do I need a T-Mobile SIM from another BlackBerry before buying an unlocked 7290 from Cingular?

Also, assuming I get the hardware purchased and setup, how long does it usually take before services such as web browsing and e-mail are activated for the BlackBerry? I'm heading out of town tonight and the BlackBerry would be a nice gadget to play with on my trip.

Apologies for the "newb" question and thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

[gary stonecutter]

I just purchsed one month old "Cingular" 7290 from someone on ebay. I called T-mobile to have them change my service from regular cell to BES. I took the SIM from my phone and put it in the Blackberry. Within 3 hours it was working fine including web browsing. I didn't have to change any settings on the 7290.

[sbagdan]

I use T-Mobile and a 7290 from Cingular, and it works great. I use BWC and had an issue getting my service book initally, but called T-Mobile BB Support, told them I have the 7290 from Cingular, and they were more than happy to assist me......

Go for it Man!!!

And Welcome the the Family!

[HiJincs]

7290 from Cingular on T-Mo here too! Not a single problem. Had it for about 4 months using a data only plan.

[ScOObydoo]

No problems at all. Changed sim, logged onto BWC and changed IMEI/PIN and was good to go.

I even changed the little logo sticker off my 7230 onto the 7290 ;)

[airfoil]

Thanks all for the advice!

I ended up going with the 7520 from Nextel since I was able to get a really good deal through some folks that I know...

[slimothy]

If you load the T-Mo 4.0 software on an unlocked Cingular 7290 does it change the branding of the Cingular 7290 (on bootup, menus, etc)?

[NJBlackBerry]

Nope; the branding (at startup) still says Cingular.

Be aware that now Cingular is selling SIM card locked 7290s - the original batches were unlocked, but now they are locking them. Unlocking them may be an issue.

[phone_caller]

Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry

Nope; the branding (at startup) still says Cingular.

Be aware that now Cingular is selling SIM card locked 7290s - the original batches were unlocked, but now they are locking them. Unlocking them may be an issue.

When did this start? I bought mine in March and it seems to be locked.

[NJBlackBerry]

The recently (within the last 60 days) started selling them so that they would only work with Cingular or AT&T SIM cards. No more wide open Cingular BlackBerrys.