[Raouuul]

I have a palm t/x and a nokia 6102 cell phone. I used the palm zire 72 then the t/x extensively at my previous place of employment. I no longer use it like i used to and now i have a palm i only use basic features with and a phone.

So i figured id get a basic pda with calander, tasks, contacts etc. and a phone without the mp3 and camera and video and expansion cards features together which brought me to the 7290. I figured i would swap my cingular nokia sim card in the cingular blackberry and be off running. Knowing the blackberrys main function is email i thought i wouldnt mind paying to check important emails and would be a great feature along with im's with a qwerty keyboard. After searching in this great forum and help from kontiki i realized its much more than that. A data plan is necessary to use the blackberry. There are very confusing plans and services and software to me like the exchange my mail and wap.cingular APN and third party apps. I just want a pda and phone combined.

Is there a basic setup/service you can recommend with the blackberry or is this strictly for heavy email users and i should look elsewhere like a treo, which ive worked with and id rather not have. about 60 a month with voice plan is where id like to be.

After holding it and workin the scroll wheel and typing on the qwerty im in love. I hope i dont have to put this back up on ebay from where i got it.

Thanks

Raoul

[coreyg510]

Hey there!

By no means do you HAVE TO HAVE A DATA PLAN. It is recommended, but not necessary. So you like the 7290 for PDA functions? Great, then use it for what you like it for. The most important aspect of any purchase, Blackberry or not, is that you are content with its aspects.

True, the Blackberry does have email capabilities. That doesnt mean it has to be complicated though. I have a standard BIS that takes care of my email. Do you know what that involves? Just an email address on Cingular's webclient site. I set up my email in a matter of moments, set my webclient address to pull additional email from my GMail account and I was done.

As for 3rd party apps. You dont need them, but you are talking to a gecko who believes there is nothing better than a tweaked berry (unless it's free pie and chips). Keep in mind that you can always add those additional applications later, when you need them.

So keep your Blackberry, use it and become friends with it. It has multiple attributes that can assist you in your day to day activities.

Good luck,
The gecko

[TayeDrummer]

I'm a long time Palm user. Starting with the PalmIII and ending with a Tugsten, I carried a cell phone/palm until the Treo600 was available from my provider. It seemed a natural progression for me but that device was not ready for prime time. Frequent crashes and three cracked screens in three weeks (not covered under the Bell warranty) from regular use had me switching to a Blackberry 7250.

Like Corey mentioned you'll need to sign up for a data plan with your provider and then use the blackberry provided e-mail address or an existing one. The online e-mail configuration is quite simple and if you can navigate these forums you'll have no problem setting up one, or even multiple e-mail addresses for use with your blackberry.

[Raouuul]

Thank you for the great replies.

And gecko i will keep my blackberry thx....but...

I cant connect to the network with the blackberry.
I was told before I need a data plan by kon tiki and taye drummer says the same thing. I do believe i dont need a data plane like you say corey to use the phone just as a phone and get a network signal.
I went to cingular in downtown chicago and had them take a look at it they found the same problem i had with connecting to the network. I told him about the data plan so he added the data plan and still no connection to the network. Is there something else that could be the problem? They are both cingular phones do i have a defective blackberry?

Thanks again.

[NJBlackBerry]

You do not need a BlackBerry Data Plan to use a BB for voice and text messaging only.

What does the top row of the BB show; does it say GSM or gprs? Is it reading the SIM card. Are you using a Cingular SIM card in a Cingular branded 7290?

[Raouuul]

Thanks NJBB,

Yes it is reading the sim card, it shows my existing cell phone number on the blackberry when i put it in. Yes both phones are cingular, the original nokia works with my sim card. And it shows GSM on the top.

Im crossing my fingers and holding my breathe this phone still has a chance.

Raoul