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My dad is looking to replace his broken LG env and I recommended that he look into getting a blackberry for his dumb phone needs and hopefully it will last longer then his LG.
What is the best non-smart BlackBerry available?
He doesn't care to much for a good camera but does love a good qwerty keyboard. Looking for something reasonably priced. Thanks!
Posted via CB10
Your dad's requirements clearly meet a legacy BlackBerry 10 device; 9300 or buy a BlackBerry 10 device unlocked from Amazon.
Always happy to help
Without knowing an actual budget, I'd recommend you look at the following phones: Curve 9360, the 9790, 9720, and 9900. I would recommend the reasonably priced Q5 too, but it might be too much of what you're calling "smart."
What do you mean 'non-smart? Legacy BBOS devices are abandoned nowadays. Modern BB10 smartphones like the Q5/10 are current, low priced devices.
Ahh sorry guys when I say non smart I mean Verizon won't require a data plan. I geuss it's actually called a basic phone.
Posted via CB10
Oh so he's on Verizon. Well, that limits options by a lot. Does Verizon automatically tack on a data plan to phones it considers smartphones, like AT&T does?
I think you'll have to buy the phone yourself to get to use a non data plan, then sign up for phone service BYOD or choose a prepay plan. AT&T will let you, but the franchise stores will try and say you can't because they make practically nothing on it. I did this with an old iPhone I wanted to use as phone only when not connected to the home wifi.
I imagine it's the same with verizon but you'll probably won't have any luck at a franchise store.
Another good option is to buy your phone and then select a good budget pre-pay provider and only get phone service.
Im pretty sure you best bet will be a Blackberry 10 device that doesn't need BIS.
Yeah I called them about the 9720 and they said it's considered a basic phone so it does not require a data plan. I have had multiple phones added to our plan and as long as they are basic phones they don't need data. But my question I geuss is, what is the best of the basic phones.
Posted via CB10
The 9720 won't work on Verizon though. That's what I meant by limited options.
Hmm...I guess a 9350 may be it. Q5 is out of the question, and 9930 they probably consider a smartphone (hopefully...)
I'm still not entirely sold on them not considering a 9350 a smartphone, though. After all, Jjust like the 9930, it does need a BIS plan...
Okay thanks I'll look into the 9350 for sure. I now realized the 9720 is not a sim phone, but why can it not work with verizon? The customer service rep seemed to think it would.
Posted via CB10
Because Verizon phones need to be 1) CDMA (the 9720 is not) and 2) Approved for use by Verizon, i.e. Verizon branded (the 9720 is not.)
If that rep told you the 9720 should work, I would seriously question everything else that rep told me and double check everything. Don't commit to buying a 9350 (or any other phone for that matter) until you're absolutely sure it won't trigger a data plan add-on.
Any Blackberry on Verizon will need a data plan regardless of age.
Is it not possible (at the account level) to just not activate data? They really force you to get data?
Posted via CB10
Thank you. I was hoping this thread would catch the eye of a Verizon customer :)
What about phones going wayyyy back, like the 8xxx series?
AT&T does, or at least used to. Around the time I left them, they were automatically and unilaterally adding on data plans to phones they deemed as smartphones. Of course, there was the non-branded/foreign phone loophole then, but that's obviously not possible with Verizon.
If he is looking for a non smartphone, look at Verizon BASIC phones. Blackberrys of any age are deemed smartphones and have to have a data plan.
Okay thanks a lot! Kinda sucks though...
Posted via CB10
And this is true even if you BYOD?