[natsfan7]

I am a broke college student who doesn't have the financial means to pay $30 a month for for BB service; due to this, and my absolute hatred of my Storm (what a pos), I am currently using a MS Kin Two on Verizon. However, I'm so fed up with my almost-as-crappy-as-the-Storm Kin Two, that I'm ready to move on, even though my contract doesn't run out for another 6 months. So the other day I was browsing E-bay, looking for a new phone, when I stumbled upon the humble Curve 9330 going for as low as $60 for a brand new, still in the box model. I did a little more investigating, and it seems that while BB OS is more of less the same since I ditched my Storm, some of my biggest complaints (no podcast app, crappy browser, no music store) have been at least partially adressed.

So here I am. I really want to make this jump, but as I said early, I can't afford to pay a monthly data package. Both my house and school have decent to good wifi networks, so 90% I really don't even need any data. If I buy the phone off ebay, can I just switch my number to it, or will Verizon try to make me get a data plan? I see my sister switch back and forth between feature phones all the time with very little hassel just by using some automated system; can the same be done with a blackberry? I was under the impression that the only reason you have to get a data plan when you get a smartphone or a blackberry is because the carrier wants to get extra money out of you to off set the discount at which they sell the phones.

I know its a long shot, but I really want to get a Curve and use it as my "Wifi Smartphone". Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[SwitchBeach]

1. You cannot have a BlackBerry or a smartphone active on Verizon without a BlackBerry Data Plan.

2. Most (if not all) of the data functions on a BlackBerry will not work on WiFi without a BlackBerry Data Plan.

If you cannot afford a data plan, then you will need to look at devices that do not have a data plan requirement.

[natsfan7]

....All the phones that don't require a data plan suck..... =(

I knew that was likely the case, but I still had to ask. Thanks for the help.

I just know why I have to pay for a service if I don't want to use it. If I want to have a BB ,or some other smartphone, and just use it as a phone on a carriers network and do all the other stuff over wifi, I should be able to do that. *Sigh*

[SwitchBeach]

Yep. But that's the rule. There's no way around it.