[liteshine7]

Hello, I'm new to this site. Just bought my first Blackberry. Have been cruising the forums and have found answers to most of my questions. This place is great! I did buy this BB used on ebay. 8300. Kind of older version, but seems to work just fine...

Reason for this post: I've used a couple different smart phones, (palm treo and centro) and I loved them. Treo was too big, switched to centro and loved loved loved it. However I was having a garage sale 2 weeks ago and set it down to help a "customer" and turned around and it was gone. Sooo bummed. But the keyboard was so small and sort a pain to text/type on, so I decided to see the light of BB. (meanwhile was using a dumbphone I had around the house, the "Pantech Matrix" texting phone and OMG what a pain, the keyboard was a nightmare and sooo slow! Ack!)

My new phone got to me this Friday and I've been having so much fun with it. But you see, I never used the internet on my phones before. I didn't buy the data package. I have a laptop, a mini-laptop and a desktop for that. I just texted like crazy (3000+ p/mo) and took notes, shopping lists, organized my life on the calendar, etc. However there are so many things to get/do online (instamapper, free ringtones, music, etc.) that I'm considering paying the extra $30 a month for an unlimited data/msg package. My question to you...is it totally worth it? It it worth the extra $ to cruise the internet and do all the cool stuff it seems like you can do? I'm reading some of these posts and it seems like you can't have a BB without going online with it! I'll leave it to all you crackberry experts to guide me in the right direction. You guys really know your stuff!! What are your thoughts?

[BluCheze]

the browser on the BB is not a desktop level browser. with that said, dont expect to have all the fancy stuff normal pages do on your computer. i have my because i need the emails and i do browsing here and there when i am away from a computer or when im to lazy get up from bed.

[Duvi]

If you want push email and BlackBerry messener, get it.

Also some applications work on BB data only -- example: Google Maps.

[sir dirty]

data plan is the way to go. have fun!!!!!!!!!!1

[finnland2cupertino]

yes... yes you should and PIN your lil heart out!!

[fabuloso]

question is, why not? GET IT!

[Kateramse7]

yes you def need data package to enjoy the blackberry features

[Kellina]

I think without the data plan you miss soooo much of what a blackberry can do.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[xliderider]

I agree, the data plan is worth it. Regarding the browser, the browser is good on the current 4.5 OS version. Being an older model, I wouldn't be surprised if your BB is running on an older OS.

Check your OS version by going to Options > About, your OS version is the third line down.

[12MaNy]

Definitely get a data plan. It's worth it.

[liteshine7]

I agree, the data plan is worth it. Regarding the browser, the browser is good on the current 4.5 OS version. Being an older model, I wouldn't be surprised if your BB is running on an older OS.

Check your OS version by going to Options > About, your OS version is the third line down.

The OS is 4.5.0.110. Is this good?

[xliderider]

The OS is 4.5.0.110. Is this good?

Yes, that is currently the latest official OS for AT&T. You are good to go.

[dragonsamus]

Its worth it if you use the features. Stick with your mini laptop and save your money.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[lilro]

I personally don't see the use of getting a bb with no data plan..might as well get a regular phone w/ unltd sms

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[venomgirl]

I don't know about the data plan being "optional" from my experiences you are REQUIRED to have a data plan with any blackberry from any carrier due to RIM's agreement w/the carriers....if you find one that doesn't require it...let me know....

[Username00089]

I don't know about the data plan being "optional" from my experiences you are REQUIRED to have a data plan with any blackberry from any carrier due to RIM's agreement w/the carriers....if you find one that doesn't require it...let me know....

It's required for Verizon. But on AT&T or T-Mobile it's not required. However, it could be required upon activation in order to get the discount on the phone, but you can have the data plan removed anytime after that.

Verizon being CDMA will know exactly what sort of phone you're using because the phones are activated, through them using the ESN. So you can't pull a "well I'm not using a Blackberry anymore" trick or else they'll ask for the ESN of the dumb phone.

[liteshine7]

I don't know about the data plan being "optional" from my experiences you are REQUIRED to have a data plan with any blackberry from any carrier due to RIM's agreement w/the carriers....if you find one that doesn't require it...let me know....

The data plan is always optional. At least it is with Sprint and AT&T. You can just have a normal plan with minutes. If you don't have one and you go online, you just get charged mega $'s per KB. I learned that lesson the first time I used the internet on my palm treo. It was expensive and hard to manuver and not worth it, that's why I bought my netbook to carry with me if I need a mobile browser and just used my phone for the calendar/notes/easy texting, etc. Data plans are required if you want to save money on browsing. Same with texting. You don't have to buy a texting plan to text. You just get charged per text if you don't and at a dime a text, it gets expensive too unless you don't text much. At least that's what I've experienced. I could be wrong, I suppose. But I have a BB right now and do not have a data plan. Because i don't go online. Yet.

[Reed McLay]

Texting allows you to communicate with all your contacts despite the phone they are using. BlackBerry Messenger is limited to your BlackBerry contacts. Odds are good, you will still need a lot of text messages if you choose the BIS plan.

The primary reason is Email. BlackBerry is built around email and messages.

A secondary concern may be third party applications. Many of them get current information from the a connection through BIS.

Browsing the Internet is something you will find plenty of application for. I can't count how many times Google in my hand has come to the rescue.

[liteshine7]

I personally don't see the use of getting a bb with no data plan..might as well get a regular phone w/ unltd sms

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Regular phones with unltd texting is okay, but you have the normal in and out box formatting which is not good for me. I always would forget the last thing I said or if they said, "me too", and it was half hour later, I'd have to go out of inbox go in outbox, read my last text to that person, it was/is a pain. With palms you get message threading which is sooo cool. Almost didn't get the bb because they didn't have that. but with the last 5 texts showing as you scroll down is good enough. But I digress. With reg phones, numerical texting sucks and even those texting phones with full qwerty's are okay, but they are slow and with that Pentech I was using with the slide down keyboard, the buttons where spread to far out and didn't depress. It was awful. Also, the calendars and appts suck on regular phones. I got spoiled with smartphone features so reg phones are like using a phone from the early 90s!! lol

[liteshine7]

It's required for Verizon. But on AT&T or T-Mobile it's not required. However, it could be required upon activation in order to get the discount on the phone, but you can have the data plan removed anytime after that.

Verizon being CDMA will know exactly what sort of phone you're using because the phones are activated, through them using the ESN. So you can't pull a "well I'm not using a Blackberry anymore" trick or else they'll ask for the ESN of the dumb phone.

AT&T knows I'm using a blackberry. The moment you stick your SIM card in, it must be able to read the type of phone it's in. I know only because I went online to check my acct and how much a data plan would be. I got the phone Friday and didn't update my device online, but sure enough, it listed that my device was a BB 8300. It's not "requiring" me to get a data package. It allows me to, but is not requiring one.

[Username00089]

AT&T knows I'm using a blackberry. The moment you stick your SIM card in, it must be able to read the type of phone it's in. I know only because I went online to check my acct and how much a data plan would be. I got the phone Friday and didn't update my device online, but sure enough, it listed that my device was a BB 8300. It's not "requiring" me to get a data package. It allows me to, but is not requiring one.

Did you buy the phone from AT&T? If you did, they update your account on their own. And yes, I said AT&T and T-Mobile DO NOT require a data package

[Duvi]

AT&T knows I'm using a blackberry. The moment you stick your SIM card in, it must be able to read the type of phone it's in. I know only because I went online to check my acct and how much a data plan would be. I got the phone Friday and didn't update my device online, but sure enough, it listed that my device was a BB 8300. It's not "requiring" me to get a data package. It allows me to, but is not requiring one.

The reason is because like forever29 mentioned, your account may still have your old phone in the billing system. Online, it pulls the imei/device info from the switch when you put your sim card in. Even if you do update your account with a BB, AT&T and T-mobile do not require the plan.

[rachaelrant]

Is a BlackBerry without a data plan still a BlackBerry? I don't know.

Is a house without a roof still a house?

Is a car without wheels still a car?

A house without a roof is a house...without a roof, but provides no shelter.

A car without wheels is a car...without wheels. It won't take me anywhere I need/want to go.

A BlackBerry without a data plan...just makes no sense.

At least not to me.

[Tlynnsmith]

If you can afford the data plan, get it. It's expensive, and I cut my landline services down to just a dial tone basically + DSL to make it more affordable. I would not have a Blackberry, without a data plan.

Also, it's easy to say, "Well, I won't use my phone to....much". Yep...because you don't have a phone that was made for that. I didn't text at all when I had a Razr, because it was a painful experience. But, once I got my Blackberry w/data plan, I discovered a whole new world. Now, I text, surf and email...religiously.

[CipherDias]

Yes get a data package, its pretty much a **MUST** with a Berry!