[niceguymr]

Greetings.

I'm thinking about surprising my wife with a Blackberry Pearl. She currently has a Motorola RAZR with AT&T and has a great rate plan. I know she wouldn't want to change it b/c it's such a good deal.

Would I be able to buy a Pearl (say off Ebay for example) and simply transfer the SIM card from her RAZR to her Blackberry and that's it? Suppose she would have no interest in using the internet, but only text messages and Blackberry IMs, would she have to upgrade or change her plan?

[neal121]

I haven't seen / heard of anyone not forcing the person to upgrade to another plan... this is because of all the features of the blackberry that it uses (email, text, internet, etc). Alltel calls it the SMART Plan for all SMART phones (bb, htc, etc). But asking AT&T wont hurt.

[niceguymr]

Maybe I made the question to wordy.

Can I just pop the SIM card out of my wife's RAZR and pop it into a Blackberry Pearl and be done with it or she need to change her plan for it tow work properly? (All she will use it for is phone & texting)

[jenaywins]

Without a data plan, she will not be able to use blackberry messenger.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[niceguymr]

Without a data plan, she will not be able to use blackberry messenger.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Ah, ok...

Now please pardon my ignorance b/c I'm truly a BB newbie.

What benefit does the blackberry messenger have over regular SMS or text messaging?

I'm just trying to figure out if she will be missing out on something if she doesn't add a data plan (Aside from me and one or two other people, she doesn't know anyone else with Blackberrys)

[m11stephen]

Ah, ok...

Now please pardon my ignorance b/c I'm truly a BB newbie.

What benefit does the blackberry messenger have over regular SMS or text messaging?

I'm just trying to figure out if she will be missing out on something if she doesn't add a data plan (Aside from me and one or two other people, she doesn't know anyone else with Blackberrys)

She won't be missing anything without BB messenger. As long as the phone is unlocked you should be able to pop the sim card in and use it without having to change the plan.

[jenaywins]

She won't be missing anything without BB messenger. As long as the phone is unlocked you should be able to pop the sim card in and use it without having to change the plan.

This is a matter of opinion - great explanation.

At any rate, blackberry messenger is a blackberry-to-blackberry I'm service which utilizes the PINs of blackberry devices. I personally love it.

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[resq330]

FYI....US Cellular forces you to have a data plan if you activate a Blackberry.

[dknyberry]

In my opinion, why bother to get a blackberry if you're not going to use its features? No offense, but if you're going to use it just as a phone and text messaging, then just keep the plain cell phone. If you get a blackberry, I think you should use it for its email, internet, and other capabilities.

If she doesn't care about emails, browsing, etc, then she'll probably prefer her current phone. The RAZR is not a great phone, but as a flip phone, it will at least be less likely to get scratches on the screen, whereas with the Pearl, if you don't buy a protection case or clear vinyl screen cover, the screen will scratch and perhaps annoy her.

IMO, if you get her the Pearl, get her a data plan, so that she can really enjoy the Pearl.

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[hearmeoutx]

If you want to get your wife a berry, that si up to you, but I really suggest adding a data plan to it. That way she can make the most of her Blackberry! Blackberry messenger, is nothing to special. It just allows her to send messages to other berry users through data, and not get charged per message. I tried using my blackberry without a data plan for a week, and I ended up adding unlimited data!

[crispycutz]

correct me if im wrong guys,

but just wanna point out that you should be sure to get an AT&T phone, as some other carriers (ie Sprint) BB's are GSM and dont work with SIM cards..

and nice guy do you use Data (email/web etc) on your BB? yeah right? u use msngr...

i mean, i wouldn't deprive my wife of BB's full potential just kidding! i'd call up at&t and see whatsup..

[enyahs_shayne09]

yes she can do it...
i had my 1st bb running on a go-phone account and my bro did too...
she want be able to use true data like blackberry messenger and email...
but she will still able to use the internet and mms and if not then just upgrade the os and delete the vender file and she will be set and ready to go...

[bmcclure937]

Simple answer : yes, you can get an ATT Pearl online or get an unlocked Pearl, pop out her SIM... and you will be in business.

You should be able to scrape by without a data plan. She can keep her current plan and still use SMS, etc.

BlackBerry Messenger is only available on a data plan and it allows Berry-to-Berry instant messages. Meaning it would only be used to talk to other Berry users. The advantage is that there is no cost per message, since it uses data.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[resq330]

If you send a pic file using BB Messenger, does it count as an MMS?

[m11stephen]

This is a matter of opinion - great explanation.

At any rate, blackberry messenger is a blackberry-to-blackberry I'm service which utilizes the PINs of blackberry devices. I personally love it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I mean't for the scenario the OP described. If you know a lot of people with BBs, BB messenger is an incredibly valuable tool.

[jenaywins]

I mean't for the scenario the OP described. If you know a lot of people with BBs, BB messenger is an incredibly valuable tool.

I noticed what you were referring to after I replied to your post, and you are indeed right; if the wife knows nobody with a blackberry, bbm will be essentially useless to her.

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[Modrified]

FYI....US Cellular forces you to have a data plan if you activate a Blackberry.

this is not true. not all carriers do. verizon does if you get the storm.

[sommerschris]

This is a matter of opinion - great explanation.

At any rate, blackberry messenger is a blackberry-to-blackberry I'm service which utilizes the PINs of blackberry devices. I personally love it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Another matter of opinion.

Regarding the OP:
Yes, as long as it is unlocked you can use your existing sim card and make calls/browse the internet via wifi/text; but all blackberry features like im/pin messaging will not be available. Read up on those an see if they are worth your money.

[resq330]

this is not true. not all carriers do. verizon does if you get the storm.

I was only referring to US Cellular.

[Modrified]

I was only referring to US Cellular.

my apologies. i misread your post. sorry.

[reniena]

I upgraded from a razer to a BB pearl. If she's not going to have a data plan then don't bother. Get her a phone that's more heard toward texting, or get her a data plan. She may not know how much she'll love it until she has it!

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[BlackZwrx]

If you send a pic file using BB Messenger, does it count as an MMS?

Since no body answered this, I will...

Answer: No it doesn't count towards you sms/mms limit. Since once again, it uses data line.

[luvitlo]

My wife went from a razor to a kyo E2000 to a BB Pearl. She loves the Pearl and has no data plan. She just text and calls. As for you people hatin on non web people... Get a life already. It is just a phone with a ton of features. If you need or want them turn them on. If you are never gonna use them then it is a waste of money.

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[shannonkish]

I went from a Razr to a Pearl. But, I had prior experience with a BB and a Treo so I knew what I was getting into.

[luvitlo]

I had to give my wife a 101 on the pearl but she loves it. She plays with the media player all day

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