[offroadjunkie]

i currently have a 9650 on sprint. i am going to get a playbook in the next 2-3 weeks. my question is are there any benefits to buying buying a newer blackberry first. like when i am using the blackberry bridge and surfing the web, or any other features i may not know about. i have been looking into getting a 9930 but the used phones are still too expensive for me at the moment.

also i believe the bridge app is free in the app world but are there any hidden fees i may not know about? like monthly or yearly subscription fees.

thanks for the help. and my apologies if this has been asked before. i've been reading these forums most ot the day and seems like all the questions i have were not answered in detail or the answers were so old that they may not be accurate or relevant at this time.

[FF22]

Some people say that the newer phones provide a faster connection when browsing using Bridge. I'm not sure I saw much difference. I went from Verizon's 9650 to their 9930. It is a nice phone but I also went from being stubbornly on OS5 to the OS7 device, so I may not be a good judge.

So far the only carrier who plays unfairly with the Bridge connection is AT&T. I think you will be fine with Sprint - no additional charges but maybe a Sprint person can chime in. Verizon, not known for generousity, has still left Bridge alone with no additional charges.

If you stick with your current phone you could move to a bb10 device, if rim makes it that far.

Good luck with your decision.

[ClassyBOLD]

i currently have a 9650 on sprint. i am going to get a playbook in the next 2-3 weeks. my question is are there any benefits to buying buying a newer blackberry first. like when i am using the blackberry bridge and surfing the web, or any other features i may not know about. i have been looking into getting a 9930 but the used phones are still too expensive for me at the moment.

As already said, you only notice a difference when using your phone as an internet connection for the browser on the playbook (i.e. bridge browser). With BB10 around the corner I couldn't justify telling you to go out and purchase a new blackberry for full retail (although RIM is in desparate need of people upgrading to OS7 until BB10 comes out in Q1 2013 - so maybe go out a buy an new blackberry :P). I've heard some people buying on ebay, something to consider.

also i believe the bridge app is free in the app world but are there any hidden fees i may not know about? like monthly or yearly subscription fees.

Nope no hidden fees. The app is free and so is the use. AT&T used to block the bridge browser functionality for those without a tether plan, but that's neither here nore there for you.

PB runs fantastic hardware and the OS has come a long way since release. The core experience is on-par with most tablets out there, and better than many other tablets. The 3rd party ecosytem is improving everyday, but there's a way to go. Once BB10 OS releases for the PB (who knows when) the device will be even better. And RIM has promised to deliver many big name apps by then too...

[dieter jay]

I noticed a significant performance boost in browsing via bridge with 9860 (os7.1) compared when using 9700 (os6).
I think the free mem state in the blackberry device has a lot effect for bridge performance. when using 9700, I'm hovering around 50-70mb of free mem while currently in 9860 is above 170mb.

[blockbuy]

don't forget too the new devices have much better spec'd hardware so processing time is a lot quicker too.

[dieter jay]

don't forget too the new devices have much better spec'd hardware so processing time is a lot quicker too.

hahaa.., yes.. definitely..

[diegonei]

Only factors are Bluetooth and 3G/4G.

The better they are, the fastest Bridge will work. A 8520 will Bridge as well as a 9900 otherwise.

[mdmullis]

AT&T still charges to tether a device PDA to BB PB, however some other carrier's do not now....Bridge is still FREE for all carriers from BB device to BB PB..EDGE speed is not fast enough to tether effectively, you need 3G minimum and 4G preferred to gain performance when bridging or tethering and using internet with BB PB and BB pda
My view.....

[kbz1960]

Maybe it's all in my mind but when I went from on OS5 tour to an OS7 torch it seemed faster to me. 7.1 wasn't out yet then.

[PedroBorgas]

Maybe it's all in my mind but when I went from on OS5 tour to an OS7 torch it seemed faster to me. 7.1 wasn't out yet then.

That was device related...

[inzpirez]

Only factors are Bluetooth and 3G/4G.

The better they are, the fastest Bridge will work. A 8520 will Bridge as well as a 9900 otherwise.

however, that's not the case for me. going from 8520 to 9300 to 9780, i can feel the speed of PB browser loading pages are different. No numbers to back it up but it is based from my honest experience (lol what on earth is honest experience sorry my english sucks).

[diegonei]

I said it would Bridge as well as, not as fast as. If you move from the 9780 to a 9900 or any other OS7 device, better bluetooth support and faster connection will be where it gets the performance boosts.

The processor on the 9300 and the 9780 are the same btw, 624mhz. The 8520 sits on 512mhz. 9300/9780 are 3G devices while the 8520 is EDGE-stuck. So, processor doesn't mean that much as Bridge does not render the pages on the device, it renders them on the PlayBook. But yeah, faster phone processor tells Bridge what to do faster, so it is a plus.

[dieter jay]

.. EDGE speed is not fast enough to tether effectively, you need 3G minimum and 4G preferred to gain performance when bridging or tethering and using internet with BB PB and BB pda

indeed...
stable 3G is a must (minimum) for bridge pleasure...