Upgrading Phone to Blackberry with No Data Plan?

[kelseyed]

I'm thinking of buying a Blackberry without a data plan for a few reasons - I like the overall feel, I like the apps, like the keyboard A LOT, and nothing I've seen compares, especially for the amount of notes I tend to take down in a day. My family just upgraded to a family plan T Mobile - 750 minutes and unlimited texts for all the lines - this past summer and I picked out a phone that would be free (Samsung Gravity 2, which I thought would be easy to type on but it's constantly making errors and the notes are limited to 160 characters just like the text messages, which makes no sense to me).

I have read various threads on not having a data plan here and elsewhere, but most of them had to do with comparing that to the full Blackberry experience, which I'm not necessarily looking for. I'm more looking for the basic:

If I were to buy a Blackberry (either from eBay etc., or from a friend), what would be entailed in making it work with my current plan? Could I just take out my SIM card and it would work? I do have Wi-Fi at home, but would it automatically try to connect to the internet and charge to the plan? I'm not looking for a fully functional Blackberry without the data plan, mostly I'm looking at the Blackberry for the trackball, notes, camera, texting, keyboard, etc., but I don't want to go into this blindly.

Thanks much in advance for help anyone can give on any of the above

[cwong15]

T-Mobile is one of the few carriers that let you use a BlackBerry without a data plan, as long as you don't get a subsidized smartphone on contract. You need an unlocked or T-Mobile phone. Just stick in your SIM and you're ready to go.

WiFi functionality will be limited: many things (like push email) won't work without a "real" data plan, but you can still use the web browser. WiFi use will not affect your monthly charges. Plain phone usage -- voice, SMS, PIM functionality -- will work fine.

[kelseyed]

Thank you so much!

[SandAngel]

Tmobile will not even let you hook up to the paid data without adding the feature to your plan. i will however say that you should check your account and make sure the box isn't checked to allow you the pay per use type kind. This is a SOMEWHAT new thing from tmobile for the postpaid plans . You are supposed to have to add this feature yourself from your account but I have heard of some people purchasing plans and the sales rep has it checked YES . Just check your online account .

[ctrad45]

And you did mention you liked the apps... Most of these will not work at all or not work properly without a data plan.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[szotz]

I used a Blackberry 8900 on T-mobile for about four months without a data plan before upgrading to the 9780 and getting BIS. (The reason for this was because I was getting my finances in order but didn't want to give up the Blackberry form factor.)

You will be able to use SOME third-party applications through wifi connectivity if you don't have a data plan. However, none of the Blackberry applications, like Twitter4BB, Facebook, BBM, any of the IM applications (AIM, Y!M, ICQ, MSN) or anything marketed as an "official" Blackberry app by RIM. Some people say they can't get App World to work either; I found that wasn't the case for me but it's something to keep in mind. Your browser won't work very well... you can use the browser on "Hotspot" but I've found that it's finicky and doesn't enjoy that setting very much.

If you choose to go the route of a generic data plan, you will be able to use that for connectivity to third-party apps on the go, but again, those official "for Blackberry" apps won't work whatsoever. The reason for this is because the special Blackberry data plans offered by any carrier connect to RIM's servers, and generic data plans don't. I had a generic web2go plan (preferred unlimited for 5 dollars a month) and I was able to configure it to work fine with several third-party apps. However, since the plans have changed and you can't really get grandfathered deals like that anymore without haggling with retentions, I wouldn't think it'd mattered.

If you got a generic data plan, it'd be 10 dollars a month (or 15 off contract). If you got a BIS plan, it'd be the same thing. So if you're willing to spring for the extra 10-15 bucks monthly, it's worth it. It really is. I didn't ever think I'd want to switch from my cheap data, but the extra functionality of BB with the BIS plan is absolutely a life-changer.

That being said, if you absolutely DON'T WANT DATA whatsoever, you'll be missing out, but it won't absolutely ruin your Blackberry either, as long as you're aware of what you're getting into.

To make sure everything is working on just wifi, just make sure you have wifi enabled, data services disabled, and that you do your research on the apps you use. Be patient, don't get mad if you download something and it calls for connection to the servers. As long as you accept that you didn't spring for the data plan and because of it, you'll miss out, you'll be fine. Half the complaint threads on here are because users think they're entitled to every feature of Blackberry without paying for it. I did the same thing. I tried to find the workarounds... I asked stupid questions, but in the end I found the data plan to be worth it for me.

Hope this helped... somewhat. Hah.

[kelseyed]

Wow...thank you so much everyone! You all are so helpful

I don't expect to have even close to full functionality with all of the apps...but would notes/calendar work, as I assume they're official Blackberry apps? My main problem with a lot of the basic T-Mobile phones is that they have the same Samsung software that's on my current phone which I really dislike. And, on the other end, I just really clicked with everything about the Blackberry.

I know it's not necessarily something that would be worth it to everyone without the data plan, but with the way I'd like to use my phone, if the notes and/or calendar worked - or if there were third party apps that could do the same functions - it'd be an absolute lifesaver

[szotz]

Notes and Calender will work, since they don't use data, and third party apps will still work over wifi. I did all of this within the last 6 months, so if you need any help just shoot me a PM.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com