1. EFats's Avatar
    I was trying to change the plan for my provider to get more data. As I was doing this, it warned me that I had some features that were incompatible with my old plan, cryptically listed as 'Provisioning only'

    Now I vaguely remember that's what came up when they originally activated my BIS...so I think if I go through with this, that will be the end of the line for my dear old Bold & Curve devices.

    But I guess one has to let go at some point. Or do I....?
    08-24-20 06:25 PM
  2. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    I was trying to change the plan for my provider to get more data. As I was doing this, it warned me that I had some features that were incompatible with my old plan, cryptically listed as 'Provisioning only'

    Now I vaguely remember that's what came up when they originally activated my BIS...so I think if I go through with this, that will be the end of the line for my dear old Bold & Curve devices.

    But I guess one has to let go at some point. Or do I....?
    If you want to keep the plan, setup new separate plan
    08-24-20 08:01 PM
  3. EFats's Avatar
    Naw, too complicated. I just want one account. I had a chat with the customer service rep and she looked into it and switched it for me while keeping the BlackBerry features.
    However, now I cannot register my Bold with the network so either i just have to wait a bit for the changes to take effect or it's completely gone bust.


    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    08-25-20 12:25 PM
  4. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    Naw, too complicated. I just want one account. I had a chat with the customer service rep and she looked into it and switched it for me while keeping the BlackBerry features.
    However, now I cannot register my Bold with the network so either i just have to wait a bit for the changes to take effect or it's completely gone bust.


    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    I believe you've either lost BIS for good or you might have to reboot.

    Posted via CB10
    08-25-20 01:06 PM
  5. EFats's Avatar
    After spending several hours with my provider, I was finally able to recover everything back to the state it was in. Whew! Thought I almost lost my Bold there for a second!

    Bottom line seems to be if I still want to keep using this thing, my plans will be stuck forever in the past.
    On the other hand, all these hours of debugging on the 9900 today just reminds me how enjoyable this device still is in many regards.
    I think I'll be using this for the next few days... :-)



    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    brookie229 likes this.
    08-25-20 05:54 PM
  6. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    After spending several hours with my provider, I was finally able to recover everything back to the state it was in. Whew! Thought I almost lost my Bold there for a second!

    Bottom line seems to be if I still want to keep using this thing, my plans will be stuck forever in the past.
    On the other hand, all these hours of debugging on the 9900 today just reminds me how enjoyable this device still is in many regards.
    I think I'll be using this for the next few days... :-)



    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    Congratulations on being able to restore your account to it’s previous status.
    08-25-20 05:59 PM
  7. EFats's Avatar
    <sigh>...I always wonder if it's just me. This is still such a wonderful device. If it just had a workable browser and a slightly beefed up camera I would probably have no complaints.



    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    08-25-20 09:25 PM
  8. idssteve's Avatar
    <sigh>...I always wonder if it's just me. This is still such a wonderful device. If it just had a workable browser and a slightly beefed up camera I would probably have no complaints.



    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    Lol... No, it's not just you. EVERY time I try hiatus from 9900 and return, I grow even fonder of the thing. As if the comparison once again reaffirmed just how right RIM got it.

    Interestingly, I've known quite a few users who agree that, for what ever reasons, a hiatus from Bold ultimately produces a FASTER Bold experience upon return! It's as if some neurological imprint has moved deeper, more intimately, into muscle memory? ??

    My hand actually disdains grabbing my miserable K1 after time away from that, for example. That same hand anticipates with JOY while reaching for 99. As if it were a long lost beloved body part, or something. ??? Lol.

    RIM devoted many years exploring larger, smaller, etc form factors & designs before finally settling in on Dakota. More a product of trial & error evolution than any real revolution of inspiration. Imo.

    However derived, RIM just plain hit it right with Dakota. Then tossed the ball into the crowd and walked off the field... Go figure. Lol.

    It's needed a "real" camera since day one. A big open for an anticipated upgraded follow up that never arrived. Rest in fond memory, Bold...
    09-14-20 04:57 AM
  9. anon(10512033)'s Avatar
    <sigh>...I always wonder if it's just me. This is still such a wonderful device. If it just had a workable browser and a slightly beefed up camera I would probably have no complaints.



    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    The browser is undoubtedly the issue.

    I started scraping the text from a few newspaper sites and re-serving them for the Bold. To keep using it would have required me to do the same with podcasts. But in the end, I switched over to my Passport. The browser is better, though also quite limited, and I don't trust it with anything important. Ultimately, I'm going to be facing the same issues with the Passport too, but it does have the advantage of being absolutely great for reading e-books (the Bold has some nice e-reading apps, but the screen real estate is a differentiator in this particular situation), which is no small thing when you're dealing with a host of other limitations.

    I do miss 'grown-up' text selection. A lot.



    Posted via CB10
    mushroom_daddy and idssteve like this.
    09-16-20 06:31 PM
  10. EFats's Avatar
    Now with a known drop-dead date just over a year away, maybe it's time to just bite the bullet and put the Bold in cold storage.

    The email never really sync'd anyways, it just grabbed whatever was new/unread at the time so switching back and forth between devices wasn't great.

    But a part of me still likes the device and the other half just likes to hold out just for the sake of holding out :-)
    anon(10512033) likes this.
    09-17-20 01:33 PM
  11. spARTacus's Avatar
    So email never properly synched for you with it, the browser isn't good, and you had to spend hours with your carrier customer service to keep it working for you?

    Just what works well for you for it?

    It's the ergonomics of it that you love and that seem to work better than your key?
    Now with a known drop-dead date just over a year away, maybe it's time to just bite the bullet and put the Bold in cold storage.

    The email never really sync'd anyways, it just grabbed whatever was new/unread at the time so switching back and forth between devices wasn't great.

    But a part of me still likes the device and the other half just likes to hold out just for the sake of holding out :-)
    09-17-20 07:44 PM
  12. EFats's Avatar
    So email never properly synched for you with it, the browser isn't good, and you had to spend hours with your carrier customer service to keep it working for you?

    Just what works well for you for it?

    It's the ergonomics of it that you love and that seem to work better than your key?
    Naw, it really is just the browser.

    The sordid tale with my carrier wasn't Bold's fault. I called in on another matter and the rep 'helpfully' upgraded my plan without confirming. This ended up actually breaking data on any of my phones. Most of those hours was just spent on hold. Once I could talk to a human to explain the issue it took about 10 minutes to roll back to my old plan and confirm the fix.

    My email issue is particular to me. Many people have several phones and dual-carry, but I single-carry. I just happen to swap between 3-4 phones on a regular basis. The Bold doesn't download emails which have already been read and marked as downloaded (why should it?) so I don't really fault it. If I only carried the Bold, it would be no such issue. And I would exclusively carry the Bold if the browser were passable.

    This thing is such a nice size and you can just manage communications so much more efficiently with the keyboard and trackpad. It has everything else I use and nothing more.
    09-17-20 11:16 PM
  13. idssteve's Avatar
    So email never properly synched for you with it, the browser isn't good, and you had to spend hours with your carrier customer service to keep it working for you?

    Just what works well for you for it?

    It's the ergonomics of it that you love and that seem to work better than your key?
    Ergonomics is what makes a Bold SOooo sweet in hand! A science RIM mastered to exquisite perfection with 9900! It's why us Bold diehards continue enjoying an otherwise crippled, 9 year old, handset! Despite what designers of "modern" designs have obviously concluded, MY hand hasn't grown since 2011. Lol. MY typing and UX demands HAVE grown since 2011. Of all devices sitting on my desk, 9900 is the ONLY one of them that has kept up with MY growth in typing and UX demands. Mostly thru exquisitely derived ergonomics! Ergonomics that NONE of my oversized monsters remotely challenge!

    To understand, one must truly prioritize Typing and UX proficiency. Something modern "consumers" happy with 30 wpm type rates and "auto spell" simply feel no need of. Which is why typical consumers can find satisfaction without PKB.

    Those of us who prefer PKB do so because of the typing and ux experience pkb CAN provide. K1 proved, beyond doubt, the critical role ergonomics must play in that experience. My hand achieves only about 35% of wpm that same hand achieves on this 9900! In other words, this 9900 produces nearly three times wpm productivity of K1 in MY hand. And that's before factoring in the productive proficiency added by 9900's fabulously implemented TrackPad & ToolBelt. PLUS pkb ShortCuts and SpeedDials...

    Typical "consumers" who place next to zero value on such proficiencies, would value 9900's 3X of K1's performance disparity exactly 3x0=0... Lol. A BIG deal for us few who DO value such things, tho. Incomprehensible to consumers who don't.

    Suffering 35% of historic daily productivity can impact daily $$ generation professionally. For ME. I'd bet that if those "typical consumers" were told to expect only 35% of annual income by choosing choice "K" over choice "B", they'd also take a closer look at relative "ergonomics". Lol.

    As comparison, my type rate on a relatively mediocre dtek60 slab proves slightly better than K1...! That disparity had THIS old pkb diehard considering abandoning pkb! !! Go figure. Lol. Fortunately, K2 improved things considerably and LE proved best type rate of the TCL experience, in MY hand. Your mileage may vary. Lol.

    For comparison, arbitrarily standardizing my quantified 9900 performance as 100%, my testing of myself and a couple dozen coworkers (real life data extracted from billing records), I've concluded the following:

    100% 9900
    105% 9650
    95% Q10
    85% Classic
    80% PassPort
    65% K2LE
    62% K2
    40% dtek 60
    35% K1
    35% Z30
    30% Z10
    25% iPhone S6

    Without getting into big debates over methodology, the trend itself can be informative. I dearly wish that SOMEone, SOMEwhere would derive & publish quantified data for a real comparison! Crickets to date. Lol. One trend stands out from MY data, tho... The larger, and larger the screen size, the slower and slower pkb wpm trends. Interestingly, the fastest device in MY hand (and most coworkers) was the "tiny" 9650. Slightly larger 99's 1.2GHz processor established it as our fave overall, tho.

    In short ergonomics is a BIG deal, depending on need... Imo. Fwiw.
    Last edited by idssteve; 09-18-20 at 04:10 AM.
    bbfanfan and AA Byron like this.
    09-18-20 03:50 AM
  14. spARTacus's Avatar
    Well I am not sure that was short, but Ok, I get what you are saying. However, I think you could probably get by well enough with using a different one.

    Ergonomics is what makes a Bold SOooo sweet in hand! A science RIM......In short ergonomics is a BIG deal, depending on need... Imo. Fwiw.
    09-18-20 04:35 AM
  15. spARTacus's Avatar
    See my other reply just recently. I suspect it is great for your needs, but you'd be able to get by quite well also with another type of phone also.
    Naw, it really is just the browser....This thing is such a nice size and you can just manage communications so much more efficiently with the keyboard and trackpad. It has everything else I use and nothing more.
    09-18-20 04:39 AM
  16. idssteve's Avatar
    Well I am not sure that was short, but Ok, I get what you are saying. However, I think you could probably get by well enough with using a different one.
    Haha... Well, "short" is a matter of interpretation. Especially when communicating thru a nearly optimally ergonomic "thought to thumb" tool. This old Bold has "grown" into cranial speech centers in ways that somewhat challenge my tongue itself! I enjoy conversing. Thru tongue or thumb. Lol. Assuming thumb enjoys the handset. My posts are MUCH shorter with bigger handsets. Almost inversely proportional. Lol.

    Yes, I CAN "get by well enough" with less friendly tools. I'm still competently capable with morse. Semaphore, also. Could probably fake my way into getting an idea of some sort across with smoke signals. Even hollow logs! I also enjoy communicating thru violin/fiddle, guitar, mandolin, piano, banjo, harmonica,... My guitar case collected enough "gratuities" to pay spring break travels on Bourbon Street in my collage years... I'm no stranger to employing devices of all descriptions into communications that "get by well enough". Lol. But SOME devices prove more productive than others. My guitar case collected far more $$ than my violin case ever did. No matter how much heart I pumped into violin, my guitar work is what attracted most $$. Could I "get by well enough" with violin as a street musician on Bourbon Street? I had no choice, that first spring break trip, so I DID "get by". Lol.

    ALL of us will too soon have NO choice. We WILL "get by well enough". Lol. I just retired earlier this year so I'll likely "get by well enough" regardless. My former company is already experiencing disruptions due to loss of Bold productivity. Please review the list in my previous post and suggest which level of daily productivity they, or their clients, can "get by well enough" on? ?? Lol.
    09-18-20 06:21 AM
  17. spARTacus's Avatar
    If you like conversing, you should head on over to the CB1M challenge thread and for some frequent back and forth banter (altogether be fore-warned, it gets strange and sometimes a bit off, and not for the easily offended).


    "Productivity" with an older style BlackBerry PKB device vs what newer phones can offer, vs what one looses by abandoning an older style BlackBerry PKB device, is a subject of great debate. I'll take a look at your list and get back to you.

    Haha... Well, "short" is a matter of interpretation....Please review the list in my previous post and suggest which level of daily productivity they, or their clients, can "get by well enough" on? ?? Lol.
    09-18-20 06:46 AM
  18. idssteve's Avatar
    If you like conversing, you should head on over to the CB1M challenge thread and for some frequent back and forth banter (altogether be fore-warned, it gets strange and sometimes a bit off, and not for the easily offended).


    "Productivity" with an older style BlackBerry PKB device vs what newer phones can offer, vs what one looses by abandoning an older style BlackBerry PKB device, is a subject of great debate. I'll take a look at your list and get back to you.
    Thanks. I truly appreciate the interest. My old crew will also. I suspect you'll need more details of our use case to arrive at optimal suggestions but facing a significant impact on "productivity" we're certainly all ears (& eyes lol) for suggestions. We've already explored and tested and even implemented quite a few alternatives over the years, tho. I feel like a "lone ranger" for collecting quantified data. Very few really seem interested in seeing it. Some seem even antagonistic about it. Go figure...?

    Never even clicked on CB1M thread... No clue what it's about...??? Will check it out. I do most conversing with coworkers & clients. Even since "retirement". Lol. Still pumping this old well for what I might contribute to their ongoing projects. Many of which initiated under my influence. I can easily provide "numbers & drawings" but they really need to understand the thought processes that went into various design & configuration choices derived within this old brain. Thought to thumb conversation has proven an effective format for that continuing "education". My old crew and a few clients claim they're archiving every word. Lol. And providing handsome compensation! To "retirement" limits, of course. Lol. I suppose I might generate more hourly income if I typed slower? Hehe... Just never learned to perceive things thru THAT lens... Lol.

    The nice thing about Bold's ergonomics is that I can keep it with me and elaborate on thoughts in real time... As thoughts get thought... Lol. Before this old brain misplaces it. Lol. Even over mealtime. As now, over breakfast. Right hand will NOT divert from fork operations. Lol. Eyes rarely peak to communications ongoing in left hand. I've historically "warmed up" by posting on CB over breakfast before getting down to "compensated conversations" the rest of the day... Lol.

    Most of these ongoing conversations are responses to questions or trouble shooting where I might be engaged in living a life, throughout a day. Bold's compactness makes it easier to keep ready for quicker real time responses. It's single handed proficiency makes superb for real time responses while doing other things... Like meals, pulling a cart thru the market, carrying briefcase thru airport, carrying a coffee mug, etc... Not to mention over mealtime... Lol.


    .
    Last edited by idssteve; 09-18-20 at 09:12 AM.
    09-18-20 09:00 AM
  19. spARTacus's Avatar
    Haha... Well, "short" is a matter of interpretation...Please review the list in my previous post and suggest which level of daily productivity they, or their clients, can "get by well enough" on? ?? Lol.
    I took a look back and your list seemed to be a list of comparing devices to an assessment of typing speed and/or accuracy. When I mentioned I would look at it, in relation to giving you some feedback, I thought it was a list of capabilities you needed in a phone or services you need to be able to provide, in order to be considered productive.
    09-18-20 04:34 PM
  20. Ragbert's Avatar
    My Q10 felt better in my hand than any phone I've picked up and held since. I'd still be using it today if I hadn't run holes in the keyboard. Now it's too late to backtrack with a spare, because Verizon won't activate one anymore. (They're leaving my Classic alone for now...). I can still use it for BBM and CB10 forums posting, though. <3

    Posted with my Classic, SQC100-3/10.3.3.3204
    09-18-20 10:30 PM
  21. idssteve's Avatar
    I took a look back and your list seemed to be a list of comparing devices to an assessment of typing speed and/or accuracy. When I mentioned I would look at it, in relation to giving you some feedback, I thought it was a list of capabilities you needed in a phone or services you need to be able to provide, in order to be considered productive.
    Well, thanks for the interest, anyway. Unfortunately, there's no app or services that will grow thumbs longer nor shrink "hand"set chassis to fit a human hand. Lol. Typing WPM and precision are relevant measures of "productivity" for the remaining handful of us who produce typed product under adverse mobile situations.

    Some of us who've invested into developing the necessary skillsets still find Dakota optimally configured for "thought to thumb" typing proficiency. Unfortunately, Bold's BBOS platform hasn't enjoyed updates since 2014 and is no longer secure. Forcing users like myself into dual carry scenarios.

    I don't mind dual, or even triple, carry since carrying two or three carriers improves chances of signal availability in low signal areas I frequent. OP, understandably, doesn't want to dual carry but still appreciates, and misses, Dakota's superb typing experience. An experience that's destined to evaporate too soon.

    If not already, I'd recommend availing yourself of the experience during these final few months while it's still available... Just so you can one day reminisce in old age about how an under appreciated masterpiece of engineering once exquisitely assisted a single thumb to challenge tongue for communications productivity...


    .
    09-19-20 02:21 AM
  22. idssteve's Avatar
    My Q10 felt better in my hand than any phone I've picked up and held since. I'd still be using it today if I hadn't run holes in the keyboard. Now it's too late to backtrack with a spare, because Verizon won't activate one anymore. (They're leaving my Classic alone for now...). I can still use it for BBM and CB10 forums posting, though. <3

    Posted with my Classic, SQC100-3/10.3.3.3204
    Haha... Key wear IS a thing! See below. Just installed new KB in July. 5 minute quick on 99. Not sure about Q? If you haven't deactivated it from VZW, still might swap in a new KB? If deactivated, you're likely outaluck.

    ATT activated this 9900 last Dec after VZW "kicked" my 9930 off. Seems like I've heard ATT no longer accepting "applications", now.
    Attached Thumbnails This might finally end it for my Bold-img_20200919_0238185.jpg  
    09-19-20 03:20 AM
  23. spARTacus's Avatar
    Well, thanks for the interest, anyway.....Typing WPM and precision are relevant measures of "productivity" for the remaining handful of us who produce typed product under adverse mobile situations...
    I think you hit the nail on the head there, when you said "..us who produce typed product under adverse mobile conditions...". My sense is most of the world does not do that, and most of the world is not actually capable of producing a measured quantity of precise typed product anymore (probably also a lot of the world never able to either). In some cases, I think it's even worse in that what is used a measure of productivity is questionable.



    My work still depends significantly on email (I have aQ10 for that). When I have to do email or typed work of any significance for non-work purposes, it gets frustratimg using my Z10 (or now my A21) or my Samsung Tablet. However, after a lot of practice and tune-up (especially with using BlackBerry VKB), typing gets quite fast on the surface devices I have. Right now I am typing this on my Samsung Tablet (using also BlackBerry VKB). The typing can get quite fast, especially when typing from my head and not having to type from a separate written source. Probably faster than my Q10. However, it is certainly not as precise and I always have to go back through and fix things up at least a bit.

    For me, the Q10 would be a disaster for non-work purposes. My non-work world has simply moved on to rely upon so much more than just email. In many cases, l think lots of work environments have also. For example, if one needs to get to a client and the BB7/BB10 device can't provide an adequate GPS mapping service anymore. Or, if the work environment relies of various other communication and work sharing services beyond email, SMS and BBM. Those scenarios are easy to debate. The BB7/BB10 devices will always lose-out, regardless of how ergonomic they were or how they were such masters of being able to efficiently pump out precise massive quanties of typed work.



    A different debate, that few even recognize should be engaged in, relates to whether or not the world moving on actually makes things more productive. I can certainly point to examples at my work where things are way less productive and less complete with people and processes that now seem to favour towards less precise typed work. Part of that is not about the devices and is instead also about the people involved, and their reliance sometimes on more showy ways to try to get work done or to try to look good, as opposed to actually getting down to doing massive quanties of true hard grunt work. I am not saying those people are trying to be malicious (well, some of them might be). It's probably more just a matter of the times a-changing. However, some of that a-changing isn't for the better.

    The best example I can provide (not related to my work) is the safety shortcomings from the Space Shuttle Columbia accident. If one has the patience to read through the entire CIAB report, there are some startling revelations indicated in there about the organization shifting to something the authors refer to as "Engineering by PowerPoint". No that is not about physical or non-physicsl keyboard devices, but it's generally a similar theme in terms of a shift (in a bad sense in that scenario) towards less reliance on precise quanties of typed work.
    09-19-20 06:56 AM
  24. spARTacus's Avatar
    Well, thanks for the interest, anyway.....An experience that's destined to evaporate too soon....If not already, I'd recommend availing yourself of the experience during these final few months while it's still available... Just so you can one day reminisce in old age about how an under appreciated masterpiece of engineering once exquisitely assisted a single thumb to challenge tongue for communications productivity... .
    I still use a Q10 for work and previous for work had different variants of slightly smaller Curves or other BB7 devices. I think it was a Curve version I had just before the Q10. Slightly smaller and a cruved keyboard. That thing was a masterpiece of work from an economics perspective and for me being able to use it to type out massive quanties of precise typed work. Better even than the current Q10 I have.
    09-19-20 07:06 AM
  25. Ragbert's Avatar
    I de-activated it from VZW and swapped in a Classic about a year ago. But the Q10 is still connected to the internet by wifi. So I could put in a new keyboard. I've watched several very good videos, but still scary though, doing that kind of delicate work.

    Haha... Key wear IS a thing! See below. Just installed new KB in July. 5 minute quick on 99. Not sure about Q? If you haven't deactivated it from VZW, still might swap in a new KB? If deactivated, you're likely outaluck.

    ATT activated this 9900 last Dec after VZW "kicked" my 9930 off. Seems like I've heard ATT no longer accepting "applications", now.


    Posted with my Classic, SQC100-3/10.3.3.3204
    09-19-20 05:02 PM
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