I am a Tmobile without data plan, so I'm using wifi. I was under the impression that BBBrowser cannot work without data plan even on wifi because it requires connecting with BB servers which require you to have data service.
However, I am using the Browser now (while connected to wifi), and everything works. Does this mean I am being charged for data? Is there a way to know that I am using strictly wifi without getting any extra charges?
my status bar currently indicates i am on "uma" (not "UMA") and "wifi".
In this case, you are not being charged by your carrier:
uma (lower case) means you are able to make phone calls through your WiFi connection.
The data you are getting is actually just Internet traffic and that is coming through your WiFi connection as well. Without a data plan you will not have the ability to get BB Push Mail, BB Messenger, etc.
Without a data plan you will not have the ability to get BB Push Mail, BB Messenger, etc.
that was understood. I never intended to use those features, at least not for now. I thought BBBrowser was on that list too. So when I was able to use it, i was afraid I was being charged still.
Just make sure the settings in you BB Browser are set to "Hotspot" and not "Internet". Since you were able to see WiFi while browsing then it appears your settings already set this way so you should be good to go. Enjoy!
Can the preloaded instant messaging software (other than BBM) also be used over wifi only?
I tried using the AIM & Gmail app, but it says "Service not enabled for this handheld".
Unfortunately that is a data only application. You will have to use a 3rd party IM application that uses WiFi only or either WiFi or data. I like BeeJive but it is not free. A free option is Palringo but I have not tried it out yet. Looks interesting though.