[ishta]

Hi all,

I am planning on traveling overseas in a week or so and am planning on bringing my BB 8900 along for the trip-- vs my N82. I have T-Mobile USA and regarding BB data/internet usage I have a few questions.

First, I know that T-Mobile offers a 19.99 international data for email plan. Is that all it is and has that been confirmed? Meaning, if I pay the 19.99 while I am gone, could I then have access to the internet and chat features such as google talk? I was told by the T-Mobile rep that the 19.99 is for the BB email data only. Can they distinguish the data from using the other data functions? Or is it because the email client only uses a minimal amount of data and the other features use much more? Has anyone tried this and either got billed for data or used unlimited data for the extra 19.99?

Next question, regarding the wifi-- Is it possible to skip out on the 19.99 and turn off the mobile network and use only the wifi to check email? I know I can if I just navigate to the page, but I am asking if BIS will connect and bring in my emails over wifi with the mobile network off-- so that I don't incur and data charges.

The rep I spoke with also said that while traveling abroad, sms received are free and that outgoing sms would be .35-- I thought that while abroad that incoming sms were also billable.

Keeping in my T-Mobile USA sim, can I use BBIM without any charges like I have heard?

I am planning on using my uma feature to call back home. For that I should also switch the mobile network off so as to not automatically switch back to GSM/EDGE in the call-- Correct?

I am also going to unlock the phone so I can put a local sim card in the phone as well.

Thank you for any answers that you all may be able to provide. Any other international use/suggestions would be awesome.

- Ishta

[djsassan]

When I go to Mexico, I turn off my data plan and email, because you get charged per MB. Texting, correct, free to receive, .35 to send.

I did what you said...hooked up via Wifi, making all my calls free and I used my Gmail app to get my mail.

[aristile]

Search is your friend, there are many many threads on this topic. Here are a few to get you started:

http://forums.crackberry.com/f100/us...etwork-176946/
http://forums.crackberry.com/f100/le...a-apps-278561/

[Artemis68]

If you really need email, then get the 19.99 plan...You can then get push email anywhere but it doesn't cover any other data. You can use any data you want though with Wi-Fi. It's up to you whether you want to use the 19.99 international email or not.

Don't forget about UMA! You can use your 8900 to make calls over UMA (Wi-Fi) back to home and it only uses your bucket minutes, no roaming! You didn't mention this but I just thought I would.

[ishta]

Thanks guys for the quick posts. aristile, quick question-- after reading your post and visiting your link with the wifi guide, I am still a bit confused as to what exactly differences are when setting the options in the browser configuration. (T-Mobile, Internet Browser, Hotspot browser)

I have had my phone now for a few weeks and just did all of the normal setup stuff. Scanned for an available network-- found mine and connected. I get UMA in the house and at the bar that has open wifi. I have also used the browser on occasion while connected and mine has been set as Internet browser the whole time. The phone came with a separate internet browser icon that is labeled 'T-Mobile'. When I went to the options of that browser it automatically had tmobile set in that option.

So, should I change anything here-- as well as while I am overseas? Or, is the tmobile setting just for tzones and hotspot just for tmobile wifi areas?

I guess the questions is after reading many of the pages in your wifi guide I am still a bit confused as to why exactly I would change from internet browser to hotspot and visa versa.

Or when set to 'internet browser' does that only use the edge data even though connected via wifi? While driving for instance, in the absence of wifi I also use the icon that is 'browser' with the internet browser set in the options.


Thanks,

[Artemis68]

Despite the name, "HotSpot" browser is what you use to get internet over Wi-Fi, and that's any Wi-Fi from any router.

The T-Mobile browser is for WAP and the Internet browser is for the EDGE. Both use data.

For traveling, just set the default browser setting to "HotSpot" so you can use it on wifi only.

[aristile]

Thanks guys for the quick posts. aristile, quick question-- after reading your post and visiting your link with the wifi guide, I am still a bit confused as to what exactly differences are when setting the options in the browser configuration. (T-Mobile, Internet Browser, Hotspot browser)

I have had my phone now for a few weeks and just did all of the normal setup stuff. Scanned for an available network-- found mine and connected. I get UMA in the house and at the bar that has open wifi. I have also used the browser on occasion while connected and mine has been set as Internet browser the whole time. The phone came with a separate internet browser icon that is labeled 'T-Mobile'. When I went to the options of that browser it automatically had tmobile set in that option.

So, should I change anything here-- as well as while I am overseas? Or, is the tmobile setting just for tzones and hotspot just for tmobile wifi areas?

I guess the questions is after reading many of the pages in your wifi guide I am still a bit confused as to why exactly I would change from internet browser to hotspot and visa versa.

Or when set to 'internet browser' does that only use the edge data even though connected via wifi? While driving for instance, in the absence of wifi I also use the icon that is 'browser' with the internet browser set in the options.


Thanks,

Check out the Browsers Explained link in my signature.

[ishta]

aristile,

Again, it was a good post but didn't really answer the questions that everyone had regarding the browser window. So there are three browser or three configurations for the BIS browser that I am setup with on Tmobile USA.

My question is why should I and what is difference between, Internet Browser and Hotspot browser. Like other asked in your browser page-- if using the hotspot designation in the browser-- will it still work while I'm away from a wifi network? Or do I have to manually go in and set it back to internet browser for edge etc..

I think that Artemis68 basically answered my questions but just didn't mention the switching between the two.

Now I have it as Internet browser-- when I am at home my phone has wifi on and I get UMA (wfi is white/black when connected-- I keep hearing people reference the white wifi-- never the half-white wifi-- and not the greyed out half-grey/half black) and I thought that by going to the browser i was using the wifi. Is that not so if my browser is not set to hotspot?

[aristile]

You need to manually switch it to what you want to use.

Hotspot = WiFi Connection
Internet = Mobile Network Connection

[burbunny]

I'm not seeing a WiFi Browser. Is that because I don't have it selected in my Browser configuration, or because I don't have a WiFi connection configured?