Originally Posted by
aristile Before this starts another debate and the thread gets ugly - I can promise you this is close to happening - I want to be sure that all sides are covered in this discussion.
I agree 100% that a Blackberry is designed and intended to be used with a data plan. To get the full functionality of the device, a data plan needs to be used.
With that said, there are people who do not need a data plan but at the same time can enjoy the other benefits that the Blackberry can offer. It is a smart phone and has great features available even without a data plan. Also now that WiFi is available on the newer models, it is possible to get by without a data plan but still get some of the benefits a data plan offers such as surfing and email (albeit not push mail) via 3rd party applications. It will take more time to get everything setup but it is possible to get some additional functionality with the WiFi connection.
I do think its ridiculous for a carrier to require a data plan for a Blackberry if you did not purchase it at the subsidy price. I highly doubt that AT&T is going to require this because it is too difficult for them to keep up with but at the same time it wouldn't surprise me if they tried anyway. If you paid the full price for a Blackberry then I think its your prerogative to use a data plan on the device or not. On the other hand, if you purchased the device at the subsidy price then you should expect to pay for a data plan because that is part of the terms of agreement to getting the device at the cheap price.
THANK YOU!! Finally some one with a clear and logical mind..lol. And for now there is still Pay Per Use for those in bewteen.
As for the SIM card swap trick....it will only work if you already have a smart phone and no data plan on account. New subsrcibers, upgrades, contract renewals AND all discoverable smart phones added to a non-grandfathered line will result in a data plan being assigned. Do I have policy quotes to back all this...no....this is purely my opinion based on what I have been told by AT&T reps. I myself have BBs on my accounts with no data and am grandfathered in so when I have the funds to buy it I will be getting the 8900 from Crackberry Wireless and swapping in my sim and continuing to use my PPU until they decide to block that too.
Also!!! As of right now the AT&T website, while indicating that a data plan is required for the purchase of a smartphone, their shopping page still has this statement under each BB.
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Two-year contract and new activation required. Mail-in rebate requires activation on a $30 or higher data plan. Feature can be canceled at any time.
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So, if you order it online I would suggest you make a screen cap of the page with a dated newspaper so you can cancel it when you want to.