Do I need BIS or BES for the PB?

okay, so I have tmo, with unlimited data.... I currently own an HTC sensation 4g. I've used the hotspot feature, which works well with the PB, but it drains battery life like crazy on my phone. androids aren't the most efficient battery users out there.

so....

I bought a used blackberry bold 9780.
Bridge works great... however, I hate the bb os, and the screen is tiny, I think i need reading glasses while using it.


Browsing on the pb is great, a little slower, internet wise (not much diff between 3g and 4g on tmo), but the battery tradeoff is makes it worth it.


here is where my problem lies though.

even though I have unlimited data, none of the apps on the bb work. gmail wont sync, tapatalk doesn't work, the only thing that does work is the browser. do I need to sign up for the specific BB plan? looking at the specs of the BB plan, it's identical, there was a blackberry data plan, and a Blackberry data plan with Enterprise email....

I don't need another email, my gmail is pushed, and that works fine, since I forward 2 other accounts into it.

will getting a standard blackberry data plan make the apps work, or BIS work? (it took me a while to figure out the difference between BIS and BES)?

Even though I know no one with a BB, can i use BB messenger, or PIN messaging (is there a difference?) with just the standard data plan?

I don't plan on using the BB full time, kind of swap between phones, like I do with my android phones.


any answers anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

short answer - NO you cannot use a standard data plan.

You need either the BIS or the BES plan for you to access apps on your phone, including any other function that involves the use of data.

hope this helps.

Am sure people with more technical knowledge would weigh in and probably give you a better explanation why, or, let you know if there are any alternatives.

Good luck

Originally Posted by jimbob4321

short answer - NO you cannot use a standard data plan.

You need either the BIS or the BES plan for you to access apps on your phone, including any other function that involves the use of data.

hope this helps.

Am sure people with more technical knowledge would weigh in and probably give you a better explanation why, or, let you know if there are any alternatives.

Good luck

weird thing is that browser, and browser on the PB through bridge work flawlessly.. why the apps don't work is beyond me. I could use the BB full time if it could work with my stuff. lol

I guess I'll goof off on my phone plan and see if signing up for BB data (which is the same price) makes stuff work.

I suspect the unlimited data plan allows the browser to go through your carrier's infrastructure no problem.
The moment you try to get your e-mail, BBM and other apps to work, this is when it requires BIS infrastructure and hence the requirement for a 'special' data plan for BB devices.
Sucks to be the case but such is life :)

I did a switch on the tmo website, but who knows how long that will take to go through. Just standard BB, no enterprise email.. I hope I can use the apps though.

I'm just playing with the 9780 as a toy... The senny is my real phone, I just plan on swapping sims if it's a long day, and I want to use the pb. and not have to "charge" my android phone.



edit:
lol>

Thank you. Your account has been changed.
Changes to your services will take effect on 03/23/2012.

i might have to call to get it changed sooner.

3rd party apps can use either plain TCP/IP or BIS connections. RIM's own apps, especially anything depending on their push infrastructure (email, BBM, Twitter notifications, etc) are BIS only. BIS connections are routed through RIM's infrastructure rather than T-Mobile's, and RIM collects a part of the monthly data plan fee to pay for it. RIM uses their infrastructure to compress the data so that you use less, which is good when roaming and uses less battery. Without a BlackBerry plan you can't use the BIS infrastructure (you're not paying for it).

BES is basically like BIS except rather than being run by RIM it's run by a corporate IT department. Still uses RIM's infrastructure, but also connects you to the BES behind the firewall. You don't need it as an individual.

You won't see much difference between "3G" and "4G" on T-Mobile because T-Mobile doesn't have a real 4G network. They call their 3.5G tech 4G despite the fact it's really not (blame marketing). Even then, the 9780 is old enough it doesn't support 3.5G. It tops out at 3.5Mb/s. If you had a 9900, 9810 or 9860 you'd see much better speeds.

I probably wouldn't see much better, cause even on faux g , I get about 4 meg download max. Thanks for the explanation, it makes a lot more sense now.

I ended up changing my plan back. I wiped the bb and reinstalled, now tapatalk and Gmail work on regular data. The native fb doesn't work, but I don't go too much. Besides, I can just use the pb.