Re: Wifi without data plan
Just adding to my earlier post. I have been using the BB 9900 without a data plan for months now, and it is a real nice experience. Even with wifi on (which gives me app world, browser, etc.), it goes for days on a charge. In fact, I got so enamored with my BB and so disgusted with my Android for on screen typing that I briefly switched my main phone (Android) and Blackberry, giving the latter the data plan. I even bought similar apps for saving my calls to calendar and etc. that make my Android useful. It was a great experience until the end of the first day when my Blackberry battery was on its last leg. I was used to several days on a charge. "Data on" is another story. So I switched them back--I pay for the privilege of putting the AT&T CS reps to alot of trouble--and am happily awaiting BB10. No use in buying more batteries for my 9900 now. When BB 10 arrives, I will have the one with the physical keypad and some extra batteries, and will no longer carry two phones.
Many apps seek BBM integration. I just unloaded BBM. That stopped the nagging over BBM. I did reload it when I had the data plan on, but then unloaded it again later.
I also found that you can do without BIS/BES with a third party browser... as long as you don't care about BBM. Some apps like that setup and some don't. I don't see the point of it (at least, for me, since the unlimited BB plan is the same cost of the non-BB plan at AT&T), but it was an interesting experiment.