Realistically, Blackberry and Smartphones in general are phones that are geared around the Internet. AT&T is taking a stance to enforce that all smartphones will be required to have the unlimited data package for them, particularly for one reason: To avoid unexpected usage on you're cell phone bill. When the browser on a smartphone starts using the internet without a plan, the cost to use it is extraordinary which leads to a lot of unhappy customers. Customer who are only wanting something like a blackberry for the qwerty keyboard and calendar needs to consider that a blackberry may not be the right phone for them; perhaps one of the many quick messaging devices AT&T allows would be a better suitable phone for you. It's the same thing as the iPhone - iPhone from day 1 requires the $30 package for internet, no iff's and's or but's about it; this is just AT&T's way of bringing the other phones up to speed for the same reason the iPhone required it.