Using a Blackberry without the Blackberry features - Possible?

[madmarvcr]

I forgot to add, most newer 3rd party apps have settings to use direct TCP and bypass BES/MDS.

[crashnburn]

I forgot to add, most newer 3rd party apps have settings to use direct TCP and bypass BES/MDS.

Elaborate?

[candygogo]

I use a BB 7520 with a Boost prepaid SIM with the $0.20/day unlimited wireless web option. and no BB plan. there is no SMS, no PUSH email, No PIN messaging.

Other than that, full data works
. I use,
Gmail for Blackberries, all email now forwarded to Gmail account
Opera Mini for web browsing
VeriChat for IM
jmIRC for IRC client
Google Local
HelloWorld (GPS Mapping)

I have the same setup (use some of the software you've mentioned and others), but I don't add the Boost 20 cents/day interent. I rarely have problems accessing web/wap sites. I've been having trouble using Avantgo and wonder if my not having the Boost internet is the problem.

[madmarvcr]

Elaborate?

for example

Ramble IM has a setting option where you pick either Use MDS TCP or Use Device TCP

BBWeather has a checkbox to disable MDS Proxy

I think Verchat when it is first installed searches for a network path

Shapeservices apps, search for a network path when the apps are installed


What I have found if you dont have a BB plan is to dump as many Service Books as possible. On the BB 7520 i have 5 Service Books

WAP transport
WAP Browser
Desktop [CICAL]
Desktop [CMIME]
Blackberry Browser

with so few Service Books, this essentially forces all the 3rd part apps to use native TCP.

Eventually I am going to try and hack a 7290 blackberry with a Prepaid GSM sim, if the prepaid packet data prices ever come down

T-Mobile prepaid SIM for sidekick data is like $1/day, thats $30/month
a T-mobile unlimited BB plan is $29.99 a month.
Cingular prepaid SIM packet data is like $0.01/kb ...just based on my recent data usage, that would be $4/day doing the same thing with a Cingular prepaid SIM

[setec]

So, on Nextel, a BB without a data plan would work for phone AND Walkie-Talkie as well? I am assuming this would be yes. I have Verizon with a Treo 700w and after I get done shooting it, I am switching back to Nextel.

[Dreaderus]

btw at least on our network, if you do not have a data plan, due to it searching for the rim servers, if you do not use your rim for a while u will without a doubt, miss all incoming calls going straight to voicemail. other symptoms have included delayed text messages

Dreaderus

[madmarvcr]

So, on Nextel, a BB without a data plan would work for phone AND Walkie-Talkie as well? I am assuming this would be yes. I have Verizon with a Treo 700w and after I get done shooting it, I am switching back to Nextel.

At least on my BB 7520 without a BB data plan, phone and walkie-talkie still work.

[lil_nikk]

Any body know how to get Data connection refused off the top header of the BB when only using it for voice/pda purposes?

[live2serve]

I use a BB 7100t on tmobile I got off ebay. Just use it as a phone and txt messenger. No data plan whatsoever! No RIM guys in black suits pounding down my door either!

[Synncere]

Any body know how to get Data connection refused off the top header of the BB when only using it for voice/pda purposes?

I don't think it's possible. One of my neighbors uses the 8700r w/out a data plan asked me the same question the other day as sometimes the data connection refused message will go away for a little bit on his BlackBerry but it always returns.

[live2serve]

Yeah it can't be done. That is displayed because your SIM does not have a data plan set up on it and when ever the BB tries to connect to the Tmobile data network it is refused. If you ever did get a data plan that would go away and the gprs letters on the screen would become GPRS(All in caps) Just a minor annoyance really.

[L Bo]

I myself use a 7100i at work for just DC and phone. I cant send sms, mms, browse the net or emails, but it works just fine otherwise. I like it cause of the bluetooth and accurate phone log. It keeps track of EVERY call (including DC's) which is good for me to show how often I need to speak to people every time I try to call them and I cant reach them.

(hocks a loogie into hands, rubs them together)...this thread is now stuck!

[setec]

I ordered my 7100i online for a new Nextel account on 04/28/06. I got my phone on 05/01/06. I called to activate it. I had picked a data plan online when ordering. However, with the activation guy, I switched rate plans. Well, since he is just for activation, he never added my data plan. So, when I goto blackberry support, they realized that I had no data plan. They didn't know how this was possible because they are not supposed to let me do that. Now, I want a data plan, but if you guys don't with a blackberry (use it for phone, DC and PDA) then maybe this little fluke will work for you. Just wanted to share this.

[hillstrubl]

There's a lot of misinformation on this thread, so let me set the record straight as I've understood the situation to be.
As I understand it, NO carrier will let you use a BlackBerry without the associated BlackBerry data plan, because they've all signed agreements with RIM wherein they agreed to make sure that ALL customers using a BlackBerry were also signed up for a BB data plan.
This is something I heard back in 2005, however, so my info may be out of date. Perhaps things have changed since then, I just can't verify that they have.

not true, nextel is apparently the only one that doesnt allow that, GSM carriers by definition dont usually care what phone is being used by what SIM.

I don't know where you got your info at, but it is wrong.. RIM dosen't care why you buy blackberries as long as you are buying one.
There is nothing stoping someone from buying a blakberry just to use the keyboard for SMS or whatever reason they want it for.. They don't have to get a BB data plan if they don't want to.. Although if you as me it is pretty crazy to have a blackberry without a data plan

correct, the sale of the handset to the carrier is where RIM makes their money, although SOME revenue can be traced to the actual data plan with the carrier, but not much

After having asked this same question myself 4 months ago and watching countless others ask the same question.
This needs to be a STICKY

it seems like common sense, im not sure why it needs to be a sticky.
except for CDMA carriers where your ESN (IMEI for GSM) is directly linked to your service account, what phone you're using (keep in mind, below it all a BB is jsut another type of phone) doesnt matter to the carriers.

for example
Ramble IM has a setting option where you pick either Use MDS TCP or Use Device TCP
BBWeather has a checkbox to disable MDS Proxy
I think Verchat when it is first installed searches for a network path
Shapeservices apps, search for a network path when the apps are installed
What I have found if you dont have a BB plan is to dump as many Service Books as possible. On the BB 7520 i have 5 Service Books
WAP transport
WAP Browser
Desktop [CICAL]
Desktop [CMIME]
Blackberry Browser
with so few Service Books, this essentially forces all the 3rd part apps to use native TCP.
Eventually I am going to try and hack a 7290 blackberry with a Prepaid GSM sim, if the prepaid packet data prices ever come down
T-Mobile prepaid SIM for sidekick data is like $1/day, thats $30/month
a T-mobile unlimited BB plan is $29.99 a month.
Cingular prepaid SIM packet data is like $0.01/kb ...just based on my recent data usage, that would be $4/day doing the same thing with a Cingular prepaid SIM

if you somehow got a GSM bb to get data without a blackberry plan thats pretty rare. Also, a t-mobile sidekick SIM (of any kind, post or prepaid) will NOT work in a BB. This is because like a BB, a Sidekick plan uses a dedicated APN

[kengo]

I use an ex-tmobile 7230 and 7290 in Singapore with a pre-paid Singtel card (phone, sms, pda all work fine). I needed to have t-mobile unlock the phones in order to accept 3rd party SIM cards; otherwise they didn't work. So, yes, you can use the blackberry without a data plan, but you might need to have it unlocked first depending upon the network.