I have a BB 7290, non-BES. I want to use IM. I have read the BlackBerry FAQ and have done a search like we are supposed to and am concerned about using VeriChat or other 3rd party IM software due to the T-Mobile port blocking issue. The FAQ suggests a solution of using a hosted BES but that of course is more $$ just for IM functionality. Has anyone tried the T-Mobile IM software which can be downloaded at http://software.se.t-mobile.com/? I assume (maybe foolish me) that T-Mobile would not block its own IM client, and that client seems to support most (though maybe not all) of the major IM services? Any opinions/advice on that client, or whether the port-blocking issue still is an issue? Thanks!

The 7290 IM client on that site is the same as the IM client written for the 7100t. It is the OZ IM client.

So, any of the reported shortcomings or strengths of the 7100t IM client would seem to apply. I've only used it once or twice, so I can't compare it to Verichat or any other client you would pay for. I certainly won't pay one cent for IM.

I got it working on my 7230 even though the download says it won't

I have a TMO 7290 and I installed and tested the IM app. It works fine with AOL. I have not yet used it extensively.

i run ramble on my tmo 7230 just fine... the connection sometimes gets dropped while i'm truly mobile (driving 20+ miles) due to signal lapses, but i can deal with that.
just be sure to upgrade the manager and bb OS to 4.0... then, use one of tmobile's open ports in whichever IM client you use (25, 80, etc.).

I have a question about the IM Client on the 7290 Tmobile provided by OZ. How would one customize it on the back end where in it would tell/notify you that someone has come back from being idle or is idle even if it doesnt show it in the properties of that user.