Are Blackberry phones worth it?

[tgtubbs]

simple question. are bb phones worth the monthly cost? and which carrier tends to be the best, considering price, features, coverage, etc.?

[hdawg]

simple question. are bb phones worth the monthly cost? and which carrier tends to be the best, considering price, features, coverage, etc.?

It depends on the intended user.

Place a value on each of the things you're asking for and then someone can provide input on what'd be the best for the user.

You need to provide input, otherwise you're going to get useless opinions.

[monkeypaw]

For me, yes, for others, no. I need timely email from more than one email account and I make enough that I don't have to worry about an extra $20 or $30 over just a phone plan.

There's no best carrier. I can get by on Tmobile but their coverage is not generally as good as Verizon or AT&T. For $59.99 I get 1,000 minutes, unlimited sms, and unlimited data and email. If my work required me to be out and about or away from urban areas, I would likely be on a different carrier.

[Dubdub]

simple question. are bb phones worth the monthly cost? and which carrier tends to be the best, considering price, features, coverage, etc.?

Please use the SEARCH function and read the forums.

As for the best carrier, that would be the one which provides the best coverage for you, where you need it - where you live, work, travel and play.

[juwaack68]

Yes.

[penguin3107]

I still stand behind my original {mod-deleted} reply.

[juwaack68]

penguin, did you use some of your biting humor (that I love)?

@<hidden> the OP, what are you willing to spend each month for service, and, like hdawg asked, what type of features are you looking for?

[penguin3107]

penguin, did you use some of your biting humor (that I love)?

I did (thank you) but I think it was a bit too obscure and wasn't easily recognized as being witty. ;)

[hdawg]

...As for the best carrier, that would be the one which provides the best coverage for you, where you need it - where you live, work, travel and play.

or provides you the most important functionality. Not all carriers provide the same services.

for example: T-Mobile does my faves ... does att have something similiar?

[tgtubbs]

i would want to spend the least amount possible in order to get the features i need. i would need unlimited sms, email, and web access.

[hdawg]

.... honestly, for that functionality you don't need a BlackBerry ... not to say you shouldn't get one if you like it ... but ... Do any of the carriers in your area of usage have particularly good or bad coverage?

Any you'd like to avoid or lean towards?

[juwaack68]

How many minutes do you need each month?

I use Sprint and they have plans that include unlimited email, web, and sms all in 1 plan. I think their smallest voice plan that has all that includes 450 mins/mo for $70/mo.

[tgtubbs]

hdawg: most carriers work fine where i live, with the exception of at&t. verizon and sprint seem to be the best two.

juwaack68: i think that would work, but is 70/month too much for what i would be using it for? (sms, calls, email, web) oh, does that pla include gps? because i will be needing that also.

[juwaack68]

I'm not sure what Verizon's plans include (or what they cost), but that call is up to you. For web stuff, what type of stuff do you want to do on the web? BlackBerry devices are improving their web surfing abilities, but if you spend a lot of time on the the web, you may want to look at a different device (or load a 3rd party browser app like Opera).

Yes, that would include GPS (and Verizon was nice enough to 'unlock' it for the Tour).

[hdawg]

based on what you said, if $70 is more than you want (which is really what you're going to pay for a BlackBerry plan with any voice plan), you definitely want to look towards a non-BlackBerry data plan ... that doesn't preclude you from using a BB. I think you'll overall find better deals with Sprint, but VZW may have a promotion or something to get a good deal with them.

Either way it looks like CDMA is the way for you to go.

[Dubdub]

I did (thank you) but I think it was a bit too obscure and wasn't easily recognized as being witty. ;)

I guess I didn't get it then as I was the one who canned it.

[hdawg]

Perhaps the OP will be able to find a plan more near a 42 dollar price point; I think that's about the best someone could do with some form of plan discount.

[takeshi]

oh, does that pla include gps? because i will be needing that also.
Not necessarily. Depends on the GPS app you intend to use. Some are free. Some aren't. You might want to peruse the GPS forum if you're still considering the BB. However, based on your comments on cost that seems unlikely. Though getting any smartphone with data plan and GPS is going to cost a bit.

Sounds like you need to compare pricing for what you're looking for with the carriers suggested above and then decide if it's worth it to you.

[tgtubbs]

Thanks for all the input. I just talked to a verizon agent and they said that because of the family plan I am on, I would just be charged with an additional $29.99 data plan. So in total, I would end up paying about $40.00 a month. That seems like a great deal to me.

[xplode]

Its definitely worth the money if you will use the device and all of the included features. If you dont browse the web, send alot of emails and things of that nature, you will not see it worth the extra 30-50 a month for data.