Hello all,

I have been lurking and searching and had a question:

I called Cingular today and they stated that since IM's were data, they were covered under the unlimited plan. Howver, I have read on this board that perhaps that is not true? So, which is correct?

Second question, and I have searched and searched and read and read: must I configure APN settings to use IM such as Ramble?

Final question: What the heck is APN? Why am I modifying it? Is it so Cingular cannot see what I am doing? ie IM's? I talked to Blackberry support at Cingular and they had no idea what the heck I was talking about.

Thankyou in advance.
BTW, I have spent about 4 hours searching this board for the above answers and while I found many threads on the topics, I was unable to find clear answers.

1. Ah, the age old question....

Will Cingular charge me for my IM usage?

Sorry to say there's no answer. Some say yes, some say no.

2. I beleive Ramble uses the Blackberry APN so you don't need to set up anything in TCP. Easiest way to test it would be to leave the APN settings blank and see if Ramble connects.

3. APN = Access Point Network. Where and how your applications connect to Cingular to gain access to the internet. The only way you'll be able to use the WAP APN is if Cingular gives you access, so yes they'll see you using it.

im a cingular customer, and have been for years. There unlimited data plan covers all data except for MMS and SMS. IM away and don't worry about it

It's not that easy and I'd be careful about telling people to "IM Away." Several people on this board have been charged for using the WAP APN, which is require by many third party applications, IM inlcuded.

I don't want to see someone end up with a $2,000 bill because the read here the data used by third party applications is included in Cingular's plan.

It's been beaten to death. There's simply no clear answer from anyone here or from anyone at Cingular.

Thankyou very much!

A appreicate your answers.
I guess I will have to isntall and hope for the best.

One more question, if you do not mind:

So, with Ramble, do I need to call Cingular and ask them to "authorize" me to use WAP? Thankyou for your patience

Again, there's no easy answer.

For some people it seems Cingular sets up their accounts so that use of the WAP APN works straight away (like it's included in their Blackberry unlimited plan.)

For others it doesn't work without Cingular enabling Wireless Internet Express Pay Per Use which results in the user being charged by the kb.

It's all a matter of who you get on the phone when you call into Cingular.

Thankyou!!!!

Personally, I'd call Cingular 10 times in a row and see how many times they give yes or no. Fun experiment . Or just switch to T-Mobile .

I got my set up package and all of the data and text is listed as included. Interesting.
I got ramble on my BB but none of my 'buddies' can see me. Oh well, that gives me something to do tonight.

If you speak with someone at Cingular, ask them to note on your account that they told you that IM's were free, and make a note of the date. Then, if you get billed for it, just dial 611 on your phone for Customer Care and inform them of what you were told and the date. Worst case scenario is you have to call them every month and get the charges removed.

thanks for the advice
i had the service rep read back to me his notes and i made a note the time and day i called.