I'd like to get a smartphone that doesn't require a data plan and was considering getting a BlackBerry. Right now, I have an AT&T Tilt / HTC TyTN II and it works quite well without a dataplan. I buy or download, from my computer, whatever apps or games I want to and install away while the phone's plugged in. What worries me about the BlackBerry is that, near as I can tell, games and apps can't be downloaded on anything other than a BlackBerry.

Here's a free app I found:

http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/2238

I click the "Get it Today" button with Firefox and nothing happens. I go to http://mobile.blackberry.com/ and get a "your current device and/or browser are not compatible for this site". I even installed User Agent Switcher, for Firefox, and spoof my User Agent such that it's the same as that of a BlackBerry and it doesn't work. This makes me think that the "Get it Today" button, as well, simply doesn't work on computers.

So, is my assessment correct - that if you don't have a data connection, you're simply not going to be able to install games or apps?

You can't use a BlackBerry on AT&T without a data plan.

I think what you're running into is that the App World website will email a link to your phone, but you can't get it without data. Also, a lot of the apps use push. No BlackBerry plan, no push.

Actually, as of last September, you can't BUY a BlackBerry (or any smartphone) from AT&T without a data plan.

But to be able to take full advantage of the BlackBerry features, you need a BlackBerry data plan.

It appears that AT&T requires a data plan for all smartphones and BlackBerry devices activated after September 1, 2009.

AT&T to require smartphone data plans starting September 6th « Boy Genius Report

To the OP, you can't install apps from App World without a BlackBerry Data Plan as App World is a BlackBerry Data feature.

BlackBerry is not right for you.

Wirelessly posted (White and Nerdy)

Agreed... If you don't get a data plan, its just a phone with a keyboard... Yourmissing out on so much functionality

If you want a good smart phone that you can use without a data plan look at an Android. I have an HTC Dream, just upgraded to a Hero running with a Rogers Pay as You Go plan and use Wi-Fi access at home and work, for downloading. It works quite well and Android has configuration options that will keep the phone from using data if you're not in Wi-Fi coverage which can be a pain on the Blackberry.

Concur with the others, if you don't want to get a Blackberry data plan, the Blackberry isn't the phone for you.

That you can't buy a BlackBerry from AT&T without a data plan doesn't mean you can't buy one off of eBay and I'd rather pay $200.00 extra up front than an additional $720.00 for the duration of the two year contract ($30.00 * 24)

I'm a long time Palm user. Started off with the Palm V, then the Palm m505, then the Palm m515, then the Tungsten T, and finally the Tungsten TX. None of those had data plans nor did I care. I could take notes on them and I could play games on them, which is all that I wanted. At that time, however, my pockets were full. I'd have a PDA and a cellphone in them. Now, I can have not only a PDA and a cellphone in one device (thereby saving lots of space) but a camera, too. Sure, a dedicated SLR camera would be better, but those aren't pocket sized, and as the saying goes, the best camera is the one that you have on you.

Sure, I'll concede that I'm missing out on functionality, but then again, it's not functionality I want. If I want to look something up I'm not so impulsive that I have to do it right then and there - I can write it down and look it up at home. $520.00 for the instant gratification that a data plan would provide is simply not worth it to me. Being able to use Google Maps would be cool but not $520.00 cool.

Also, the reason I'm considering BlackBerry over a Windows Mobile device is that the BlackBerry has a well documented API. There are lots of little things I'd change about my Windows Mobile device if I could but Windows Mobile doesn't document it's API very well and to the extent that it does it doesn't appear to offer as much versatility as the BlackBerry API does.

Hmmm - I had actually assumed the Android was more tied to a data plan than even the iPhone. I'll need to look into that

And the iPhone doesn't let you block the settings at all? On my AT&T Tilt, I changed the MEedia Net access point name from wap.cingular to wap.cingular.bad, which effectively disabled data on my phone. If you can't do something similar on the BlackBerry that'd be unfortunate...

That works for the Android too, and since you can have multiple APNs on an Android it is easy to turn it on (by switching to a good one) of you want to pay the rate for a while.

In theory that would work for APN (Direct TCP, or carrier TCP) access on a Blackberry. The problem is a Blackberry uses (and what you are paying the extra money for on a Blackberry Data Plan) a Blackberry Internet Service or Blackberry Enterprise Service connection unless the application specifically asks for something else (like APN, WAP or Wi-Fi). It is very complex unless you have a Blackberry plan, in which case it just works and the device picks the least cost route for you.