Ok, I'm a little confused about this whole Blackberry thing. I'm not the tech person, my husband is though. I got offered a free blackberry online for ordering flowers from FTD.com. They offer the 7100t, 7105 and the 7290 all for free. Brand new too.
All I would pay is the monthly service for phone/internet about $60.00 a month I think.
My question is this, can you really use this phone anywhere, anytime, any place for emailing, web browsing, full internet usage, and bluetooth type international (no roaming) calls?
My husband would love this gadget if it can do all of that. Right now he has a sprint phone and a laptop that he travels with. He is in the military and so this would come in very handy for us to communicate while he is over in the gulf and such.
I've heard it's hard to hold the phone and use it as a phone cause it's heavy, big and bulky. And I've also heard that it's hard to type on the little keyboard, only short messages.
Please give me advice, I am not a computer guru, so I have no clue if this is a good deal and if it really does what it says it does.
Thanks
Mia

Is the 7290 the best one out there now?
Thanks
Mia

Just curious why everyone reads this post and then passes it up and doesn't respond to it.

hey miamoss. I really do think that your husband would really like the blackberry if you got him one. They are great. The service would be offered through T-Mobile as I am seeing two of "their" units on that list, 7100t and 7105. I would say go with the 7105. It's an updated version of the 7100t. It's more phone shaped than the bulky brick-like feel of the 7290.

Since it's a T-Mobile unit it will be able to be used anywhere there is signal for email, browsing and phone. T-Mobile is GSM/GPRS so it can be used overseas as well. The keyboard on the 7290 is a full keyboard and the 7100t & 7105 have two letters per key. At first I thought it would be hard to use the 7100/7105 for typing messages but you get used to it very quickly. I'd say this deal is totally worth it if you do not mind being locked into a 2 year contract with them.

p.s. the 8700 is by far the best BB out now but T-Mobile doesnt have it yet and if they did I highly doubt they'd have this deal on it. I personally have a 7100g (same thing as the 7100t/7105 just looks different) and I absolutely love it. Hope this helps.

I often wonder that also.

You must be some kind of women to want to supply your man with a technogly gadget. Maybe I can have you talk with my wife...I am new to the forum. I have bought the 8700c. I love it. I use it for work and I wonder why I didn't buy one years ago.

For when your apart. He would love getting short email from you and have the ability to responed.

Good luck...that my is my two cents.

PS Thank your husband for supporting our freedom..may his journeys be always safe returns.

Depends on his need for email. That's the primary use of this device. None of those free ones run on the new faster network so web browsing will be slow and not all that useful. The 8700 really changes the dynamics. For example, Google Local is a great program for finding anything when you travel. I can't imagine it running very well on the free devices. Yes it will run but my not very fast. You can see my tips site for more info. Any by the way, my wife uses it on vacation to check her email. When we are away she may use it more than me.

Hey, I have another question. Is Blackberry mainly for work related stuff?
My husband would not use it for work, it would be for fun, pleasure only.
I mean he might have some stuff at work he needs to download and study for a test or something, but pretty much he would use it for email, telephone, web browsing, games, picture storage etc... Can it do all of that?
And another question, can blackberry be used over in the gulf (which is where he is at now)? And also, would there be all these roaming fees and such for when he is out of town and out of the country? Does it cost per minute or what?
Argh ! This is all so confusing to me.
Any help would be appreciated.
I just don't want to get him something that he might not need you know.
Thanks
Mia

I'd get him the 8700 if you can. Amazon is always running great deals. The main thing to consider with the 71XX series is the reduced keyboard as opposed to the full qwerty keyboard on the 7290 and 8700. That reduced keyboard bothers some people but not others.
The blacberry does "work" related stuff best but with the 7290, 71XX, 8700 series many prosumer types can get full use from the device. Everything you listed your husband would do is suited just fine for the blackberry. And yes it can be used in the gulf but call your carrier and talk to them about their specific international plans and rates.

I don't think you can get international roaming for the price you quoted. I think it will be extra. But it will do all this.

Again, for most areas it can be used, but as I understand the situation in bthe gulf, service is availabe, except for Iraq. This may have changed, but the celluar infrastructure was badly damaged. I don't cnow if there are any providers that provide Blackberry data or if any have roaming agreements with T-mobiile. Again extra charges if he can get data.

Flat Wrong here. Quite comfortable Again not true. Both type keyboards require grtting used to but with experience become quite easy to use

With all this said, if you don't get your hopes up about communicating with him in the Gulf, I think your husband will love getting a Bb from you.

I would appriciate any correction or update about BB service in Iraq.

Hope this helps.
Rcbjr

When it comes to using blackberry as email and browsing device, it is similar to so-called PDA devices.

When it comes to using blackberry as a cell phone, it is just like regular (roaming calls) phone.
So, to learn about roaming charges and expenses and where it will work, just call T-Mobile or research their Web site for 'regular' cell phones, international coverage and roaming charges.

My wireless provider (not T-Mobile) charges me $3/minute for roaming calls from overseas. Pretty expensive, I must say.
I almost never use my blackberry for phone calls when I travel abroad, except for emergencies.

That would also explain why cell companies love blackberry. Ask yourself, would they promote it so much if it were allow you make free of charge long distance phone calls? I doubt it.

The best use of blackberry (just like any cell phone) is local use, with occasional infrequent travels outside your wireless company coverage.

If you plan to use it locally, you can find very affordable deals. T-Mobile can offer it to you for $200-$300 for device, with $20 monthly data plan. That is $40 difference for what you have to pay monthly to get it for "free." Just in one year you would end up paying more in monthly fees than you would if you just buy blackberry from T-Mobile for $200-$300.

Mia, buy.com has the Blackberry 8700c from Cingular for free after rebates. It is the latest version of the device, and so it is the most up to date technology. Not sure about service or rates in the gulf, but since it is a GSM device it is about as likely to work there as the t-mobile.

Wow, thanks so much.
I am going to get him one today online, probably go with the newest version the 8700. I will get it for free after rebates at Amazon or buy.com.
Thanks so much for the info.
Now my question is which provider would be the best as far as coverage internationally goes.
My husband is usually in the US. He just happens to be over in the gulf now. Near Dubai I think. Anyway, his overseas trips are only a few months long, and he won't be going overseas very often, but when he does, we would like to be able to communicate. Mostly he is out to sea anyway, therefore there will be no coverage in the middle of some ocean, I realize that. When they do pull in to ports in the gulf, they are usually only there for a few days anyway. So most usage will be here in the US.
I called Cingular, they seem like a great plan to go with $69.99 per month, plus any international charges (that varies per country).
I am getting ready to call T-Mobile now and see what they offer.
It's hard to know who has the best coverage as far as available coverage isn't it?
You all are so very helpful. I can't wait to send my hubby his new blackberry 8700 !!
Woo-Hoo
Mia

I think only Cingular has the 8700 right now. I do know that the buy.com and amazon.com deals require a contract with Cingular to get the rebate. Also, the phone may be locked to Cingular, meaning that it may not work on another provider's network. There have been discussions on this forum about how to get them unlocked by Cingular so that they will work on other networks overseas. Your husband's best bet would be to get an unlocked 8700 so that he can change providers, if needed, to have international service.

Unfortunantly, Cingular seems to make their customers wait until they our out of a contract (or close) before they will unlock the phones. I wonder if it would be worth a call to Cingular's international support folks to see if they will unlock it in your situation. Don't be suprised if you run into problems or confusion with them.

You can get the 8700C and have it unlocked and use on T-Mo, a lot of threads here on doing just so.

KonTiki, I agree. But, and please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think the "free" offers apply here. If she does the buy.com, amazon.com, or the ftd offer she is going to be in a two year contract with Cingular for about $70 a month. The "free" phone will end up costing about $1,700 over the two year period. And, that won't include service from T-Mo if he has to sign up for it to get coverage.

Her best bet might be to pay retail for the phone and forget about the rebates, have it unlocked by either Cingular or someone on bbforums, and then pick the provider. Is that right, or am I confused?

Okay, this may be way off, but does how does the Blackberry 8700 compare to the HP Ipaq hw6510/hw6515. Are these even the same thing? I'm just trying to find the best thing on the market that is out there as far as phone/internet/email/ messenging etc.... all combined into one.
Thanks
Mia

One thing to think about. Most DoD offices, locations, etc, will not allow you to use a cell phone with a camera,due to security concerns. BB's do not have cameras. The HP iPAQ 6515 has one model with and another without. I tried to make the HP work but could not. There is an updated model coming out, the 6915 I think, that has WiFi included to connect to wireless networks and hotspots. BB's do not have that function yet

You'll want the BB, more stable and more streamlined to do the functions available. Plus more secure.

I agree, the BB is a great device. I'd stick with a GSM carrier (Cing or TMobile) if you need international roaming. I have the 8700c and find it is not too big to use as a phone. I came from a Treo650.

Please thank you husband for serving.