I have never used a Blackberry or any other PDA phone. I need a new phone and a PDA, so I thought I'd get 2 in 1. I have a Cingular plan, but am not eligible for an upgrade right now. I need a basic phone with a scheduler/calendar to keep track of things. (Husband is in school and works 2 PT jobs. I'm in school and work. I homeschool our kids and they have coop classes, meetings, etc. I need to keep track of where everyone is!)

Money is VERY tight (read almost nonexistent) right now, so I've been looking at phones on eBay. I'm looking at a 7230 and have 2 questions. First, will it do what I need or would another model work better? Second, it doesn't come with any software (though it is unlocked for Cingular). Can I download the software I need for it?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

If money is tight, I think I will just wait for a while. I didn't got my Blackberry until I got a "career job". But I can live without it if I can not afford it.

But to answer your question, I will go for the Blackberry 7290. You can get it around $100 or less. If you bid on one and you loose, try again. You will eventually get it under $100 including shipping. I got mine for $70 (not including shipping). I guess I was lucky. Now I have the 8100.

If connecting to the Internet is not very important to you, I may go for the Palm (Treo). My friend has it and it does everything he wants it to do and he doesn't even have to have a data plan.

Thanks for the advice. I'm not at all interested in connecting to the internet with it. I have internet at home and in the office, so I don't need it on my phone.

I just purchased a 7280 from eBay for $55+$8 shipping. Cingular has the basic BIS plan for $30 if you have a phone plan already. I added a "Friends and Family" for $10 and they the BIS package for $29\mo ($5 off, normally $34\mo).
have Cable internet at home, but I also needed a way to access the internet on the road. While somewhat limited compared to a notebook the Blackberry 7280 has far exceeded what I would have thought possible with a PDA.
I found the ring weak for the cell phone and the ear piece hard to hear with if the ambient noises were about a whisper. Even with a ear bug the sound is poor. This is my first BB and I have had it for less than a month. I believe both the BB and the BIS service from Cingular well worht the investment if you have the need for such a device.
Cingular has a 7290 on sale for $99 with a 2yr service agreement, but I would by one on eBay so you are not tie to a contract.
Just an opinion from a new user.