I'm thinking of getting the 8100, my first smartphone. If I get an unlocked Pearl, can I just use the chip from my Ericsson phone and not subscribe to data service? I'm not really interested in checking email or surfing the web on the phone just yet.

I use T-Mobile.

Thanks for any input.

No BlackBerry data plan = no web or email.

I know that.

My question was, can I transfer the T-Mobile chip in my Ericsson phone to the 8100, without adding a data plan for email and web.

Yes u can

You don't even need an unlocked Pearl since you're using T-Mobile. One that is locked to T-Mobile will work just fine for you and might be able to be found for cheaper.

Great, thanks!

.....but no web or email. TZones will not help you.

Not trying to be difficult, but what is the reason to get a pearl w/no data or email?
There are plenty of phones with better cameras and media abilities....

Just wondering....

I need street address storage and the ability to take notes, the first of which I don't have on my Ericsson, the second being rather limited.

I might add a data plan later on if I need to access email and web. I don't use T-zones.

I've held off on getting a Palm or Treo, both of which I find too clunky for what I need.

I think the Pearl allows downloads of word documents also, which will be a great plus.

Don't think you can download tot he Pearl without a data plan. Plus, unless the Pearl is different from other BBs, it doesn't edit word documents very well.

The Blackberry is plenty useful even without a data plan (though personally, I use BES). It's PIM features aren't the best but for me they're more than sufficient. You can still sync via Desktop Manager/Intellisync to Outlook or other PIM apps. Plus if one does want email or internet access down the road, it's just a matter of adding the data plan and setting things up.

Not everyone has the same needs but thankfully we do have options.