Hello all,

After doing a lot o research into the Blackberry devices and service plans, I have decided to jump onto the Blackberry bandwagon and purchase a 7730 with service from T-Mobile. This will be my first PDA since the Apple Newton way back in 1994.

Anyway, I am a deaf person so I will not be using 7730 for any voice-related activities. Therefore, no voice plan. This is one reason why I chose T-Mobile since its data-only plan for BWC is only $30/month compared to $50/month for Cingular/ATT.

Before I go ahead with the 7730 purchase from eAccess which is selling it for $99 with T-Mobile plan activation, I have a few last-minute questions:

1) Does the 7730 come with OS 4.0?

2) Will the Internet access work out of the box, without any additional configuration?

3) Does VeriChat or some other IM software work on this model without any additional monthly fees, any additional delays/latentcy, and with minimal configuration?

4) Do I have to pay SMS fees for the IM software or does the IM software take advantage of the GPRS internet?

5) What are the pros and cons of going with T-Mobile for data service vis-a-vis Cingular/ATT?

6) Will I be able to use HTTPS secure encryption on the web?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Any help would be appreciated since I am anxious to get a Blackberry. Thanks.

I also weighed the options and pros v. cons with the Tmobile and Cingular. I use T-mobile because for $60 a month, you get 1000 anytime minutes and all data and sms usage (email, internet browsing sms etc.) is unlimited. The signal strength on the Tmobile in my area is good.

The Blackberry as far as I know will not come with 4.0. Mark Rejhon has a page in the forums that will enable you to download the 4.0 and guide you through the installation process. Its fairly easy. You have to configure your email client to the blackberry. (if you use gmail, you have to put the gmail account to the blackberry). There is an email account setup Icon on your blackberry that will assist the configuarion. That is also pretty easy.

Verichat itself is a yearly-payment service. With it, you will not incur any additional sms fees. It is a full screen text messaging app (much better than standard AIM apps) that allows AIM, Yahoo, MSN and one additional messaging service.

Thanks for the response, Aaron. Do you know why the 7730 doesn't come with 4.0? Is it a hardware issue?

Regarding VeriChat, is there software out there that can be had for free, without monthly or yearly fees? I don't understand why T-Mobile is not offering messaging over the internet/GPRS rather than over SMS. Is this a technical issue?

Other than the upgrade to 4.0 and setting up email, would the web surfing work on 7730 out of the box? Or is 4.0 required for that?

Lastly, does HTTPS work on your blackberry? Thanks.

HTTPS will work on the BB- your 7730 will connect up the the internet out of the box. AIM is availiable on the T-Zones WAP homepage. More than likely the software is 3.*** because they are selling out units that were in inventory prior to the 4.0 release. But upgrading the software is painless. Get the BlackBerry- its worth it!

Thanks for the info on the AIM on the Tzones WAP. However, people have indicated that the Tmobile AIM software uses SMS rather than GPRS internet. Is this still the case?

Yes, it does use SMS. There is supposed to be a client coming from RIM that will support instant messaging, but for the time being, VeriChat seems to be the best choice.

Thanks for the info. Looks like I will jump on the blackberry now and see how it works.

I upgraded my 7730 from the original OS 3.7 to the new OS 4.0 and it was a snap. T-Mobile has a link for the download, and then the desktop installer does the rest. Takes about 5 minutes including the restart.

I love my 7730. The bigger screen and superior backlight compared to my original 7230 make it well worth the upgrade. My only complaint is the 16 MB of memory compared to the 32 MB in the new 7290. While I don't notice any performance lags or shortcomings, folks think the extra memory can make a difference. Also, the 7290 has bluetooth (for a headset only - no wireless data sync). While the backlight is the newer brighter variety, the price you pay is the smaller size screen. Some folks think the smaller screen is better anyway, and it makes the overall device smaller as well. Just something to chew on...