Hi,

I looked through the FAQs and the forums on this topic, but found nothing that helped me....

I'm looking for advice on the best way to upgrade my cell phone to a 7100G with Cingular. I'm 4 months into a 24-month contract so I would have to pay $300 to upgrade my phone right now. Does anyone know of any other way to upgrade my phone without such a steep price?

One option I considered was paying $150 to break out of my contract, and then sign up as a 'new' subscriber through Amazon.com and get the hardware for free.

I'm looking to use the device a little as a phone, but mostly to monitor my email while I travel, so I think I'll be getting the 'BlackBerry Bundle' @ $70/month (450 voice minutes, unlimited data). Can anyone advise me on Cingular rate plans?

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

F.

unlimited data is 44.99
4mb data is 34.99 (i think)

If you want to moniter emails and respond quickly, I would suggest the 7290. I had the 7280 and bumped up to the 7290 because of bluetooth.
The 7100g has a qwerty keypad, but it is not the standard that the 7290 has. Each key has two letters, which would throw me off if I was typing fast. The 7100g however has more features than the 7290, but overall in a poll, more forum users cited the 7200 series as their device. see link below

Which Model BB do you use

Hopefully this will help. If you are seriously wanting to switch to the 7100g i would break contract, that is just my opinion though

I had the same problem, and I needed to keep my phone number, so couldn't break the contract. I paid $395 to get a 7100g from telesales. I thought about ebay, but too many things can go wrong.

The 7100g keyboard works well for me, as does the weight and form factor.

You'll need a BB data plan, go with unlimited for $45. Read this board for
very useful information on BES vs BWC ...

I've had the 7100g for two weeks. It's changed my life.

Thanks for the replies.

Cingular tells me I have to be away from Cingular for 6 months before I return and am considered a 'new' customer. So breaking service and then walking back into the store isn't an option after all.

After speaking with the Cingular Account Rep for my employer, and with the store manager where I bought the Cingular phones, I'm told no one can excempt me from the upgrade rules. So it looks like I'll have to pay close to $400. (In two months when I'm at my 6 month point I could get it for $350 whoop-dee-doo!). However if I purchase it through my company's rep I save $25. And I have a $25 gift card from my birthday (lol I sound like I'm 8 years old!) so those help a little. I'll have to think about it some more

And as to which model to buy, I really like the look and feel of the 7100G over the 7290.

And for monthly costs, I should expect to pay about $70-$80? Unlimited data at $45 plus 450 voice minutes at $35?

Thanks for all of the help.

Well I made the jump and bought the 7100G! The sales rep gave me a $50 rebate even though I'm not due for an upgrade. So with that plus my $25 gift card (thanks employer!) the purchase wasn't too painful.

Got set up on my company's BB servers last night and I'm wireless this morning. So far the keyboard doesn't seem like an issue. The keys are kind of small for my big fingers, but I think I'll get used to it. I can see how it could be a problem if I had callouses on my finger tips (ie guitarist or rock climber?) and couldn't feel the keys, but I think it will work out fine.

I've noticed that the transmitter in the 7100G is far more powerful than my Motorola cam-phone which wouldn't send or receive calls from my basement. 7100G is rocking away on my desk here in the cave.

Thanks for all of the input.

F.