I am looking for some advices from all of you. I have read a lot of threads and almost all of Mark Rejhon’s FAQs here for the last few days; I just want to get some feedback before I go ahead with my purchase.

I have been a regular voice Bell Mobility customer for the last few years, not really by choice, just don’t want to change my number. (Beginning next year we will be able to keep the phone number in Canada). But for now, my contract is up, and I like to get a BlackBerry.

Bell Mobility is offering 7250 for $0.0 or 7750 for $349.00 both on a 36-month contract. From what I read so far here, it seems 7250 to be a better unit, I don’t know why the price is lower. If I sign up, I think I would go for the $100 voice and data combo plans. http://www.bell.ca/shop/PrsShpWlsPrdPda_List.page

So, here are my questions…

1. 7250 or 7750? (I think a power user would pick 7250?)
2. Unlimited RIM data, no cap?
3. Bell Mobility still don’t support TCP/IP stack? Any rumor of Bell turning it on? OS upgrade available? I really like to use IM and SSH.
4. From the Hosted BES/MDS FAQ, it talks about Bell Canada Hosted Exchange, is this part of the package? Or extra?
5. I am a system admin for few sites, and I need IMAP to at least 6 email accounts. Is there a limit?
6. Rogers vs. Bell Mobility, is Rogers’ BlackBerry services that much better for me to give up my current phone number and switch to them?
7. Or should I wait for new BlackBerry goodies coming later this year?

Much much appreciated of your advices…

well... this is a tough question... Rogers definately has a superior network, which is constantly growing. I think you most likely are going to need BES to consildate your email. Bell hosted Exchange, isn't BES, AFAIK they aren't offering hosted BES at this point, neither is Rogers.

The key things to consider are... Your phone number, generally very important to people. Rogers is GSM/GPRS, a global standard, Bell isn't. RIM is always develops GSM/GPRS devices first now, as do any other handset manufacturer.

I would honestly wait until the end of the year or so when you can take your phone number and then move to Rogers... I would not use Bell if it was given to me free, I would even pay to use Rogers, as mine is free right now... But the phone number is the sticking point...

If you can hold off, do it. If you can't hold off, I would really make the switch to Rogers. I get coverage in places you would never think possible... Like Rockway and St. Ann's...

cd.

This probably wouldn't really answer your question but I'm using the 7250 on the TELUS network.

It's fine except in order for me to access the internet, I had to subcribe to an MDS/BES (myblueberry.com)

I can't comment on how the network is for Rogers or Bell (or even TELUS for that matter) because really, in the end, are you really going to take your BlackBerry overseas and use it in Latvia or Luxembourg? (Just examples.)

In Canada, I think (and this is just me) that the GSM vs. CDMA technology debate is overrated. In the end, a phone number is just a phone number. Besides, number portability is coming soon so who cares. As for coverage, I think you're okay in Canada as long as you're not out in the Yukon or the North Pole.

corey@12mile, are you a Bell BB user now?

I really just want to see how good/bad Bell Mobility is. I consider myself a power user, and don't want to get screwed by the network, because I know BB is great. And contract is up at end of this month.

1. Get the 7250.

2. Pratically, yes. There's a 100meg cap but that's 4 times Rogers.

3. No. But you can sort of turn it on by purchasing third party "BES Hosting" service (about $20 per month). Try Link2Exchange. You have to pay a third party other than Bell, a monthly fee to get what is the equivalent of TCP/IP functionality. Basically, a BES hosting service provides an Internet gateway called MDS that you can use. Yes, this is an additional fee but this solves the lack of permitted TCP/IP on Bell Mobility BlackBerries.

4. No, Bell Canada Hosted Exchange is not. I have not heard from anyone using it as a TCP/IP stack, so I recommend Mailstreet or Link2Exchange, much easier to get.

5. I think there's a limit of 10 third party mail accounts. However, I do not use IMAP, but rather use mail forwarding which is much faster - I get my emails 15 minutes faster that way (emails show up less than 15 seconds after the other party clicks send). i.e. BlackBerry becomes a great wireless email notifier, rather than a great IMAP organizer (IMAP is not very good on BlackBerry)

6. I feel Rogers is much better for BlackBerry, however, if you do a few tricks (like purchase third party BES Hosting service), you can get a pretty good Bell Mobility Blackberry. Just remember you can run IM or ssh for only 8 to 16 hours nonstop (Bell CDMA uses battery faster for nonstop TCP/IP connections), rather than 75 to 100 hours nonstop for a continuously open connection (i.e. IM, or an idling telnet/SSH session). On my Rogers BlackBerry sometimes I accidentally leave SSH running overnight, and the battery's still 5 bars the next morning! Not possible on Bell Mobility due to CDMA power usage.

7. It'll be a kind of a wait until fall, unless you want the EDGEberry on Rogers. There is not going to be a replacement for the model 7250 (in the same form factor, a non-SureType model) until next year so if you are sticking to Bell Mobility, it is as good as it gets during 2005. Software upgrades will enable EV-DO on the model 7250. At this time, these upgrades are currently rumored in tested by RIM employees from some posters on a few boards.

Weink,
I just purchased the 7250 last week as an upgrade from the 6750.
Definitely get the 7250 over the 7750. There was a thread on this site comparing the two, and that's what I based my decision on. Basically, the 7250 is way faster, and has the potential to "do more" (Ev-do). I got used to the smaller screen within about 2 hours...I love this thing.
I would really recommend looking at your current voice plan and comparing it to that of the $100 package.
I use my voice a lot, as well as my data, and that plan didn't suit my needs at all.
So, I was forced to continue my current plan, and not take as much of a rebate on the hardware.
After about 2 month, it would have worked out the same, and then i would start losing money afterwards!!
In Ontario, I find that the signal coverage is very similar with Bell vs. Rogers...in the sketchy areas, either one could be the superior with the other having no signal (I've been to almost every city in the province).
Just a couple of thoughts.

Thanks to Mark and jscully for the feedback, really helping me in the right direction.

jscully, I don't use much voice, so the plan comes with the $100 should be fine. Still not sure about Bell. One "waiting" choice I have is sign up for 6 month voice plan with Bell, and wait and see what's coming up later this year. Don't really want to give up my number. Rogers has the better service, perhaps towards end of year they will increase the data cap. And don't really want to sign up with BES/MDS hosting. And I do like GSM better then CDMA.

It is just hard not to get the sweet unit of 7250 for "free" as part of the package deal, and I got no where to go other then Bell. Maybe their marketing is working...

waiting for technology sucks!

Anyone with Telus or Bell can come to my house and stand on my front lawn and compare your signal with my Rogers signal. I know Smithville isn't huge or anything, but it's in the Niagara corridor and you get no Mike whatsoever, no Telus whatsoever and you would think that your Bell is still running on AMPS...

I get 5 bars on my handhelds no matter where I am in my house, or anywhere else in Smithville. I can drive 69 from Smithville to St. Catharines and maintain a call the entire way through.

Rogers also has an identical data footprint to their voice network, they have at least 1 channel on every cell dedicated to data which virtually guarantees you a data connection anywhere. Does Bell have this?

As far as GSM vs CDMA, it's a long running debate... GSM has 74% of the market share around the world as far as handhelds are concerned. Even funnier is that the amount of new GSM activations last year is greater than the total number of CDMA users in the world...

Think there's a reason why there is no 7100 version for CDMA?

Waiting for technology definately sucks... I wish they would/could produce a 7290 with WiFi... that would rock.

Either way... you have a few options, everything has pretty much been thrown out in the open. Tough call, glad I am not in your shoes.

Which ever way you go, good luck with it.

cd.

ps. wait for the 6 months.

Is it just me or that some of us early adopters gets screwed until the end of typical Beta vs. VHS wars.
I have a Clie (with wifi), and cell phone, and so sick of carry both units. Now, Sony has gave up on Clie, and I am sort of turned off by not having constant connection through wifi around Montreal. In other words, my wifi unit is useless. So, I think BB is the way to go.

want to sell the old 6750 - I need a board out of one

Sorry, don't have it anymore.
Here's the story:
May of 2003, purchased the 6750, was the first "bigscreen" Blackberry, a month on the market, it was $1,000 with taxes...nice! (Got the $150 credit for signing up for 3 years mail-in rebate)
Set-up BWC, tried to sync with computer, no go. (Discovered later issue with DTM).
Replaced at store, new unit, BB#2.
2 months later, broke trackwheel by wearing seatbelt and holstered Blackberry, replaced through Bell via mail, refurbished unit, BB#3.
1 year and 3 months later, broke the charging port on the Blackberry, had to return to Bell via mail, refurbished unit, BB#4.
Got a call 5 months later from Bell, saying, "We made an error, though the unit was refurbished, it was past it's warranty, so you owe us $175".
I ended up returning it and got the $175 credited to my account, and purchased the 7250 at full price, BB#5, with minimal rebates as the magic plan they're offering doesn't suit my needs. (Though got a $300 credit for my time as a Bell customer, and $150 for signing up for another 3 years).
Got a charger/sync cradle and a car charger on ebay though if you're interested.