[mvt]

I was thinking about getting a used Palm PDA with WiFi (802.11b) access. Then a friend showed me his BB, and I was impressed with the capabilities.

However, the cell phone capability is totally unnecessary for me. I do not want to make cell phone calls, and I do not wish to get data via a carrier.

Is it possible to run a BB as just a WiFi capable PDA, able to surf the internet, without paying any carrier fees what so ever? (Or will it lock up/ cease to function/ continually complain/ etc.?)

If it can be done, will it work with any model or just selected ones?

Thanks for any assistance.

[akosnitzky]

Wirelessly posted (Its All About the U!)

I am not aware of a BB user without a carrier

[NJBlackBerry]

I'm wondering WHY anyone would want a BlackBerry without any plan whatsoever. The PIM is adequate - best when integrated with BES. What else could you do without any plan?

[mvt]

NJBlackBerry wondered "WHY anyone would want a BlackBerry without any plan"

The answer is three-fold.
#1 - I hate monthly fees. I try to minimize the number of people who reach into my pocket each month.
#2 - I rarely use a cell phone. I currently use a TracFone pre-paid, which costs me about $80 per year for airtime. What do I actually use? Maybe two minutes per average week or 100 minutes per YEAR. (Why would I pay over $40 per month for 8 one minute calls?)
#3 - More thought seems to have gone into BlackBerry than many PDA's. It looks like a pretty nice PDA, that happens to have a phone.

I can't address the rest of your question as I don't know what either a PIM or a BES might be.

[NJBlackBerry]

There are better PDA only devices than a BlackBerry. Wrong device for the job. PIM is a personal information manager. A PDA.

[takeshi]

It will work. If the OP has tried the BB and finds it suitable then why argue the matter? What constitutes a "better" option (regardless of the topic) is a subjective matter.

I can't speak for WiFi as I don't have any WiFi-equipped BB's to test with. You might have trouble with certain apps. Look around for existing threads on using a WiFi-equipped BB without a data plan.

[jjmach]

You can check this post, another user seems to be doing what you want http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...ou-betcha.html