[anogee]

I just got my wife a new Blackberry 9700. She had a previous Blackberry but no camera and no data plan. Her new Blackberry has 200MB data plan.

She is a very light user, with maybe 30 to 40 SMS a month and maybe 10 small e-mails tops, and very light web browsing, if at all. (I know a Blackberry is overkill, but she loved her old one and didn't want to change.)

So my fear is Blackberry general overhead, and Google calendar sync, the only data feature really being used, will add up and possibly put use over 200MB.

Does anyone know how much these things use over the course of a month? Are there any other background data hogs I should look out for? Is a 200MB plan O.K. for light Blackberry use or am I setting myself up for giant overage charges?

[Motorcycle Mama]

BlackBerry devices compress data and therefore use less data than other devices would in performing the same tasks.

Based on the light usage that you describe, she should be okay. But monitor it closely for the first month to be sure.

It's been a while since I used Google Sync, but if the settings allow, set it for the longest time in between syncs to minimize data. (The syncs might be automatic, though. I can't remember.)

And unless she's streaming YouTube or a radio app like Pandora, the overage charge wouldn't be "giant" anyway.

[Heavy Fluid]

Originally Posted by anogee

I just got my wife a new Blackberry 9700. She had a previous Blackberry but no camera and no data plan. Her new Blackberry has 200MB data plan.

She is a very light user, with maybe 30 to 40 SMS a month and maybe 10 small e-mails tops, and very light web browsing, if at all. (I know a Blackberry is overkill, but she loved her old one and didn't want to change.)

So my fear is Blackberry general overhead, and Google calendar sync, the only data feature really being used, will add up and possibly put use over 200MB.

Does anyone know how much these things use over the course of a month? Are there any other background data hogs I should look out for? Is a 200MB plan O.K. for light Blackberry use or am I setting myself up for giant overage charges?

SMS doesn't apply to data, so no need to worry there. 10 emails and light browsing won't bring you to 200mb in a month. As long as she isn't streaming music, or doing a lot of heavy browsing, she shouldn't even come close to 200mb.