[naffo]

i am thinking of getting the blackberry 7100i from nextel upgrading from my i95 now. i was wondering if i dont want to pay for the email and web service bc i dont use them can i just get the phone and put my sim card in it?

[MPD352]

Originally Posted by naffo

i am thinking of getting the blackberry 7100i from nextel upgrading from my i95 now. i was wondering if i dont want to pay for the email and web service bc i dont use them can i just get the phone and put my sim card in it?

Then why buy the phone? The email and web are the reasons to move from a "normal" phone to a BB.

But to answer your question, you have to have a data plan to use the email and web, and no, you don't have to have one.

In case you aren't familiar with how the BB works, you can use it with an email address from BB or you can use it to check any SMTP or web enabled account. My corporate email is Exchange. We run Outlook Web Access. The BB checks that flawlessly.

Answering email on the 7100i is not as easy as it is with a traditional BB because it does not have a full QWERTY keyboard. It is, however, more of a normal phone size, which was important to me.

[Dawg]

actually to get a bb from nextel you do have to have a data plan

[GeneAlexander]

i got my first one from ebay and put my sim card in it from my i275 and was ready to roll. workes just fine to this day almost 3 months later. i do think that there is a difference between the double digit nextel sims and the triple digit nextel sims. (i95 vs i275)
all i can say is try it.

[GeneAlexander]

in other words, it may not work off of the i95 sim.

[bbPeterParker]

Why would you want to get a Blackberry from an i95? Have you looked at the i830 or i860? They don't have bluetooth but you can get a nextel phone with bluetooth now. I forget the model number? Curious. Why? I like my 7100 but if I did not need data services I would stay wiht one of those phones.

[GeneAlexander]

the i870 is planned to ultimatly be the replacement for the i860 as the high end clamshell phone. it is the only iden motorola with bluetooth. it would be a better choice for someone who did not want to use data services with nextel. that thing is packed with features!

[bbPeterParker]

Originally Posted by GeneAlexander

the i870 is planned to ultimatly be the replacement for the i860 as the high end clamshell phone. it is the only iden motorola with bluetooth. it would be a better choice for someone who did not want to use data services with nextel. that thing is packed with features!

Yes that is the model I was thinking about. Although it is kind of heavy and bigger than the i830. Personally my favorite is the i830 because it was slimmest nextel phone made.

[southwestcomm]

The biggest issue going from an i95 to 7100 is SIM card related. The 7100 comes with a 128K card and the i95 has a 32K card. MMS will not work on the 7100 with the 32K card card. If you plan to receive, or send, text messages from the 7100 you must have the correct SIM.

[Skinflaps]

To purchase the phone from Nextel, you DO have to subscribe to a data plan. As far as the SIM cards go, I believe that any will work, but I think that only the cards from the 3 digit phones are compatible, i.e. you won't be able to transfer the data from your i95 SIM to the BB.

[kb9liq]

Talked with Nextel Friday and they said you do NOT have to have a data plan with the blackberry.

[GixerGreg]

I bought my bb without the data plan. Had it a few weeks to make sure I was going to like it.....then added the data plan. They will sell you the phone without plan... At least in Chattanooga TN

[southwestcomm]

Nextel runs weekly reports and will automatically add a BB data plan to units found in the system.

[Dawg]

Then the person you talked to told you wrong or they have changed there policy very recently

Originally Posted by kb9liq

Talked with Nextel Friday and they said you do NOT have to have a data plan with the blackberry.

[martin_j001]

Originally Posted by southwestcomm

Nextel runs weekly reports and will automatically add a BB data plan to units found in the system.

YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!! Nextel does in fact do this, how often they actually do it vs. how often they are supposed to is another thing though. I have heard several stories of data plans being added to peoples accounts in the past.

Nextel has a contract with RIM that requires RIM handsets on the Nextel network to have a blackberry specific data plan. Read the fine print in ANY blackberry ad you see, the phone requires a data plan.

[kurrupt_1]

I agree, A data plan is required to run a BB through Nextel.

[Nick P]

yes i agree - what is the point of having a blackberry if you arent going to use the data on it?

[neile457]

Something strange, when I went to my local nextel store, the shipped it to my home activated. I got it on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I was having a problem setting up my email on their website, so I called them on Monday. They stated that I needed a data plan, and I currently did not have one. Just weird they gave me one without the data plan, even though I made sure to ask for the unlimited plan. I was able to access the internet the whole weekend though, hopefully they don't try to charge me over for that usage though

[southwestcomm]

Nextel requires the data plan due to the fact they pay RIM a gateway fee to pass data through the RIM noc. This is charged by RIM whether the data plan is on the BB or not so Nextel doesn't want to lose money.