[Ashton]

The lack of functionality for 2/3 or more of the programs I install on my BB is driving me insane! What's the cheepest BES hosting I can get? I'd *love* free, but I'll pay $5 a month preferably, or $10 a month if there is no other choice. I've looked around and seen 10 is common, but there is a $35 activation fee...

[jbairdjr]

I had Exchange My Mail for quite a while and loved the service.
I no longer needed the extra options, so I recently cancelled the service.
I think they still have a discount for Blackberry forums members

[rpvitale]

mail2web.com - Pick Up Your Email Exchange with activesync free. BB server 9.99 a month

[Ashton]

A thought... If I sign up for BES with MDS, do I still have to have internet access on my cellular plan or does this replace the cellular intenet plan?

I *like* what I see on mail2web... no setup fee and no additional services required! (I liked berryvine's service, but it was in euros (15 euros = ???? dollars?) and I did see the exchangemymail promo, but you had to sign up for their email hosting AND their BES, so it was $20 a month along with a $35 setup fee... (unless this is one hell of an outdated service, requiring manual command-line-driven commands that are a page long, you probably click "new user" then enter a PIN and maybe phone# and your'e done, that shouldn't be worth $35!), while M2W lets you use their free account and sign up for BES so it's only $10 a month.

If anyone else has any suggestions, pelase post them! though ATM I'm probably gonna go with M2W (and if you get any bonus points for referals, rpvitale, tell me what to put in when I sign up and I'll do so).

[junior1790]

echangemymail.com is the hotness.....

[mas90guru]

I just switched to exchangemymail.com.

While you're right that the setup is probably automated and not worthy of $35 if that's all it covered --- I think the fee basically covers the initial setup questions. I know that I had two minor questions that I had to interact with exchangemymail on.

They also include free spam filtering.

When you think about what it would cost to setup your own Exchange plus BES -- it's actually quite cheap to go through the outsourced BES/Exchange hosts...

[gdpmumin]

The BES setup fee very likely is prescribed by RIM. The fee is the same across every third party BES host I've seen, and all indicate it is non-refundable. One provider mentioned to me once that this fee is a RIM requirement.

[Ashton]

Originally Posted by gdpmumin

One provider mentioned to me once that this fee is a RIM requirement.

I was looking through google at these and I did see one that billed theirs as "$19.95 a month plus RIM lisence fee" so that does make sence... though as I said above, still a ripoff... if BB didn't require MDS/BES to run at full functionality, I'd never consider it *sigh* at this point, though, looks like I have little choice unless I was a badly crippled BB...

[takeshi]

Originally Posted by Ashton

A thought... If I sign up for BES with MDS, do I still have to have internet access on my cellular plan or does this replace the cellular intenet plan?

BES hosting does not replace your data plan. Your carrier Blackberry data plan is a prerequisite for all data services on a Blackberry. Adding the data plan basically opens the gates for your Blackberry. Hosted BES providers cannot provide that in place of your carrier.

$20/month is pretty typical for hosted BES.

Originally Posted by Ashton

though as I said above, still a ripoff...

I don't know what to say other than you gotta pay to play. Plenty of us pay for hosted BES and have had to deal with the setup fee out of our own pockets. Obviously, the hosting companies are still in business after years of charging these rates and fees. Again, you could set up and maintain your own Exchange and BES servers if you feel that it's all a ripoff. ;) Actually, there has been talk before about a hosted BES co-op (but it's been just that - talk).

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by Ashton

The lack of functionality for 2/3 or more of the programs I install on my BB is driving me insane!

I have to ask, what are the 2/3 functionality I am missing with my BB only having BIS?

I am aware that I don't have e-mail reconciliation, but what else is there... considering all I depend on my BB for now, I must be missing a great deal without BES.

[Ashton]

Originally Posted by JSanders

I have to ask, what are the 2/3 functionality I am missing with my BB only having BIS?

I am aware that I don't have e-mail reconciliation, but what else is there... considering all I depend on my BB for now, I must be missing a great deal without BES.

If you have BIS/MDS then nothing save email and a few syncronization abilities (OTA sync), I however do not have BIS with my plan, I'm on a pure cellular phone plan (literally pulled my SIM out of my phone and put it in my BB, nothing more), so the only intenet access I have is using opera mini, which looks for ANY avalible TCP connection. Most of the 3rd party BB apps run through or install through the BB browser, which refuses to do anything because I lack the Browser servicebooks.

I'm acctually looking at it more for the BIS/MDS hosting than the BES (every single email I have has a webmail login avalible) but, it's a package deal, or I pay $40 a month IN ADDITION to my phone plan for BIS, I dont have that kind of money laying around every month (I'm acctually going to be canceling my Napster subscription to pay for BES/MDS hosting --- though for me it's really a much better deal since I use it a hellova lot more than I used Napster --- and I'll still have an extra $5 a month left over!)

[gdpmumin]

You can't get BES functionality without paying the $40 a month for the data plan. So you'll need to sign up for the data plan and then sign up with a BES host. There's no way around that.

[mstrange]

I have seen a large thread about ExchangeMyMail which it seems everyone likes. They also offer 10% discount to forum members. So they end up costing $22.50/month for hosted exchange and BES service.

I looked at the mail2web web site and they offer hosted exchange and BES service for $18.90/month ($8.95 for Business Exchange Professional + $9.95 for BES) which is an apples to apples for what ExhangeMyMail offers.

Mail2web also offers a personal exchange account for $1.99/Month and you can add BES for $9.95 = $11.94/month, but this email is , BUT it allows for "Ability to change the Primary From Address" so you could forward your email to the account and then change the FROM address. This sounds like a lot of coordination??

I am a Realtor and am going to my first Blackberry. Our Multiple Listing Service will have a handheld interface out in the next few weeks and this will allow me to lookup from my BB listing info for clients. I want also to get full sync via BES from what I have read on this forum, but I need my email coming and going from or at least the appearance of it.

Any input would help! Thanks and this forum is GREAT!

Mike

[junior1790]

cant speak on mail2web but i have been using exchangemymail for quite a while now and have not had one problem, all the guys over there are real freindly and knowledgeable, cant go wrong with them...

[Liv]

Definitely can't go wrong with EMM. I had some issues on my desktop outlook and one of the fellow's over there helped me for 20 minutes.

I pay the 22.50 and think it is worth every penny. I have not used Mail2Web though, but my experience with EMM is outstanding.

[mstrange]

Looks like EMM get two thumbs up from most everyone! Thanks for all your input.

Mike

[mfjp]

If I wanted to run ssh/telnet and IM+ using the MDS, is Exchangemyemail the service I should be subscribing to? I do have GRPS with my carrier but that is costing alot alot every month. Please help.

[takeshi]

BES/MDS does not replace your carrier's data plan. You subscribe to it in addition to whatever data plan you have with your carrier.

[Outrigger]

you can always try The Message Center Exchange Hosting I have been with them for over a year now. with BES its 18.95 a month 500mb of storage. you can also change your plan ANYTIME you want i.e. take off BES and add goodlink, or sharepoint...etc. all from a control panel without calling or emailing support. and i also have never experienced any down time on their server for the entire time.

[asuandy]

if i already have BIS, is there any point to getting BES?