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Blue123 wrote:My old voyager broke and I was going to buy my friends old Blackberry from him, do you have to pay for internet ? is that required ? or can i just get text messaging ? HELPP!! please respondd!!
Hi,
I have a specially created file that I post from time to time that answers any questions you may have about selecting a Blackberry or a Blackberry plan.
Choosing a Blackberry Plan
When deciding to buy a Blackberry smartphone, making the decision can be a little bit confusing. Which plan to get, do I need a plan with unlimited data, which plan will best serve my family's needs. Those are just some of the questions a typical person might ask when buying a Blackberry. I have put together a few of the choices you can make that will help you get the most out of your Blackberry experience.
The first thing to decide is which Blackberry device you want. All of the Blackberry phones perform the same basic functions; email, web browsing, text, picture and video messaging (SMS and MMS), and instant messaging to name a few. Blackberry devices all have calendar, contacts, notes, and more applications to keep your life at your fingertips. The big differences come in when you want the extra "bells and whistles" such as full QWERTY keyboard, touch screen, larger memory, or flip phone feature. Those are individual features that only you can make. I suggest going to your local Verizon Wireless store and look and feel those different phones to get a better idea of what you want.
After you decide on your Blackberry, now you must decide which plan that you need. Narrow down the choices. Do you need an individual plan or a family plan? The choice again is based on your needs. If you are planning to add someone to your plan, then go with the family plan. Now, which plan do you need? The plans have similar features when comparing individual and family plans. Let's look at some choices.
The Nation Wide Basic plan is just what it says...basic. It has basic calling features with unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited mobile to mobile calling, and domestic long distance included. Text messaging is not included in this plan so you would need to move to the next plan. Nation Wide Select plans have all the features of the basic plan plus unlimited text, picture, and video messaging. Now you are looking at the next plan, the Nation Wide Connect plan. That is not an option, let me explain.
Nation Wide Connect and Premium plans are designed for non-smartphone devices to include unlimited data. Now you are saying, "But I want unlimited data." Hold on...I'll explain that in just a minute. The Connect and Premium plans are not compatible with the Blackberry phone because of data requirements which are different that those of mere cell phones such as the LG enV3 cell phone. This brings me to the last choice you have to make, the data plan.
The Blackberry phone requires a data plan separate from your regular plan you picked in the above paragraph. The Blackberry uses the Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) and the Blackberry Enterprise Service (BES). The difference is the BIS is for the normal consumer who just wants his email delivered to his phone and data for web. The BES does that but is more for the corporate user who wants to connect to his Microsoft Exchange Network at work to have email, contacts, and appointments wirelessly synchronized between the Blackberry and his computer at work. The BIS is $29.99 and includes up to 10 email accounts that can be set up to deliver email to your device along with unlimited data usage for web browsing and instant messaging. The BES is $44.99 and requires authorization from your Exchange network administrator to connect to the network. It also includes up to 10 email accounts and unlimited data for web and instant messaging. So you can see, this data package is different than the plain data package you would get with a Connect or Premium plan. One question often asked is if the Blackberry data package optional and do I have to have it. The answer is yes. In order for your Blackberry to work, the data package must be activated on your device. This is the same policy with all of the major providers, most starting this requirement just this year.
So, now you have decided you want a Blackberry Tour on an individual Select plan so you can message your Aunt Tilly in Toledo. You chose the Select 900 minute plan so you can get 5 Friends and Family numbers to call anytime, anywhere. You chose the $29.99 data plan because you do not need to connect to a workplace network. You now have a working Blackberry phone on a good plan. The only thing left to decide is what accessories you need. That, I leave up to you, my friend.
Doc
