Entries tagged with t-mobile

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Putney, London

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Blackberry Pearl lessons #1

I thought it might be worth documenting the out-the-box experience with my new BlackBerry Pearl.

E-mail worked right out the box - and one of the first things I had to do was setup my account with T-Mobile's Blackberry service. This has to be done using the phone keyboard, so remember your username and password carefully. Luckily my default choice of usernames was available! Once setup you should complete the customisation at the website. I've hooked up my Gmail and sandm.co.uk email accounts.

T-Mobile's provisioning for Blackberries on Web'n'Walk is slightly broken - expect to wait 12 hours or so to get online fully with an activated Web'n'Walk account. Once online you'll need to manually switch the browser from the somewhat broken default T-zones configuration to the much more friendly Web'n'Walk version. This will let you use the Blackberry Help site - so you can download additional themes, games and applications from RIM.

There are versions of Google Maps and Yahoo! Go 2.0 for the Pearl. However they won't work until you manually set the APN in the Blackberry's TCP settings to "general.t-mobile.uk". Again something that isn't provisioned by T-Mobile.

More notes to come.

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Putney, London

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Making A Firm (Phone) Decision

I ordered a new phone today.

I've gone for a Blackberry Pearl (after all, you all know how much I liked it when I reviewed it), and have chosen a T-Mobile Flext package, with added Web'n'Walk, as well as Blackberry email. I'll hook up T-Mobile's BIS to point at my mail server, as I know that all works well - I've been reviewing some other Blackberry kit on T-mobile recently.

When the phone arrives tomorrow I'll give them my PAC, and should stay on my current number.

One thing I need to check up on (as I don't quite believe it), is the cost of Blackberry data when roaming. This page seems to imply that it's only 0.73p/kB when in the US. Which makes leaving email on when I'm travelling quite affordable.

Thanks for the advice. AKICILJ indeed.

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Putney, London

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End of an Era

I've been an Orange subscriber for a long time now, longer than I can remember. I've been through the whole WAP boom with them, through the first smartphones, and through more devices than I can remember.

However today I called up and asked for my PAC. Orange still hasn't launched a flat-rate data service, so it's time to go somewhere else.

I've decided to move to another operator with a lower-cost data tariff, and off-the-shelf mobile email. My current thinking is to go to T-Mobile with Web'n'Walk and Flext, and probably get a Blackberry Pearl. I did rather like the one I reviewed for IT Pro. The alternative is Vodafone's similar service, and a Treo 750W.

The one big question, of course, is the cost of getting mail while I travel....

It's a pity T-Mobile have't launched the Dash over here, as that might have tipped the odds one way or another. Still, I have 30 days to decide now.

Decisions, decisions.

I'd be interested in understanding what other folk have been looking at, and what you all recommend...