Internet on Blackberry Pearl

samf · 20-01-2009 2:51am #1

Hi, over christmas i bought a sim-free blackberry pearl online, only to find out when i got it that its totally incapable of connecting to the internet without a blackberry plan which costs €20 a month on top of a regular monthly bill. I only have a meteor pay as you go sim so that wasnt going to work.

But tonight I tried putting the O2 sim card from my student O2 mobile broadband into the phone, and ... it worked! The browser connected perfectly. Could anyone tell me why this is possible, I thought you needed a special blackberry plan as blackberrys were different to other phones when it came to connecting online? And also, will o2 notice this additional use in a phone and charge me crazy extras in my monthly internet bill if I continue to use it in my phone during the day?

Sam Vimes · 20-01-2009 8:52am

who told you it would only work with that plan? I don't think that's right, you just need to get the right settings for meteor

samf · 20-01-2009 12:02pm

Well i tried getting my settings from meteor but i got a reply saying settings were incompatible with my phone, and from googling around I got the imression that it cant work without a data plan. And even the operamini site says:

A data plan is required to connect your mobile phone to the Internet. If you do not have a data plan or need to find out more, please contact your mobile service provider. Locate Opera Mini on your phone and launch it. Upon the first start Opera Mini automatically tests several Internet connection options.

Rsaeire · 20-01-2009 12:48pm

I've stated before that using a Blackberry handset on a network that does not support the service would not work, however, from reading and investigating the issues around using a Blackberry handset, I have come across a few items to note:

1. It is possible to use a Blackberry handset on a network that supports the service, even if you didn't buy the handset from that network or use the Blackberry service.
2. It is possible to use as Blackberry handset on a network that does not support the service, even if you didn't buy the handset from that network.

Both points, while seemingly true, require a bit of work to get Internet access to work. I have read about users inputting the APN settings into their Blackberry handset and it still not working, and others who have done the same and have it work. I can only surmise that it depends on what model of Blackberry you have and what Blackberry OS version you have also.

If anyone is looking to at least attempt setting up Internet access on their Blackberry handset, I would recommend reading this and understand that it may not be easy or fully comprehensible what it is that needs to be done, but it is at least a place to start.

Sam Vimes · 20-01-2009 12:58pm

samf wrote: »

Well i tried getting my settings from meteor but i got a reply saying settings were incompatible with my phone,

how did you send the settings?

samf wrote: »

and from googling around I got the imression that it cant work without a data plan. And even the operamini site says:

that doesn't mean what you think it means

it just means you have to be able to access the internet

samf · 23-01-2009 2:39am

I used the info on http://www.meteor.ie/support/meteor_services/gprs_mss_wap_settings/ and txt'd settings to 50047 and got a txt back saying

Sorry your current phone does not support this service. Check out MyMeteor for further information.

Also tried entering the settings on http://www.opera.com/mini/help/connect/?provider=Meteor&region=Ireland but no luck there either. So is it definite that I cannot connect to the internet with my meteor pay as you go sim, no matter what? Or is it possible but just difficult?

Baird · 04-03-2009 3:56pm

Anyone got any further info on this?

MILF · 04-03-2009 10:56pm

I was exactly the same as you. Bought a simfree Pearl and thought I was the business! Went to use the internet and email and found out I couldnt so I called Meteor (my provider) and was told Meteor have no settings for a Blackberry cos they're an o2 phone. Wasn't impressed but decided to port over to o2 cos I figured, I spend enough on the phone - at least I could use the features on it if I went over to o2, right? Wrong. I was told by pay as you go o2 that the email/internet/messenger settings on a Blackberry were only accessable to bill pay customers and, as yet, not able to be used by pay as you go.

Has this changed in the last few months and, if not, are they planning on bringing out a pay as you go version? I saw an ad for Orange recently and they have brought out a pay as you go version...