Comments on: RIM’s internal plans for pre-paid BlackBerry service, BlackBerry in a Box

By: aneciap083

aneciap083 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:22:29 +0000

I found this article b/c I was curious as to whether I could add a prepaid (cheaper and completely separate) data plan onto my already active att contract. See…I’m on a plan w/a pal(her plan not mine) whom sees no reason to have data…and I’m too nice to say,”As Long As I Pay the Bill…” I LOVE my BBerry, and would give anything to have data! So, If I could just buy data prepaid and leave my,(her) plan as is…then all would be wonderful, and she would never know, haha!

PS: I’m assuming this type of thing is unheard of…ahh…maybe in the future!
Just in case…email me if you have any ideas!!

Oh, and I would definetely be one of the people in line to buy the “BB in a box!!!”

By: Lack of "Perspective"

Lack of "Perspective" — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:08:08 +0000

Ban “Perspective.” What a joke that guy is.

By: jazzyl

jazzyl — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:57:53 +0000

Hi saki I’m also from South africa and I’m also a BlackBerry fanatic I have it both on contract and prepaid as well. Well its true what you said as vodacom offers the unlimited data plan for BlackBerry and BIS for like R59 which is less than US $10. Good to hear from people from my country.

Sent via BlackBerry.

By: saki

saki — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:31:24 +0000

I am from south africa and the cellphone industry is lightyears ahead of America not only do we get better phones way before they come out here our plans are so cheap that people who dont have electricity to charge their cellphones own cellphones with voice/data plans

By: Timothy

Timothy — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:03:32 +0000

Will this be like a “TracPhone”? I’d buy a card (monthly 60min, monthly 120min, 400/800 minutes yearly, etc.,), then a BB, then activate?

How many “bells and whilstles” will this offer (email, Text Msg, etc.,). Will it come with an earpiece?

I’m intrigued and interested….especially if I can buy a yearly card like trackphone.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:39:02 +0000

I think it’s a great idea!! I’d love to have a BB all you can eat plan instead of continuing to pay the big 3 so much of my hard earned cash! MetorPCS just added a Blackberry Curve to their linesup, so they’re aware of the market opportunities.

By: Wow

Wow — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:06:49 +0000

<—you are one ANGRY dude!

I don’t like the whole getting ripped off with data plans either, but that’s pretty hardcore. Maybe Obama can use some of that trillion dollars to put in nationwide WiFi. Booyah

By: hotspottt

hotspottt — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 05:14:51 +0000

Just what they need.

Whos burnin 2 yr agreements on a nokia anymore?

You better make sure that phone is loaded to the brim before you sign that 2 yr.

Oh ya, Prepaid is great. Gimme UMA calling over Tmo @ Home service as an add on and Ill friggin explode. Get the stupid ass service books sent to your brick and youre set for wi-fi. End of story. Quit whinin, and lockingphones to providers. Its BS already. See how Apple, Tmobile, Google are FORCING us to break the law in order to use these phones. Screw them.

All of you dorks who say “why get a smartphone without DATA???” are MORONS. IDIOTS. AND FOOLS who stack up ATT and TMOBILES CEO’s wallets to the brim so they keep forcing this shit down out throat.

See, now they got us paying for fucking alarms and apps and shit when they shouldve added that feature in the FIRMWARE.

Fuck DATA PLANS. ALL TRYING TO ROB US WHEN THEY SHOULD PUT A FUCKING WIFI SATTELITE UP ALREADY AND SCREW HDTV.

I never wanted digital TV anayway…. I WANT NATIONWIDE WIFI!!!!

By: Sally

Sally — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:52:51 +0000

hey has the prepaid blackberry in a box came to the US yet??

By: mnokia

mnokia — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:10:05 +0000

@ mjohn
“The writer’s assumption that everyone in the “hood” has a sidekick is pretty offensive.”

Wondering if I was the only one that felt the need to mention that.

Otherwise, sounds like a good idea, but I think that BB in a Box would hold an expensive price tag that would deter too many. The idea of prepaid service in general though, is amazing!!

By: myjohnsonsmagic

myjohnsonsmagic — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:06:11 +0000

The writer’s assumption that everyone in the “hood” has a sidekick is pretty offensive.

Grow up and stop stereotyping people jackass.

By: JaggedXJ

JaggedXJ — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:24:22 +0000

I think non-GPS equipped BB on prepay will be a very popular option with Dealers & other criminal elements, if for no other reason than BB msgr / PIN messaging. Totally encrypted communication on the “cheap”.

By: chris

chris — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:51:26 +0000

her ein the caribbean cable&wireless has intitiated a prepau service for blackberry users.it has taken off quite well .at roughly $40.00 per month

By: carsly

carsly — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:12:38 +0000

The difference in pricing for prepaid via card for monthly, bi-weekly, daily and prepaid for the device and annual contract is likely to be significant. Even on a $30/mo voice + $30/BB data + taxes/fees =$75mo. So the annual charge for service is $900 and then add on the unsubsidized cost of the device at another $200-500 and you end up with a $1,100-1,400 bundle for a full year. My beef is more with the “annual fees bundled with device sale” model than prepaid with buy-by-increment.

By: Ian

Ian — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:47:09 +0000

I know for sure that they already do prepaid BIS service in Indonesia through 3 of their biggest GSM providers.
They offer monthly, bi-weekly and even one day connection (only 1 provider)
So, i don’t see any problem on that

That’s my 2 cents

By: carsly

carsly — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:40:47 +0000

No hassle sale by the register? How does that make any sense? Picture this:

You’re in a big box electronics store, have picked up a couple CD’s, a DVD and maybe a new memory card for your digital camera (tally: $40-60) and are headed to the register. As you wait in line, you glance at the piles of blank CD-R’s and DVD+R (50/spindle) sitting there begging to be bought for a few dollars and see the new Blackberry Thumbbuster-in-a-box on sale for $1,099. How many people would think to themselves, “yeah, maybe I’ll pick up one of those on the way out.”?

What is the average ticket at a big box electronics store? Probably a hell of a lot less than the BB-in-a-box. See RIM, this strategy only works if the item you want to display / sell up front costs significantly LESS than the items the average consumer is purchasing. See grocery stores (candy at check out), gas stations (candy, chips), convenience stores (more candy), car washes (extra $3 for super-duper wax? why not!) or any other mass-market retail environment.

Good luck with that strategy, and BTW – you might want to find some new marketing / pricing executives.

By: b.N

b.N — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:47:33 +0000

Seems RIM’s marketing dept is catching up to their R&D. This is a great idea and I see no downside (well except for other phone makers who are going to have to lower forecasts after this plan is set into motion).

All that’s left is to place a few of the latest handsets in random screen appearances (movie here, Entourage episode there) and they’ll be rolling.

Question, that blackberry in a box, would that be subsidized as an incentive to have person pay for that and a year’s service up front? Otherwise that would be kinda steep even for a 40 hr a week (steady earner) to pay.

By: Jerry1ken

Jerry1ken — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:55:22 +0000

I live in Kenya, a country where 85% of cellphone users are on prepay. Apparently RIM has managed in conjunction with Safaricom (a local service provider) to come up with Blackberry prepay service which is quite popular.

Users buy a handset unsubsidized (currently it is the aging 7130 but hey it still works fine) and then every month they top up the equivalent of US$25 and dial a particular short code number to enjoy activate and enjoy the service!

Seeing as the next opportunity frontier are the emerging markets where contracts are the exception rather than the norm maybe it is only wise that RIM is thinking of going along this path.

By: Brotha Darcness

Brotha Darcness — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:27:06 +0000

I don’t deal drugs so I’m not positive what the profile of gadgets is for them, but I know the weapon of choice amongst high school kids at least the one’s I come in contact with on a daily basis is the SideKick. If your a text nazi like most kids seem to be it tops their list for whatever reason, next seems to be the BB Pearl for those that have mastered SureType and one of those damn Verizon phones.

When I travel overseas, which is quite a bit, most people in the countries I visit are on pre-paid. In a smart move RIM is trying to internationally corner an already large market globally that is utilized, but not as excepted in the North America or should I say we arrogant Americans.

By: RAS

RAS — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:55:09 +0000

The real intriguing part about pre-paid BB service, IMHO, is for international travelers. Overseas data charges can look like the U.S. national debt in no time. This option may solve this for lots of folks who travel from North America to Europe (or elsewhere) and don’t have the advantage of a corporate expense account. This way, while I will pay my own data charges, at least I’ll know what I’ll be paying. Sweet!

By: Betito

Betito — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:52:29 +0000

It sounds like RIM is targeting emerging markets, not developed countries like the U.S. Although, the idea of a prepaid BlackBerry here in the States sounds intriguing.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:13:03 +0000

@mpg4life

I just fell out of my chair laughing and I am typing this from the floor.

By: mpG4life

mpG4life — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:02:27 +0000

First-
I apologize to all the legitimate posters on BGR for this comment, as it is admittedly off-topic. I think that the BB in a box is an intriguing idea.

Second-
yay!

Third-
Anyone else notice that Perspective has a habit of focusing (obsessing) on credit ratings? Reminds me of all those kids back in middle-school who owned a “bad-ass ________” (fill in the blank) but you couldn’t see it because it was kept at an uncle’s house…. I would imagine that this sort of behavior probably underlies some serious flaws in the poster’s own credit score and inability to secure a proper mobile contract, resulting in the aforementioned obssession and his engaging in a sort of “alternate reality” wherein he has the perfect score and can get that shiny new phone – although he’d probably keep it at his uncle’s house….

(Yes, Perspective, I am talking about you)

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:20:15 +0000

If this website were to have a comment ranking system out there, I can almost assure you that perspective’s approval rating would be extremely low, maybe even subterranean.

All in favor of banning perspective say yay.

Yay!!!!

By: Danny

Danny — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:06:56 +0000

I love the idea of a prepaid email/data service through RIM that can be used in conjuction with any postpaid or prepaid voice service.

@ sooooo: I agree. I don’t know how Perspctive goes about living his life with such a narrow view on things. I’ve followed his posts for some time now and it’s sad really.

By: jazzyl

jazzyl — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:50:05 +0000

Well that is good news I hope RIM introduce this prepaid service in South Africa as the majority of the subcribers here are on prepaid…. Can’t wait for it

By: theoutsider

theoutsider — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:10:27 +0000

Does it really state “Immigrants and temporary workers”?

By: Queen4111

Queen4111 — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:04:16 +0000

Graet idea! Two thumbs up!
Doesn’t Virgin Mobile Canada do this already?

http://crackberry.com/virgin-mobile-canada-getting-curve-8330

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:03:40 +0000

@sooooo

If every finger on my hands and toes would count, I would put them forward to agree with you. Either way, I still agree with you. Dude has no idea about anything.

By: sooooo

sooooo — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:58:27 +0000

I vote Perspective as the most useless BGR poster ever. Whos with me?