[shajufx]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Airtel customer service is the worst........... How did i activate my BB service on Vodafone? Called them, call answered within 2 mins of dialing, gave my request, they confirmed,sent an sms. Service was active in a few hours.

I can read your lines only with great jelous and meaningless hopes and dreams that airtel will improve one day !

Monday morning I started getting email feedbacks from airtel BB support for the mails I had sent on Thursday 4th sept 2008. Thats a great service I must say, to acknowledge a customer request after 96 hours of waiting. They have strictly told me not to visit any outlets for the same, but to wait with more patience, that my request will be processed and done within 4 to 8 working days !! Yes you read it right, 4 to 8 working days (96 hours to 192 hours). I already started regreting about being an airtel customer right from 3rd sept 2008.

Even if I want to shift to vodafone, it requires lot of homework and communication before executing it. Because right from my credit card to every personal and official stuff is connected, registered and activated with my present number, which is a tough work to migrate. Another option is taking a new vodafone number and use it for 3 months (as a second number), gradually shifting one-by-one to the new number.

[shajufx]

After all the waiting and nail biting, getting kicked between voice support of 121 and 7070, email interactions with bb.support@... and 121@..., lot of head scratching and assistance on scratching on the forums, my BB prosumer plan is active by afternoon.cheers:

Not to disregard the valuable suggestions to visit the support outlets, I made it to the Nandidurga road centre at noon. The experience as follows; Main entrance you get yourself a token number and get seated among a group of 80% unhappy airtel customers and a 20% of "I-dont-know-what-I-am-getting-into" potential clients in the waiting area. No special counter for BB. Although 4 counters are seen, you can find only 2 counters with the so-called support staff. You can hear a lot of yelling, screaming, crying, debates etc. on a regular basis from the counters.

Atlast my number came. I sat infront of the lady. I said "Madom, I requested for a BB activation 4 days back and got no proper reply so far, anything you can do about it ? " She responded after digging the data from the system, "Sir, its already active on your number. The support guy has to come to your house and configure the settings on your laptop". I asked, "Configure on my laptop ? What is blackberry activation to do with my laptop ?" She discussed with another staff who was playing some games on a pc and responded, "Sir, the technician will call and come to your place to do the settings for you within 24 hours". Ok, I am done, "Thanks for the help".

I reached home and called up 7070 one more time. The lady was helpful, she asked me to do some settings on the options menu and activate my handset, switch off the phone, remove the battery and sim and reassemble everything after 20 seconds, then call again to get the directions on setting up emails. I did the same. Never thought of calling them again. I configured 5 email IDs myself. It was simple. Installed Messengers (yahoo, msn & google). Logged into all of them and checked. Everything is working fine.

Instant delivery of emails works perfectly well. The browsers provided are useless (internet browser and airtel live). I am searching for opera or something else that would work better. Pin to Pin messenger also works great. Its a great tool for a free international messenger experience (always ON). I am just exploring the potential of each & everything. More reviews and comments to follow

[Jaggu]

Hey congratz!! Finally you are on BB

Could you share how much is the cost for this BB thingie, as in charges for BB service from AirTel

ps: You forgot one imp thing in our suggestion to visit relationship center, visit one which has BB counter. And no you dont need the coupon for that counter, which is usually empty.

Anyways do share your experience.

[shajufx]

Yes, coming to the cost part, I have subscribed to the Prosumer Unlimited monthly plan of Rs.899/-. There are no other costs, no deposits, no activation fee. Its counted on a pro-rata basis, which comes to around Rs.30/- per day. I would recomend this plan to everyone, because other plans are meant for casual users, which will empty your bank account in no time. I mean it.

Other available plans are Rs.449/- with 500 KB free and 50 paisa for every extra KB, Rs.249/- with no free data but 15 paisa for every KB.

I asked the accounts dept. on 121 a simple question. Suppose I am on the Rs.449/- plan (500 KB free then 50 paisa for extra KB), I use 500 MB in a month and how do you calculate my bill. I not only had to hold for 20 mts but also get frustrated by the stupid answer. Infact they were not able to calculate. You ask them anything other than 2+2= or 5+5= I guarantee they will sweat and consult many collegues on the floor and waste your time holding for a stupid answer. So, dont attempt, save your time. According to my calculation, you will end up paying close to Rs.2500/- for your BB usage, which is compared to Rs.899/- unlimited plan. Calculation: 500 MB = 512000 KB, you get 500 KB free, so balance is 511500 KB X .50 paisa = 255750, so now I assume its Rs.2557.50 or is it Rs.2 lak 55 thousand and 750 ?? I leave it to the experts to answer on this. Airtel support has no answer, trust me.

You forgot one imp thing in our suggestion to visit relationship center, visit one which has BB counter

I called up atleast 5 relationship centres in bangalore north, but nobody could tell me which outlet has a BB counter nor give any phone numbers of main outlets.

[shajufx]

Another update:
Within 24 hours of activating BB services, I had to face browser issues with my handset ! Although the actual reason is not clear after discussing with the 7070 support staff, it was assumed that the software is corrupted. I had only one choice to sort out the issue. That is to 'wipe handheld' (formatting the set) after backing up everything to a PC. Wiping handheld function sets everything back to factory settings. So if anyone is getting a message "Uncaught exception: Permission denied" or "A problem occured while trying to render the page" while browsing, you are facing a software corruption issue. Back up everything and do the 'wipe handheld' process before the address book and other files get corrupted gradually.

Although I downloaded an 85 MB software version file from the blackberry website as suggested by the 7070 staff, it was not required. Because the handset does not delete the software. I restored everything back to the handset from the PC and checked the browser, it started functioning very normal.

Now if someone is reading this, I have a question; anybody is using Opera Mini on a blackberry in India ? I installed it from the opera site as recommended for Pearl, but its not getting permitted by the service provider (airtel). Also I tried installing my forex trading mobile platform, blackberry version, but same issue "permission denied". Means majority of third party software are not permitted. I am sure there is a way to permit it through the handset itself, but needs some expert guidance on that. If someone could guide or suggest a site that can help, its greatly appreciated !

[normally_crazy]

Blackberry introduces the flip form.

Read - BlackBerry launches Pearl Flip phone- GadgeTech-Personal Tech-Indiatimes - Infotech

[shajufx]

Almost 15 days of ownership, I just love my Blackberry ! There is nothing that comes in the 'cant do' list. I have a phone, camera, browser, yahoo, msn, google messengers, suretype keys and above all a very cute, slim, light weight, attractive titanium body. Its just matter of few days, you fall in love with the keys. It can fit into any pocket.

The original leather cover (part of the box) with a proximity sensor is too cute. It locks the keys as soon as the handset is pushed in. What more, the complete profile itself has 2 options in each, out of holster (cover) and in holster.

The LED on the front panel has multiple functions that lights up in 3 colours; blue for bluetooth, red for incoming calls, green for network signal ( with On or Off options). It can be personalised in many ways for messengers, browsers etc.

I dont think there is any other phone in the world with 100s of menu options as a blackberry. Every menu item goes to sub menus and sub menus. Each day I find something new somewhere.

The i-phone theme which I installed from the net is very attractive. Few times in the night I have been asked by someone if this is an i-phone !! Obviously because only the screen is seen in the night.

I am a very happy and satisfied blackberry user and I thank my stars for stopping me from buying an i-phone on the first week of its launch. I would have regreted all my life for spenting 31k or 36k with lot of limitations in many things. I have 4 friends who are crying non-stop from 2 weeks for owning an i-phone. Sadly as the saying goes "All that glitters is not gold". cheers:

i-phone theme on a blackberry looks like this;

[xotiq]

Apart from the various limitations in using any BB handset (i have used a 8110 and now have a 8120, which i am planning to sell) the most irritating issue i faced was the service entries from your provider which needs to be in place for the BB browser to work. So in essence, end up paying almost 900 to airtel. Since i dont use BB services, i installed Opera for browsing...and it works just fine.(no blackberry service needed).

Surprised at the cost in India, i got my 8110@ approx 13000 and 8120 @ approx 14000 from abroad, unlocked and brand new. I suppose buying from airtel/vodafone gets your BB locked to their network.

[shajufx]

I agree with you on the cost of handset and the cost of service in India ! Its a killing which everyone is aware of. What choice we have ?

I could have checked the prices abroad before buying one from here, which I didnt do, may be I was in a hurry to buy ! But unlocking is not a head ache as far as I understand. Compared to the i-phone selling price here, I dont think there is any other handset that burns your wallet !

Coming to the cost part, business solutions have less price choices in India. I pay Rs.777/-(Rs.200/- worth calls free) for my 2 Mbps home broadband with 4 GB monthly plan. I have never crossed this allotted 4 GB till today, with lot of personal/business usage, on an average of 10 hours a day. As a contradiction, I end up paying Rs.899/- for my Blackberry service, just for the instant delivery of emails and rare usage of messengers. So, its very clear that BB service is useful only whenever I travel. Otherwise its a total waste of money !

Blackberry service may not make any sense to a person who spents 10 hours a day on a broadband. Mobile office is a cheaper option to browse (Rs.140/- per week) if one is not bothered about instant delivery of emails.

It would have been a useful thread if some of the vodafone blackberry users post something on their experiences ! Although there are competitions in most service fields, Blackberry belongs to RIM (Research In Motion) and the individual service providers may not have much choice in the tariffs and plans.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Another update:

Although I downloaded an 85 MB software version file from the blackberry website as suggested by the 7070 staff, it was not required. Because the handset does not delete the software. I restored everything back to the handset from the PC and checked the browser, it started functioning very normal.

If there are issues with the software that came with the phone, downloading a newer firmware from manufacturer will help resolve it. Newer version might have some minor fixes as well as resource usage optimization also. It also comes in handy for any accidents that might happen during restore.

Glad to know that you are enjoying the BB but in my opinion its pointless to compare an iPhone with BB, and if anybody has purchased iPhone thinking it can do BB stuff, they might be from some other planet.

Again in my personal exp (a very brief stint with BB) the drop/drill down menu was quite annoying to me, often confusing. To make a simple settings change like enabling internet access to 3rd party apps, one has to either have a complete user guide or break his/her head figuring out how.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

in my opinion its pointless to compare an iPhone with BB, and if anybody has purchased iPhone thinking it can do BB stuff, they might be from some other planet.

I was not comparing the features or beauty, but only the pricing part. When it comes to the ergonomics and eye-catching 'slim beauty' appeal, I would pick up an i-phone anyday, but not for a killing price in India !

Infact I was waiting for the i-phone launch like nobody else, but hoping that it would come for a price under $500/-, but dreams and hopes went through the air when the price was announced above $750/- !! After reading the 'what an i-phone can not do in india' on another thread, I changed my mind to BB pearl. But I am following every post that comes on your thread "the mad-man's review of an i-phone"cheers:.

Comparing the BB service costs to the international standards, India is offering a decent price. Anyone would spend $20 for a business package. So, its justified.

Having emails instantly delivered to the handset 24 hours a day is bit annoying in the beginning, but very useful. Another extreme situation can be invited by logging into yahoo, msn and google messengers on the handset same time and keep them ON throughout ! I can bet, one will not get time to take his eyes off the handset, reading and replying to emails, instant messages, sms etc. non-stop !! After-effect: Be prepared to increase your eye lense number within a month.

To make a simple settings change like enabling internet access to 3rd party apps

I want to do this settings for opera browser and a trading mobile platform. If you have some idea, it is greatly appreciated !

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I want to do this settings for opera browser and a trading mobile platform. If you have some idea, it is greatly appreciated !

One of my friends from US got the phone and he had this issue while trying to run with airtel bb, few tech guys tried, and so did airtel tech support, didnt work out.

A complete reset and configuration settings from scratch sorted it at the end.

BB ads are running big time on TV and heard a really funny one on radio too

[nishantgandhi]

3 questions:
1. How much did the Pearl cost you? (Also, did you explore buying it unlocked?)
2. Can you use any other push email application on BB Pearl (e.g. Mail for Exchange, Intellisync etc)
3. Any idea how well does BB Pearl integrate with Nokia's Symbian? If I want to transfer contacts and calendar entries from my Nokia to BB Pearl, how easy/frustrating would it be?

[BikerSG]

u can get lots of software for the BB. I have been using BB for over a year now. Started with the 8800 and now using the Bold.

go to Google Maps to download google maps on ur BB. links to the handheld GPS if ur handheld has one.

can also get google talk, windows live messenger, yahoo messenger and other IM programs for the BB.

go to BlackBerryForums.com : Your Number One BlackBerry Community for all ur queries.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

3 questions:
1. How much did the Pearl cost you? (Also, did you explore buying it unlocked?)

I got it from mobilestore for 24990/- with a scratch and win offer of 10k worth travel discount coupons. Vodafone and airtel are offering the handset locked. You might get the unlocked version only in the grey market.

2. Can you use any other push email application on BB Pearl (e.g. Mail for Exchange, Intellisync etc)

I have not tried anything other than yahoo, gmail, hotmail and my webdomain based mail. I am sure all types of mail options should work on BB according to the manual.

3. Any idea how well does BB Pearl integrate with Nokia's Symbian? If I want to transfer contacts and calendar entries from my Nokia to BB Pearl, how easy/frustrating would it be?

BB has an exclusive software patented by RIM. So symbian based data may not be easy to transfer, but there might be a way if you google a bit. BB desktop manager and Nokia desktop manager do not have anything in common as I understand. I have not tried such transfers. My contacts were all stored in the SIM and I had to spend an hour to edit the address book in the BB, because its very elaborate unlike any other phones. A contact can have Title,First & Second Name, Picture, Company, Job Title, Email, Work phone 1,2, Home phone 1, 2, Mobile, Pager, Fax, Other, PIN (BB), Google talk ID, MSN ID, Yahoo ID, Work address 1, 2, City, State, PIN, Country, Home address 1, 2, City, State, Pin, Country, Birthday, Anniversary, Category, Webpage, User 1,2,3,4, Notes. Thats over 40 items on a single contact. Apart from these, you can also add custom ring tones, extra email IDs and additional lines of choice. I dont know any other phone offering these many choices.

Originally Posted by BikerSG

can also get google talk, windows live messenger, yahoo messenger and other IM programs for the BB.

I am using all of them with great pleasure. Best thing I love is, you dont have to log in everytime you want to use it like Mobile office. Just log in and keep it ON 24 hours, if you want (only if you have unlimited plan).