Blackberry without Blackberry Service

Many people today buy Blackberry phones without really knowing the limitations of not having Blackberry service. Its only after they have bought the phone do they realise that functionality goes down a lot without a Blackberry service.

I started using my Blackberry with a Mail-lite plan (unlimited Free IM and Email) but I missed the browsing function and also couldn't do any social networking without a Wi-fi connection. So I decided I'm going to find an alternative to the BB service and work-arounds for most limitations
So if you have a blackberry but don't want to use the Blackberry service read on.
(This applies only to India, I don't know about operator policies in other countries but I'm sure it can be done)

1. Go get Tata Docomo connection (or any other service provider who gives GRPS APN access to applications)

2. Go to options - advanced options - TCP/IP connections - and put the APN settings of the service provider.

3.  For email, your inbuilt email will not work without a Blackberry Service, so you can use GMail mobile app to access your GMail account. You can also set up GMail to pull in mail from other inboxes so you get all your mail from one app.One tip - Gmail mobile many times doesn't show links in emails, the work around is using a browser (Opera Mini, Bolt) and Basic html format of Gmail

4. Use Opera Mini for Blackberry. Although you don't need this application, because the default browser will work with you Tata Docomo connection, opera mini is faster and lighter in terms of data. Its not totally bug free (mine refuses to respond to the track pad sometimes), but it allows you to do pretty much everything that you would do on a normal browser except watch You Tube videos.

5. Palringo - for IM.  Again not a a bug free app, its a lot lighter than the Nimbuzz software and I have used it to log into Gtalk, Yahoo, Hotmail, Facebook chat. Nimbuzz just ate all my battery, and was buggy too.

6. Most RIM applications will not work without a full Blackberry service, like the Facebook app, Twitter app and even Google Maps. I don't know about Blackberry Maps though. So I use a great app for Facebook called Snaptu, its light and sweet and can be used for Twitter. But I prefer to use Ubertwitter for tweeting. Its a lot more powerful and fun. I also use Foursquare, a location based app, that sort of rewards you for visiting places. It also lets you know where your friends have been recently so you are not left out.

If you are planning to buy a Blackberry and don't want to use the service, I'd suggest you go for another brand - there are many options (I like Nokia E and C series and Samsung Androids). But if you already have the Blackberry phone, this post should help you do everything you wanted. The only thing that you won't able to use is the Blackberry Messenger, which is a motivation for some to go for a blackberry in the first place. But I think its a small price to pay for Freedom.