Can I treat a Blackberry like an unlocked GSM phone? Can I stick SIM cards in it like you would any other phone? Are Blackberries easy to use? How about their email abilities? Thank you for your help!

I never used a blackberry myself, but surely they work with sim-cards like all GSM phones/data cards.

Never had a bb. Had 3 Treos and now have an MDA. Much like a bb, but NOT the 'real thing.'

If unlocked, they all fired up with a foreign SIM. I never tried internet browsing overseas, but I suspect that would work IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT SERVICE and (or)
are willing to pay for that service. I hear WIND has a decently priced internet service. There are some INTERNET sites that allow you access to your regular email.

You can use the keyboard for SMSing.

I did not have a VPN from my firm, but I suspect that, UNLESS YOU TAKE YOUR US SIM, you won't be able to tie in to your regular (M$ Outlook) company email. I think the tech guys set that up on the bb.

My brother in NV has a 'crackberry' which he took to Hong Kong, etc recently. They use ATT/Cingular and they allowed him to roam and use his corporate email.

Stan

In the US Blackberries are provided by a variety of carriers, not just GSM. So there are GSM and non-GSM BBs. I don't know about their configuration. I think that they are tied to a special server that pushes e-mail down to the device, but I don't know the details. You might want to check out the RIM forum on HoFo.

Link for BB fanatics:

http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=221

As a former Crackberry owner (actually the handset is on a closet shelf), let me take a stab. TMobile and Cingul,ar Blackberries ship locked. Both will unlock them with the right reason, but they will ask. International travel and a prepaid SIM is fair. You'll need a history with the company, good bill pay history, etc. Lastly, with TMobile the phone cannot have been released within the last 90 days.

With an unlocked Blackberry, you'll be able to make and receive calls using the unit as a phone. Even with a data enabled SIM, you will not be able to browse or get e-mail. A few people using Blackberry Enterprise Server accounts have managed this, but most carriers lock down the necessary ports. Stories of people pulling this off are sort of like the stories we've heard about 900mz GSM installations in various places in North America. There was a little bit of truth and a great deal of wishful thinking.

International MVNO's such as a Yackie, Riiing, or Geodessa could probably open the necesary ports for BES users to get through, but if you using BIS (Blackberry Individual Server) with a different provider, it ain't going to happen. Similarly, you will not be able to browse the web with a data enabled SIM. Everything is hardwired to Blackberry settings.

In addition to Howard's Forum, you should also check out http://www.blackberryforums.com/.

Stu