BlackBerry 8530

Pay As You Go BlackBerry Plans: Are They Right For You?

December 13, 2010 by Robb Dunewood 9 Comments

We constantly hear about how fast feature phone users are converting over to smartphones all the time. What you don’t hear as often, however, is that one of the fastest growing segments of net new wireless subscribers are those opting for pre-paid plans, and, one of the hottest devices going right now is the pay as you go BlackBerry…

We get questions all the time about pay as you go BlackBerry devices, particularly the Boost Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8530. The 8530, isn’t the newest BlackBerry Curve on the block, but, it is a solid device that many prefer over of the newer BlackBerry Curve 3G. Boost Mobile’s price of $199.99 seems to be a little steep, but, what you have to realize is that you are paying for the device unsubsidized as there is no monthly contract that you need to sign up for.

Where the pay as you go BlackBerry shines on Boost Mobile is in the way of the $60 per month unlimited BlackBerry Plan that gives you unlimited nationwide talk, text, web, 411, IM & email. For customers that stick with Boost Mobile, your plan could go down to as little as $45 per month.

Virgin Mobile offers the same BlackBerry Curve 8530 for $139.99, however, their monthly plan will run you $70 per month for unlimited everything.

At the end of the day, you will pay significantly less when if you get a pay as you go BlackBerry on either Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile. If you can stand paying a little more for a BlackBerry up front, you can save hundreds of dollars over the course of a two year plan and you aren’t locked into any type of contract.

Is a pay as you go BlackBerry right for you?

Sprint’s New Pre-Paid Wireless Plans Sound Frigging Awesome!

May 7, 2010 by Robb Dunewood 6 Comments

Sprint recently put a out a press-release detailing the new Beyond Talk plans being offered by Virgin Mobile beginning May 12th, and, starting at $25 a month for 300 minutes plus unlimited data, these plans sound frigging awesome. The coolest thing about them is that you can add BlackBerry service to them for just $10. That’s right. You can get an unlimited data plan with access to BlackBerry Internet Service and 300 minutes for $35 per month.

There will also be a $40 plan with 1200 minutes and and unlimited talk plan for $60. BlackBerry support is $10 per month on each of these plans as well. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 costs $299 with no contract and will be available at the end of the month. Something tells me that Virgin Mobile has a hit on their hands…

Verizon Launching BlackBerry 8530 As BlackBerry Curve2

October 27, 2009 by Robb Dunewood 6 Comments

BGR was able to get a hold of a Verizon holiday flyer that features a few of the newer BlackBerry devices that we’ve heard of like , the Tour, the Flip, and the recently announced Storm2, as well as a new device, the BlackBerry Curve2, also known as the BlackBerry 8530. This naming convention for the 8530 is a bit confusing because there is a BlackBerry Curve 8900 that is just called Curve.

I am curious as to if the Curve2 designation is the idea of Verizon as compared to RIM? The Curve was, and, still is a strong device and has very good brand recognition so this is a pretty good marketing move regardless of who came up with the name. If it was RIM, however, it does kind of make you wonder if they put a lot of forethought into naming conventions.

[Via BGR]