Blackberry from South Africa

[riatolken]

Please tell me if I do take my Blackberry along, and would like to use it in Spain, what will it cost to have it up and running? Will I be able to send messages home? What benefits would I have by taking along my phone? Thnx

 

[piogaw]

Re: Blackberry from South Africa

first thing first, before you leave south africa, get your blackberry phone unlocked so that you can use any network provider.

when you come to spain, you can buy a local sim card to use with your unlocked blackberry. you can buy a vodaphone, movistar sim card, or any other network providers. bring your passport to the store as you will need it to buy any sim card. close down your data roaming function.

the cost is very minimal per my experience. i used it every night to contact my family. you can top up in unit of 5 euros, and the card is normally valid for 6 months.

as you are using a local sim card, you will not be charged twice for roaming.

 

[NaKwendaSafari]

Re: Blackberry from South Africa

piogaw has given a detailed explanation of how to start using an unlocked BB in Spain and the most cost effective method of messaging home.

You did not specify which Blackberry model you are taking with you. The older model BB's were locked into their own inflexible proprietary operating system which was not user friendly, it would not interact with the more common software such as MS excel words powerpoint, the BB messaging system was incompatible with other mobiles. The mobile is 25% heavier than similar phones. It had poor screen resolution and poor camera photo capability, only 3.2Mp. 3G connection, if it worked, was poor. Once you get used to touchscreens, the latest Blackberry is going that way now, you will find the much vaunted BB miniature keypad is not such an advantage.

Unless you have the latest Blackberry, which is very expensive, the old BB misses out on the hundreds of Apps available for Android and IOS users. You cannot expect good pictures from the 3.2 Mp camera, even the cheaper Android phones come with a 8 Mp camera and HD video. The Android phones on the same price range of the latest Blackberry comes with a 13 Mp camera, which is an overkill, and more bells and whistles that you will ever use on the Camino.

The list is too long on what you can do with a smartphone on the Camino, you can look into the forum which is now increasingly into assisting smartphone users.

 

[riatolken]

Thank you very very much (I have a BB Bold) I really appreciate the help.

 

[piogaw]

Re: Blackberry from South Africa

riatolken,

you should be able to have the blackberry bold series of smartphone unlocked.

 

[NaKwendaSafari]

Re: Blackberry from South Africa

riatolken,
You wrote

What benefits would I have by taking along my phone?

I tried to answer your question by finding out what series of the BB Bold you are carrying as they range from the basic 7100 series to the latest 9700 series. Benefits for me would be, as for you, and to 99% of those who leave loved ones home, to be able to send messages home. The more advanced BB Bold will have apps such as Whatsapps which can instantly through an internet connection send home pictures, and videos, captured by the inbuilt camera home if the home also have internet and Whatsapps installed. BB cannot as yet install the common two way communications apps such as Viber, Tango and the like. Skype through the internet could be used. All these can be done without a SIM card, as long as you have wifi.

With a local SIM card installed you can send text messages, use the phone, and do what you are doing as you would at home but at a much higher cost. This is a generalised answer but if you do not take a phone you will be the exception rather than the rule in this day and age.

 

[riatolken]

Thank you very much xx

 

[sillydoll]

Re: Blackberry from South Africa

I brought my old BbCurve along this time. I bought a prepaid Data sim before I left home and activated it when I got to Spain. I have cleared emails and sent emails for over 2 weeks and have also been able to phone local numbers and send messages on Whatsapp. The card cost €29

 

[riatolken]

30th of May 2013 I am on The Way and doing FINE, left my Sim Card at home and at all the Albergues I have stayed over there is Free Wi-Fi xx August 2013- we walked all the way from SjPdP to Santiago, in all the albegues we staid there were free wi-fi, I never needed to adjust my phone in any way, I took my SIM card out and left it in SA, I could even send pictures to my friends xx

 

[NaKwendaSafari]

Re: Blackberry from South Africa

Wonderful to have such a positive feedback, have a Buen Camino!

 

[Rose Bishop]

Im walking from SJPDP next week - Thurs 29 August. Coming from South Africa, I have a iphone 5 that I want to be able to send/receive watsapps to/from family and close friends...what is the best way to do this? Do I get a local sim card? Someone said to turn off all data bundles as that is what costs the money?! Thanks for your help!

 

[Bajaracer]

Im walking from SJPDP next week - Thurs 29 August. Coming from South Africa, I have a iphone 5 that I want to be able to send/receive watsapps to/from family and close friends...what is the best way to do this? Do I get a local sim card? Someone said to turn off all data bundles as that is what costs the money?! Thanks for your help!

If your iPhone 5 is unlocked, you can purchase a Spainish SIM card like this one http://tiendamoviles.tuenti.com/tarjeta-sim-prepago?d=1 with 1GB of data and 50 min of local calling for 12 euros and be able to use your iPhone like you would in SA, incoming calls are free on Spanish SIM cards.
Or you could just rely on only wifi at bars/cafes/albergues, I bought a Spanish SIM for my unlocked iPhone 5 and didn't get caught up in the morning break wifi rush and have to ask for the wifi password except in locations where there was no phone service.
What your friends are referring to is if your data roaming is turned on when you go outside of SA, you will incur an enormous data bill when you get back, make sure the data roaming is off when you leave SA.

 

[Rose Bishop]

Thanks so much for your advice...needing some practical tips please...how do I know whether my iphone is unlocked?! Where do I turn off the data roaming?

 

[Bajaracer]

Go to Settings- General- Cellular- Data roaming, make sure data roaming is off.
To find out if your phone is not locked, call your mobile phone provider to verify, also use another SIM card from a different mobile phone provider, if it works with the other SIM card, your phone is more than likely to be unlocked.

 

[sillydoll]

Those from South Africa using Blackberry, just remember that BBM is not free from Europe.