Whirlpool

I have a BB Curve 8300 and am on the Optus PrePaid network.
With the new turgo charge cab, it allowes you free MB usage.
I want to be able to use these free MB's through my BB but am having trouble getting onto the net.

When I go to the browser, a message reads as below:

-----------------------
Unable to open a PDP
Context to the
following APN:

blackberry.wap

This may be happening
because the currently
selected Browser
configuration is not
compatible with the
current network.

-----------------------

I am not sure what the problem is, and if it helps the "GPRS" indication on the screen is in lower case.
I dont want to use the push email... all I want to do is get on the internet with general use. I cannot even get Optus Zoo working.

I have rang Optus about this, and they state that you cannot use the internet on this handset unless you have the BB plan.

I dont think this is true becuase when I had Vodafone prepaid in the same handset, the internet seemes to be working fine, even though I did not have a BB plan through Vodafone.

If anybody could please shed some light... that would be much apprecaited.

Regards,

Selim

Call Optus again. Sometimes I think some employees just cant be bothered answering with your questions because they do know the answer.

Hopefully you will get someone who knows about this or can lead you to the right section. Let them know you have had no trouble using it with Vodafone.

Hi,

I have called them many times.
I just spoke to them 30 minutes ago again.
When they see that I am a prepaid user, they state that it does not work unless you have a BB plan.
Everytime I call them, I also mention that this has worked on Voda, but they say that networks have different settings for BB's.

Not sure what to do. Its a bloody great phone... especially the usability, but I would love to browse with it.

Becuase Optus has the best pre-paid plan, and my wife is also with Optus... I dont want to use another network due to all the benefits.

Regards,
Selim

Interestingly enough, my sister is in a similar situation. I made a post here about it:
http://www.blackberryforums.com.au/forums/blackberry-8300-series-smartphone-discussion/2233-setting-up-8310-useful-after-contract-termination.html#post6162

Your best bet for some functionality at the moment is to goto settings -> advanced -> TCP and set the apn to 'internet' (without the inverted commas) and blank username password.

This will let apps like Opera Mini access the net through the prepaid GPRS data network, I think the rate is $5.50 per MB. You cannot use the blackberry browser or built in push email without being on a blackberry plan with a provider however, because the blackberry needs the Blackberry Internet Services that only a carrier can provide to have that functionality.

So, prepaid blackberry's are quite limited at the moment, hopefully someone here or on the blackberry forums will know how to get more services working.

Thinking on it a bit, I guess it's lucky we installed Opera mini before she cancelled because I can't think of an easy way to get it on the phone except over the air. You might need to find someone with an optus blackberry on the blackberry plan and put their sim in to download Opera and other bits and pieces.

Hey Phill,

I have already got internet in the APN address... and the message as per the initial post always appears when trying to connect to a sight like 'gmail.com'

Is there something I may be doing incorrectly maybe when I try to connect to the internet?

Also, if this helps, this handset is from the UK, and is a vodafone handset.

Cheers
Selim

Sorry, I should have explained. In general, there are two ways the blackberry can access the internet, and different applications use the methods differently. The first and 'usual' method is to access data through a carriers Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) server, which in this case your phone thinks is 'blackberry.wap' and theres some other gateway configurations that go with it.

The second way is the way every other non-blackberry prepaid phone gets it's data, which is to use the 'open' WAP service with optus, 'internet'. With vodafone australia it's vfinternet.au, etc etc.

The built in blackberry apps, like browser and messenger use the first method. So does google maps and a few other 3rd party apps. Opera Mini however uses the second method. On prepaid, you're not registered with Optus's BIS server, and hence the first method does not work at all, your attempts are rejected by the server, and as far as I can see, there's no way short of a new 'service book' (the settings that tell the blackberry browser what apn/etc to use), to change this.

This is why you can only use apps like Opera Mini through Optus's regular APN, and why the built in blackberry browser won't work without the specialised Blackberry service from Optus, available only on post-paid/contracted accounts. It's an annoying situation.

I hope that clears things up. It took me a while to work this crap out too, and even now I could be wrong, but that's my understanding of how data on the blackberries work currently.

edit: Opera Mini is a 3rd party browser application. http://www.operamini.com

Basically, if you want full service on your Blackberry right away, you'll need to sign up on a blackberry plan with a carrier (ie, optus's $79 unlimited browsing/email blackberry plan) and they will 'push' the appropriate service books to your phone to get the browser working/etc.

Phill.... mate.... you are a legend and a half.

I have finally got the internet working on the phone and coudn't of done it without you.
I can finally put my optus prepaid 300mb of free internet usage to use.
Thanks a million buddy.

But, I now have another question. I have a Nokia 6110 navigator which is a great phone.
With this phone, I can have it automatically retrieve my emails from Gmail.
Can this Blackberry do the same... or would you know any other free applications which allow me to do this?

Cheers,
Selim

Probably your best bet will be the Gmail Mobile App http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/users/mobile.html#bb

Not sure about checking email automatically but it probably can if you leave it open.

I have tried this... and you need to access and download the app form your phone.
When I try doing that, it then tries to download this app with the Blackberry browser, not Miniopera.

Any ideas on this!!! Can I have the app downloaded to the computer and then have it installed to the BB?

Selim

I did not think you could use the net without the BB plan myself.
But it seems you can with another browser. Perhaps the people at optus were told the same thing and haven't been given instructions on how to set it up on prepaid. It does make sense that they don't know if they've never been shown and because optus have a special BB plan they would be encouraging people to sign up on that. Plus more than likely the reps you get don't own a BB or use it on the proper plan. I think its probably not their fault they don't know how to do it.

Selim writes...

Any ideas on this!!! Can I have the app downloaded to the computer and then have it installed to the BB?

I'm having the same problem on my sisters phone, downloads in Opera Mini redirect to the Blackberry Browser for some reason :\ Not sure how to get around it yet. I've downloaded the Blackberry Desktop manager software but my sister is out at the moment so I don't know whether it can be used to install applications yet. I do know that simply plugging the BB into USB only gives you access to the media card, and apps can't be run off that.

Rhianna writes...

I did not think you could use the net without the BB plan myself.
But it seems you can with another browser. Perhaps the people at optus were told the same thing and haven't been given instructions on how to set it up on prepaid. It does make sense that they don't know if they've never been shown and because optus have a special BB plan they would be encouraging people to sign up on that. Plus more than likely the reps you get don't own a BB or use it on the proper plan. I think its probably not their fault they don't know how to do it.

I didn't want to post a hate thread about Optus, but needless to say they (all the reps_ were all adamant that all BB services would continue to work after the contract was broken. The response to Optus after the fact was to simply try and get my sister back on contract, which she is not at all keen on. It's been lodged with the TIO and she's waiting to hear back on that. Basically the Optus reps are completely without knowledge about how the BB services work and it took 3 idiot reps and a manager to get through to a tech staffer who finally informed my sister that nothing the Reps had said was untrue and actually suggested to note their names and that they should be fired! He said no internet access is possible without being on a BB plan, but I figured a way around that one myself after I stuck my vodafone sim in and set the APN, then found out Optus's APN.

Basically, little information about how BIS actually works is passed onto the consumer when they buy these things, and not even 1st/2nd line support reps understand how it works after the fact. I was completely in the dark until I started doing some research after the fact.

Another thought on the Gmail app is that I know the Google Maps app attempts to use the BIS connection rather than the 'internet' APN. If the Gmail App is the same, then it's not going to be able to get net access.

edit: just found this on the blackberry forums.

Here's a list of apps that use BIS:

-Google Sync
-Gmail Application
-Google Talk
-Yahoo Messenger
-Viigo
-Facebook Application
-Nexthaus SyncML
-Vodafone Compass
-Google Maps
-World Mate

Here's the apps that don't work via BIS:

-Shozu
-Opera Mini

So I think you might be out of luck with the Gmail App :(

An alternative to try (you'll need to setup pop3/imap access in your gmail settings if you haven't already):

http://www.logicprobe.org/proj/logicmail

edit: logicmail doesn't automatically check accounts... maybe just leave the full gmail webpage open in opera mini? :D

I've downloaded the Blackberry Desktop manager software but my sister is out at the moment so I don't know whether it can be used to install applications yet. I do know that simply plugging the BB into USB only gives you access to the media card, and apps can't be run off that.

------------------------------------------------------

I have also downloaded the BB desktop manager onto my computer... and have used this to install applications.

You basically download and unzip/extract (if needed too) the file/application to your desktop... making sure it is suitable for the BB, then you use the 'application loader' through the bb desktop manager to open and upload the BB applications.

Hope this helps.

Selim

Yep, I gave it a shot yesterday. All fine. How'd you go with Gmail?