R27 per month BlackBerry Internet Service launched by Cell C

[ogb.bob]

BlackBerry Curve 8520 for R899!!!
If Blackberry were smart and less greedy they would lower the price of their entry level phone; the BlackBerry Curve 8520 to about R899 or less, to compete directly with the Nokia Asha and Samsung’s cheaper smart phones. This would make smart phones available to a much broader range of users in the country. New BB users can then bolt on one these cheaper BB packages from Vodacom or Cell C.

BB should follow this aggressive pricing structure in all 3rd world regions and focus on improving its more high tech BB phones for 1st world regions in an attempt to compete with Samsung and Apple. This would ensure BB's dominance in 3rd world countries would remain safe regardless of the threat of better tech phones from Samsung, Apple, Nokia and the likes (Android, Windows 8 etc) . It would also provide BB with an easy source of cash liquidity while it attempts to sort out its issues around decline in the higher tech smart phone space, where the real money lies. Lower entry level price would put further pressure on younger users and high volume messaging users (parents included) to stick with BB for the BBM service. It will strengthen the case for people to believe that “My friends\Kids have a BB so I need one too so I can keep in touch with them”. The need for people to fit in with the “BB” crowd is strong, regardless of the fact that most users understand that other smart phones are better than BB and other messaging services exist and are probably cheaper.

BB however seems too greedy to make a move like this and is guaranteed to see decline in 3rd world countries as the prices of Android devices gets cheaper over time as well as the fact that mobile broadband is getting cheaper as well, thus lessening the need for services like BIS.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a piece of crap anyways and not worth the asking price that it being sold for (R1500 - R1900). In fact I’m sure BB have already recovered any initial investment, broken even and profited hugely from the 8520 and could lower the price without losses.

Samsung did the same thing with Samsung E250, its asking price remained over R1000 for years then went below R1000 today they sell for R350 (if they're still available). See http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/S...eller-20120227

[Boris Becker]

In one way this is good as it will increase internet penetration in SA, but on the other hand fck it's gonna increase BB popularity

How about some decent data packages for smart phones for all types of users (contract, prepaid)

[mouks]

Blackberry...........KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL ... How long will we have to wait to see such packages for android?

[Robertvv]

yes f.... all other smart phone users.

We use MTN R29 for facebook and twitter, and email is not that much mb.

Even if crab berries comes at half price and the BB service is for free, would still go for a decent phone.
That is, in South Africa.

[TirNaNog]

N.B just thought of something for people like me with more than one email address,let all your mail boxes sync into gmail and use that as your primary single address...when sending from gmail it allows you to choose which mailbox to send from also.

Ive been doing it for years and gmail handles it very very well

YES!

[TirNaNog]

We use MTN R29 for facebook and twitter, and email is not that much mb.

Even if crab berries comes at half price and the BB service is for free, would still go for a decent phone.
That is, in South Africa.

What I love about my BB is I now carry a mobile comms device with me everywhere and I don't have to stress about ending calls or putting them on hold everytime I put the thing to my ear. My android handset on the other hand...

[NN123]

Gr8, maybe vodacom will compete

[SaiyanZ]

What I love about my BB is I now carry a mobile comms device with me everywhere and I don't have to stress about ending calls or putting them on hold everytime I put the thing to my ear. My android handset on the other hand...

You're holding it wrong.

[TirNaNog]

You're holding it wrong.

Nope. Definitely holding it right
Only way my LG C660 with Cyanogenmod doesn't do that is if I don't hold it against my ear or if I lock it first. Trouble with locking it is ending the call afterwards is a process or trying to do calls to centers with touch tone options.

This was less of a problem with my original G1 which I much preferred to my C660.

[falcon786]

Nope. Definitely holding it right
Only way my LG C660 with Cyanogenmod doesn't do that is if I don't hold it against my ear or if I lock it first. Trouble with locking it is ending the call afterwards is a process or trying to do calls to centers with touch tone options.

This was less of a problem with my original G1 which I much preferred to my C660.

And what bb are you comparing this to?

[TirNaNog]

And what bb are you comparing this to?

9360

[Mouse]

Heh. Well these deals are getting a push from RIM SA. Tech journos around the country got a bag with three Bar Ones in them: small, medium and large.

The payoff line on the included pamphlet reads: "The new BlackBerry plans... guaranteed to satisfy everyone, whatever their tastes."

Some of us prefer Lindt

[gnomez]

I 'recharged the BIS' on a spare blackberry this weekend, but could not use the 'R37 social and email' option. Kept giving a error and asked me to call Cell C, which I did. They didn't know what the problem was, so i chose the R27 (social) option which works perfectly.

Anyone else tried this ? issues ? works ?

[The_Librarian]

Roll on the day when we can have BIS-like services for Android...

[TirNaNog]

Roll on the day when we can have BIS-like services for Android...

+1
Exactly why some of us are stuck on Blackberry.