Site Totals

61162 Questions Answered 267 Categories

BBM data usage

I am about to receive my Blackberry 9650 in the mail. I am concerned about my data usage because it is not unlimited (it is 150 MB/month).

I don't think i will be using Facebook too often, other than to do mobile uploads.

for Twitter i plan on mostly only updating my status maybe once or twice a day.

I DO plan on using a lot of BBM.

How much data can i expect to use?

Regularly, how many MB does BBM use for a very frequent user?

Thanks in advanced!

PS: if there are any tips that someone can give me for using a Blackberry, i would appreciate it as I am brand new to the BB world!)

Comments

RCA

I have never measured BBM data usage but if I had to guess it would only use a few K not MB to send messages, you should be fine. I dont use Twitter but i cant imagine that it gobbles up MB just to update.

What I would do is, get the 150mb plan and after a few days check your usage online. I really think you will be ok. In my opinion, BlackBerries are not data hogs.

OsheaG

The data usage on smartphones can vary from time to time depending on it's usage. If you feel that the $15 data package for 150 mb per month is not enough, you can always upgrade to our Unlimited Data plan. Also, I recommend using our Data Calculator, it can give you an estimate of your predicted usage and can help to determine a Data Package that is right for you. Here is a link to the Data Calculator for you: http://www.verizonwireless.com/splash_includes/datacalculator.html

budone

But the data calculator really is not relevant to a BB as data is handled differently. On a BB data is compressed.

jlee7

For BlackBerry tips and how-to, I would recommend Crackberry.com. I found a wealth of info not only for my device, but for BlackBerry in general. The things I learned helped me keep my Storm 9530 running good. The same things will apply to help you keep your device running smooth. I would recommend being very judicious about which apps u load up on your phone. There is a lot of garbage out there. Most of the good ones are free. In my opinion, stay away from themes and any "memory booster" nonsense, and anything that promises to make the browser faster. And stick to the official Verizon software upgrades! Hope this helps...

SydneyK

I'm not a very frequent BBM user, but I'll try to give you an idea of data usage. I looked back through my last few bills ... the months I used BBM once or twice a day, plus had two email accounts pushed to my BB, I used about 100MB. The most I've used, even with streaming a couple TV shows and a few podcasts, is 213MB/month. This was not using Wi-Fi at all, so if you use Wi-Fi at home -- doing most of your BBM communication that way -- you *may* be fine with 150MB.

I tried the data calculator to see how accurate it is, and it showed I would use quite a bit more than I actually do. As mentioned above, data is compressed, so BlackBerrys do not use as much as other smartphones. Emails and BBM don't use much data; where you start using more is while streaming media. Monitor your usage for a month or two, then decide if you want to upgrade to the unlimited data plan for peace of mind.

Enjoy your new Bold ... great choice, btw!

SydneyK

Correction: Now that i think about it, I think BBM is one of the apps that only works with data, not Wi- Fi.

Child Item