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Can I switch from an AT&T BlackBerry?

A

ajtuckett

Lurker
I've been an Android user since the day the HTC Hero was released. I'm a Nexus S user now. Well, my new job is going to issue me a phone... a Blackberry Curve. I asked them if I could choose an Android instead of stepping back a decade in phone technology. No. I told them I'd pay the difference or even just pay for the phone. No. Reasoning? Well, if we order (the new guy) the phone he wants, the other people in the company who have Blackberrys might get upset.

So onto my question...

Once I get my Blackberry, can I purchase a used unlocked Android phone and physically switch it over? Can I swap a card, call a rep, something? And if I can, will there be any fees, costs associated with the swap?
 
I doubt it.

Is your company using BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) for their phones? This service only interfaces with BlackBerry phones.
 
physically switching the SIM might work but you wont have access to email as the above poster already said.
 
which means ActiveSync (or similar) is most likely enabled (unless they're using a 3rd party system, like "Good for Enterprise")
 
Not sure on ATT's policy but here at Sprint you can just bring the two devices into the store and we can do a service swap for you. It doesn't cost anything and you can get your contacts and emails moved over as well. The process usually takes about 15 minutes.
 
One other thing I recall is that the BB data plan isn't the same as the 'smartphone' data plane used for Android and iOS. If you plunk that sim into an Android Phone, AT&T will notify the account holder (your employer) that you need the correct plan. I don't think it's a cost difference, but you've already been told "no." In our company, that would be at least a reprimand and possibly termination.
 
I imagine you could call forward from the BB to an Android and set up ActiveSync with the Andy phone, but you would still have the same problem of the 'new guy has something different', even if you're paying for it out of pocket.
 
I appreciate all of the feedback. I've started to face the facts that I'll be losing my precious Nexus and and start carrying the hottest phone of 2010. And once the person that internally runs our phone system turns it over to someone else (water cooler rumor), I'll go down this road again. Again, thank you everyone.
 
There are also security risks associated with Android on the EAS server. I do support for a Fortune 100 company, they have yet to allow Android on the EAS server because the OS version doesn't report to the server natively (only the mail client version does). Rooting and ROMing also introduce security concerns as the previously-approved OS is then changed and introduces potential unknown vulnerabilities. There are solutions for some of these concerns, even ones that detect a jailbroken iPhone and prevent access to the environment, but the company would need to implement that.
 
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