I don't want to get stuck in a contract as I am only here 12 months. Do you know where I could buy a pay as you go blackberry from? The network doesn't matter nor does it matter if its lower spec.

I just got a generic pay-as-you-go card and threw it into my Bberry from home. That system did not allow me to go onto the Bberrry network as such, but things might have changed since then.

Does it have to be a BB? there are plenty of other messaging apps around like whatsapp, viber etc if that was the sole purpose you wanted a BB

I only want a BlackBerry for the bbm messenger as quite a lot of my family and friends have them I thought it would be a nice, cheap way of staying in touch

Hi Kate

Take a look at Whatsapp it can be donwloaded for the BB and not just that but people on Android, iPhone and Windows Phone. Anyone who has the app on their phone can communicate with you as long as they have your number and you have whatsapp on your phone.

You can message, send pics, recording and videos I use it all the time and it tells you when the other person has read the message. It also notifies you when you receive messages even if your not using the app.

Google: Whatsapp

I use BBerry messenger and Whatsapp on my Torch interchangably. Some friends of mine just don't use whatsapp for some reason, so BBM has just been a staple.

You will have to ask about the pre-paid data plans, if they will support the bberry network, or if you can use BBM on a generic data plan. This might be a bit costly, and you probably will also have to pay an extra fee for using the bberry network. Just for a heads up.

Best thing about Whatsapp is it hardly uses any of my data, not sure how BBM compares as I've never had one

Not exactly pre-pay...

I want to start using my Bold 9930 on my Orange contract. I went to the store today to activate the blackberry option and the assistant said it would active within an hour and I would receive an SMS with all the relevant settings. This hasn't happened.

I can use SMS and telephone but none of the internet or blackberry functions work. The phone still displays "activation required".

Does anyone have experience of setting up a Blackberry on an existing Orange contract?

Orange customer service wasn't much help so it'd be great if I can tell them exactly what they need to do for my account!

There have never been any prepaid offerings for Blackberrys in Switzerland. Right now it's actually doubtful that you'll even get a Blackberry at all as a private person. RIM is pulling out of the private market. For international communication I'd go with Google Talk / Google+ messenger or with Facebook messenger. Whatsapp can't really be recommended considering its repeated and large-scale privacy issues.