Have been looking into the option of getting a BlackBerry device to more easily access/track/reply to email when not in the office.

Have checked the official BlackBerry site and seems that within Asia they are only supported in Australia, Singapore, HK & Philippines. Also checked with a friend that has a BlackBerry and he said he had to run his from Singapore as none of the local carriers (e.g. AIS / DTAC / etc) can support it.

Is this true? e.g. can I just buy a BlackBerry, install an AIS SIM card in the device then setup the email connection? (I've never used one before so apologies if my logic is totally wrong)

If not, does anyone know why they are not supported in Thailand?

how much is a blackberry?

I have never thought they were much in the way of a pocket PC.

have you looked at the option of a pocket PC either the ipac or the dell axim , with both bluetooth and WiFi

I have a dell axim x50v and its greatest drawback is WM2003se , but still it is a marvelous device. only 500usd

and supported accross the planet

HP will release a few "mobile messenger" Pocket PC models shortly (this month?), which look targeted at the blackberry market. Should do everything a blackberry can and more. Better display for a start.

Already have an iPAQ 3970 and can "pull" email from my server with bluetooth/GPRS link via my mobile phone. Works well enough.

But advantage of the Blackberry devices is that it's a "push" system. i.e. as long as you are in a GSM network area (including most countries o'seas) it automatically pushes all your email onto your device - just like being connected to the server in the office.

My research led to the same conclusion -- i.e. no push capacity for Blackberry here -- so just to be on the safe side I bought a Treo 650 instead. They're sold here in Thailand by an extensive sales network and service is excellent. I had a problem with the screen, dropped it at their service depot, and three days later a replacement arrived by DHL.

I put my AIS SIM into my Treo and off I went. GPRS works well enough here for all but the longest emails and heaviest loads. Of course you have to retrieve manually, but that's a matter of a couple of key strokes.

I want to get a blackberry for use in Thailand, China and Japan - all of these countries are not represented by Blackberry. You can roam however and I was wondering what the tariffs would be like if I got an account in the UK used it in Asia just for emails? Very expensive you think?

So what about the Treo - is it as good as a blackberry and if I got a thai contract would I be able to use it around the rest of asia?

Hope someone reading this can advise.

Treo is ok, at least you can just slot disposable sims and not worry about the tariffs too much. The HP Mobile Messenger is better though IMHO. It's got 'blackberry killer' stamped in large, friendly letters on the cover.