Buying a refurbished BlackBerry is a great way to go. With the price of new BlackBerrys still pretty high, a refurbished unit is a great low-risk, low-cost alternative. Refurbished units as a rule come with the same warranties that new ones carry (make sure this is true in your case of course).

Ebay is, naturally, the ultimate place to find something like a refurbished BlackBerry. The selection is fantastic and ever growing, no matter which carrier you're with.

Being able to buy a refurbished BlackBerry from ebay has many advantages:

First of all, it's a great way to try out a BlackBerry without paying the big prices at the cell phone shop.

Second, it enables you to get a replacement BlackBerry should yours be lost or damaged. Insurance on BlackBerrys can be a bit steep, and there is generally a hefty deductable that you may not be aware of until you need to use it. Why pay that if you can go to ebay and buy a really nice refurbished BlackBerry, often for less than the fees plus the deductible on your insurance policy!

Buying through ebay is very safe these days - check the seller's feedback ratings, experience, etc. before you buy, and you'll have virtually no risk.

BlackBerry is referred to as a "smartphone", which means it supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information. This service was introduced in 2002 .

Developed by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM), BlackBerry delivers information over the wireless data networks of mobile phone service companies.

The current generation of BlackBerrys do not include a touchscreen, a la the iPhone, however, next generation models will have this feature.

And by the way, the plural form of BlackBerry is BlackBerrys.