From the Blackberry perspective...

[wezra]

After 10 years with Blackberry I decided to make a major change. After a lot of research I decided to go with an Android devise. As a secondary phone I had the Palm Treo a few years ago and found the Windows OS to be very unstable... so no way was I going to give it a second go-around. With T-Mobile the only real option you have in that regard anyway is the HTC Touch Pro 2 and it is way to expensive.. just overpriced. So my choice came down nto the Motorola CLIQ and the myTouch Fender Edition.

I have worked with the same guy at my T-Mobile store for nearly 5 years and he has always given me excellent advise. His feeling was that the CLIQ was a much better phone for what I wanted and my preferences. So I went for it. Coming off a Blackberry 8900 Curve running OS 5.0.0.411 my expectations were pretty high. If you are not familiar OS 5 for Blackberrry would be like moving to Andriod 2.1 from 1.5... it is a major leap in Blackberry OS functionality. That said, the fact is that OS 5 is really more like OS 4.8... they gave it the "5" designation to make it seem like a totally new OS. That is far from the case.

After moving to the CLIQ two days ago I find that there are a number of (what I call) functional tasks that need getting used to. That said, I love the overall workings of the phone and the OS. Of course, I have a great deal to learn about Android but so far I am really enjoying the phone and exploring it's options. Especially the touch screen. The call quality of the phone is equal to my latest Blackberry and the web browser on Wi-Fi is far faster reacting then on the Blackberry with Wi-Fi. Having 3G is really nice as well. In my area T-Mobile has major 3G coverage so that is a plus. The quality, fit and finish of the phone is far superior to that of the Curve 8900. I am not used to all the metal... just a lot of plastic on the Blackberry. I do understand that the new BB Bold 9700 is far better and is up to snuff in terms of quality and finish. But too little, too late for me!

The fact is that RIM (Blackberry) has hit a wall. The web browsing experience is awfu (even in OS 5)l and the overall GUI is years behind the times. The small screens don't allow for a good video viewing experience either. The phones, including the Storm 2, are running an OS that should have been totally revamped years ago.

I know this post doesn't say much in terms of content... but just wanted to let anyone know who is considering the jump from Blackberry to an Android devise to take the leap. I was very concerned about making the change, but could not be happier... even after 10 years of using Blackberry devises. The fact is that I am really pleased to be off Blackberry and onto something much more advanced in many ways. Yes, no push email or SMS, but I have mine set up to update every 15 minutes and that works very well... no more rapid fire alerts every 10 seconds.

 

[Cory Streater]

EXCELLENT write-up, but moved it to the right place

I continue to be amazed by how many ex BB owners - vs. any other platform - that I see in these forums.

 

[freshnezzz#AC]

X storm user here. When I got my droid I noticed more app, I was like wow now I see how apparently change phone. For sure check out round Robin

 

[jkeene81]

i agree! having just jumped to a droid eris from a tour 9360 i love the droid os. it is lightyears ahead of blackberry and much easier to use!!!

 

[Corey]

I'm a recent ex-Berry user as well, coming off a Pearl/Curve/Storm/Tour, and agree with your write up. The Pearl and the Curve sold me on the Blackberry platform, with a certain utilitarian charm and some superb messaging capabilities, all wrapped in a nice form factor. The Storm and the Tour turned me off of the Blackberry platform. The same utilitarian charms of the Pearl and Curve were dated as hell and a poor fit on the latest and (supposedly) greatest Blackberry offerings, especially on the Storm. The "updates" were little more than sticking a band-aid on a gaping wound. The Tour was the final straw, with a buggy OS that seemed to receive little attention. Even using a 5.0 beta, things were just not very appealing. The dramatic changes were easily too little and too late. While the threaded SMS was a nice change of pace, it was something that could easily have been addressed sooner, rather than in the major letdown that 5.0 was.

In comparison, my Droid has been a much needed breath of fresh air. All the things that I had problems with coming off of the Tour (and Storm, I suppose) have been addressed quite well in the Droid. The web browser is a huge leap ahead of the pitiful BB browser. The app selection is quite robust, and I like the layout of the Market much more than the clunky interface of Blackberry's App World. From my experience, the App World setup was all but unusable, especially with constant glitches that wouldn't allow me to update installed programs without completely wiping them from my device. It's refreshing to have things work how they're supposed to again.

Now, I do miss the somewhat fluid nature of the messaging on the Blackberry, and the way the Android OS handles multiple email accounts can be frustrating some times, and I'll be damned if I don't completely miss the incredibly simple but wonderful blinking light of the Blackberry line (the tiny Droid light pales in comparison), these are things I can live with, as the ever growing list of positives I come across far outweigh those slight annoyances.

 

[amojeba]

Now, I do miss the somewhat fluid nature of the messaging on the Blackberry, and the way the Android OS handles multiple email accounts can be frustrating some times, and I'll be damned if I don't completely miss the incredibly simple but wonderful blinking light of the Blackberry line (the tiny Droid light pales in comparison), these are things I can live with, as the ever growing list of positives I come across far outweigh those slight annoyances.

Can you elaborate on the "multiple email accts" issue? What issue does it have with multiple emails? Where does Android lack in the messaging category?
I'm a current BB Storm user, and am researching before I make the jump to Android.
Thanks!

 

[Corey]

Can you elaborate on the "multiple email accts" issue? What issue does it have with multiple emails? Where does Android lack in the messaging category?
I'm a current BB Storm user, and am researching before I make the jump to Android.
Thanks!

I have 3 gmail accounts for different things and have them all linked up to my Droid. I'd like to be able to have all the emails dump into one inbox, like I had on my Blackberries, or even be able to swipe across the screens to switch accounts, like I was able to do on my HTC Touch Diamond. Instead, you have to hit Menu > Accounts > (email address). That's just if you're dealing with gmail. I have a yahoo account that I leave off the phone. It's an added annoyance in that you have to back out of the gmail program and go into the regular mail program to check that. It's sloppy and could be implemented far better. Ideally, I'd love to have it dump into one account in a fashion similar to Blackberry, and if there's a setting I'm missing, somebody please let me know, but as it is, it's a minor pain in the butt. It's not a deal breaker in the slightest, just an annoyance.

Edited to add: In my experience, messaging (sms, mms, email) was a little more fluid on a Blackberry. It's incredibly convenient having everything dump into one inbox. I understand that some people don't like that kinda thing, but I receive an email/sms/mms, deal with it asap, and then delete it. I rarely have messages older than a day or two in any of my inboxes so I don't get overwhelmed and have no need for any super detailed sorting. I get that some people hold on to them longer and having separate email inboxes/sms/mms inboxes helps keep them organized. If I could have all messages in one inbox, that would completely change my opinion on the message setup. Oh, and a larger notification light would be great too. The tiny dot is nothing compared to the excellent blinking light of a Blackberry.

 

[wezra]

I'm a recent ex-Berry user as well, coming off a Pearl/Curve/Storm/Tour, and agree with your write up. The Pearl and the Curve sold me on the Blackberry platform, with a certain utilitarian charm and some superb messaging capabilities, all wrapped in a nice form factor. The Storm and the Tour turned me off of the Blackberry platform. The same utilitarian charms of the Pearl and Curve were dated as hell and a poor fit on the latest and (supposedly) greatest Blackberry offerings, especially on the Storm. The "updates" were little more than sticking a band-aid on a gaping wound. The Tour was the final straw, with a buggy OS that seemed to receive little attention. Even using a 5.0 beta, things were just not very appealing. The dramatic changes were easily too little and too late. While the threaded SMS was a nice change of pace, it was something that could easily have been addressed sooner, rather than in the major letdown that 5.0 was.

In comparison, my Droid has been a much needed breath of fresh air. All the things that I had problems with coming off of the Tour (and Storm, I suppose) have been addressed quite well in the Droid. The web browser is a huge leap ahead of the pitiful BB browser. The app selection is quite robust, and I like the layout of the Market much more than the clunky interface of Blackberry's App World. From my experience, the App World setup was all but unusable, especially with constant glitches that wouldn't allow me to update installed programs without completely wiping them from my device. It's refreshing to have things work how they're supposed to again.

Now, I do miss the somewhat fluid nature of the messaging on the Blackberry, and the way the Android OS handles multiple email accounts can be frustrating some times, and I'll be damned if I don't completely miss the incredibly simple but wonderful blinking light of the Blackberry line (the tiny Droid light pales in comparison), these are things I can live with, as the ever growing list of positives I come across far outweigh those slight annoyances.

I agree with you 100%. RIM has really fallen behind the 8 Ball. OS 5 was (and is) a total disapointment. I had an 8900 running OS 5.0.0.411 and aside from the new "flow" in the pictures application and the threaded SMS... I honestly couldn't find anything significantly different from the old OS 4.6. Now the guys over at Crackberry.com continue to push the theme that we (as consumers) don't see all the changes that were made to the OS. That their are major changes to how the software operates, etc. The only problem is that if you are in the market for a new car and it looks exactly like a car that is 3 model years old, who cares if the motor is a bit different or the wiring is different... you want something that actually looks different and has major visable changes... not hidden ones. So their argument holds no water to the average consumer.

And, as for the Storm or even the Storm 2... what a total disapointment. I actually went off T-Mobile to get the Storm from Verizon when it first came out. What a total piece of junk that phone was. I switched back within 3 days and gave back the Storm and cancelled my account with Verizon. Even with the enhancements to the original Storm, RIM is at least 2 generations behind anything coming out on the Android platform. And the screen sizes are a total joke. Doesn't RIM realize that people now want a total mobile experience with media that they can actually see. Even the audio player is horrible... not even taking into consideration the web browser experience or lack of. RIM needs to completely re-do the OS from the ground-up. If they are going to be a true competitive force in the market what they have now is simply to outdated to play with the new boys on the block.

 

[Jared DiPane]

For those with email related dislikes to the phone, have you ever tried importing all your email accounts through your main gmail account and then just selecting to be able to reply from each of the accounts. It will import all the mail to one folder, and then you will be able to respond from it as though it is any old account, or you can respond from just one main account. I have my yahoo through my gmail account to make it easier, and I love it.

 

[ancient_dragon]

Well from my understanding over the years, Blackberry was kind of the pioneers at the data forefront coming to phones. However, eventhough they started the trend for people to do more with there phones than just call and text, it seems like the other companies have done a better job of adapting their OS's to be more friendly and attractive to the general consumer. I have never had a smartphone, and am finally looking forward to making the jump. I've spent many hours researching for the best phones, and have played with many phones to get a feel for what I like. Both Android and even WebOS for palm devices just offer a much more friendly experience. I got a much more impressed original impression of both devices over blackberrys. And I think they tend to lead you into the world of smartphones with a more gentle touch as well. So you feel like you can operate the phones very easy at first, and get more techincal at your own speed. Blackberry devices are still very functional from what I have seen, and seem to be built very well. But the small screens, are a real hindrance, and their inital impression just doesn't have the same "Wow" factor as the Android or WebOS systems.

 

[that1bb]

I agree with you there. One thing I do miss about my curve, is its form factor. While the screen was definitely a limiting factor, being able to do just about everything on the device without moving your thumb more than an inch (minus typing), made the blackberry experience seem more refined and consistant. I just hope someone makes an android device using a similar form factor like the curve. Cheers!

 

[avacomputers]

I am a current android user and former bb user. And I think I may be going back to bb sooner than later. I like the android os and apps selection but the bb email and keyboard is just awesome.

 

[DeeMat]

I am a current android user and former bb user. And I think I may be going back to bb sooner than later. I like the android os and apps selection but the bb email and keyboard is just awesome.

I understand what you mean. Since email is not a life or death situation for me (and it never was), it was easy to leave BB. Granted, I get my mail just fine on my Droid.

 

[Castle]

I went from Palm to Blackberry for the same reason that I finally jumped to Android. They stopped innovating. Palm was a giant in its day but it sat on its successes and withered away. Blackberry seems to be taking the same route. The OS is getting a bit long in the tooth and 5.0 showed very little progress. I retired my BB 8900 and I'm very happy with my Cliq and the Android platform.