Fair to compare to Blackberry?

[AnAm85]

So does the new Charm have the potential? to compare to a Blackberry? Sure, it has somewhat of the same Hardware design (minus touchscreen) but is it a big enought step up for Blackberry users to switch?

Thoughts?

 

[that1bb]

I have been wanting android in this form factor since I had my storm. I had a Treo for 4 years then a curve. I just really like that factor. I have a Droid now. Even though the Droid ROCKS, I still prefer the form of the charm. Just wish it came to Verizon.

 

[devilphones]

just Android, nothing else

 

[caliskimmer]

I don't think so. There's no notification light and it seems smaller than some Blackberries, but I'm just speaking from a business sense. For people who get a Blackberry just for social networking, then maybe.

 

[serpico]

There is a notification light, actually 3. The icons of the menu buttons flash when ever it wants your attention. My wife loves her Charm over her old blackberry. She likes android and is happy to be rid of bb os.

 

[Ders]

I came from an 8900 and 5 years of BB use. I couldn't be happier. I use a Mytouch slide now and think its fantastic except for 2 things. I don't care for the fact that it has moving parts and cases are typically hokey and expensive. And it looks more fasionable than I would like. I'm going to buy a charm as soon as I can. My only issue is the screen resolution. Coming from a Bold or 8900, its going to hurt, but from a Curve it would be great. Android is above and beyond what Blackberry ever was or possibly will be. I hate to turn my back on a company I loved so much but they just aren't competitive. Sure there are things I miss about the BB OS but the benefits of Android far outweigh them. Think about this too: The Charm is more powerful and useful and is nearly half the price of a Bold.

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using Tapatalk

 

[HTCEVOFORSALE]

bb are amazing though, so many interactions1

 

[sookster54]

BB's were amazing 2 years ago, there's nothing BB has that keeps me interested anymore, and the way the new BB appworld is puts me off even more.

 

[thebizz]

I would say yes put it up against that brand new torch and se how it compares

 

[seanubis]

I think that this is definitely the device that a BB owner will consider, especially one that doesn't want to give up the classic BB form factor.

What's going to make or break the Charm is how well app developers will support that form factor. For example, the home screen of official Twitter app shows up in the wrong orientation on the Charm - annoyances like that will need to be fixed if this form factor is going to take hold in the Android world.

 

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

I have some questions regarding the Charm. How is the battery life? How does the keyboard perform? Are there keyboard shortcuts? How is the trackpad behind the device? It looks kind of weird with the very square form factor. It seems more like a gimmick than a legitimate competitor to a blackberry smartphone.

 

[thebizz]

it seems like it has a very small battery but it has more horsepower under the hood than any blackberry to date. just to think this is a low end android phone says something about blackberrys.

 

[sookster54]

I have some questions regarding the Charm. How is the battery life? How does the keyboard perform? Are there keyboard shortcuts? How is the trackpad behind the device? It looks kind of weird with the very square form factor. It seems more like a gimmick than a legitimate competitor to a blackberry smartphone.

Battery life isn't great, I think it's a 1000mAh (but Motorola reps says 1170mAh) and with moderate use such as reading news on a website, texting and just reading emails the phone needs to be recharged after 6 or 7 hours. The keyboard takes a bit of getting used to, it's domed shape so it's easy to find your way around with the tip of your thumbs or even fingernails, and yes there's a couple shortcuts. The trackpad as mentioned elsewhere is entirely up to user preference, I disable it because my finger keeps hitting hit while interacting with apps, and I use the screen to scroll through anyways.

The appearance isn't a gimmick, it's very functional and any ex BB owners jumping ship would feel at home with this. I have a couple Curves (8330 and 8530) and the Charm is a bit lighter and much thinner but shorter and wider which isn't noticeable when you're holding it.

 

[eggFuJON]

I came from a BB Curve 8700, 8330, 8900, and 8520. I have switched to Android with the Charm. I love the idea of touch screen + qwerty bar phone. The screen seems smaller than all the other phones out there. But coming from a BlackBerry it is more than sufficient.
The only thing I miss is BBM because that's my primary means of communication with family outside U.S. borders. I used a lot of google apps on the BlackBerry I decided to get a richer experience using Android.
If my BlackBerry prepaid service had not crapped out, I wouldn't be here with Android. Now I'm looking forward to nice contract charges. Thank goodness for the 4-month installment plan..

 

[stephenandrew]

No doubt Motorola charm is really an charming phone with good specs but to compare it blackberry its not fair

 

[Gelasius]

Since the Nokia E61i, i have loved the wide form factor. Am now thinking of getting the Charm from BB @ $250 free of contract. Charm users, how do you find the phone? I know its main downside is screen resolution.

 

[li2327]

I love my Charm. I don't find the screen resolution bad at all. Its very easy to use and light. I think Motorola did a really good job with this one.

 

[ubizmo]

It seems that with any Android phone, there are people who get very poor battery life, and a few who get great battery life. It makes it very confusing for those of us thinking of buying. As a BB user, I like the form factor of this phone. I'll need to see one in person to decide whether the screen res is an issue. It seems that the lower res should save battery life, but 6 or 7 hours per charge is atrocious.

Ubizmo

 

[Tobii1]

The CHARM is a poor man's BB replacement in the Android land. It's not bad but hindered by a few shortcomings.

Get the DROID PRO if you can afford it.