Long time Blackberry user, just bought an SGSII...

[Average Joe 6Pack]

So Ive been a Blackberry user for the last 4 or 5 years, theyre the only smartphones Ive ever owned. Started with a Curve, moved up to Bold, then a Torch, then Back to a Bold, then back to a Torch again (my current phone).

After a visit to my local AT&T store to check out the new Blackberries last Sunday (was thinking about upgrading in January), I played with them and a few Android devices for a couple of hours just for the heck of it...long story short, I went home and over the next couple of days read tons of reviews, watched tons of videos, and decided its time to jump the BB ship and head over to what they call "The Dark Side" over at Crackberry...

So I bought an SGSII online, and it should be here in the next couple of days. :happydance:

Sooo, just thought Id say hi, and Im looking forward to learning all about Android in the coming weeks, and Im sure I'll be asking some questions here and there as I get used to my new device.

I dont have any hate for BB, Ive loved my phones...they did what Ive needed them to do, and did those things very well....messaging and email on BBs is great...but as far as anything else goes, they just dont stack up to the big boys, and its just time I move on and move up. I need more power, more speed, and more fun...and so here I am.

I cant friggin wait for it to arrive, I think itll be here by Friday....is it Friday yet??? lol

 

[tunie]

Welcome aboard! I'm a former BB user (7 or 8 yrs) Took a little getting used to because you can customize just about everything on Android! Typing was a bit of a challenge, but there are great keyboards you can download from the market. Email is different, but you'll get used to it pretty quickly. The phone is incredible and the screen is amazing! My last BB was the Bold. Android is just a whole different experience. Let us know when it arrives!

 

[liquiddawn]

Congrats on your new phone! You're going to love the SII, I've had it for a few days now and it's quite simply the best phone I've ever used. The screen and speed are amazing!

 

[NoOneBetter]

Congrats! I too am a former Blackberry user and moved to the SGSII.

 

[Average Joe 6Pack]

Phone was delivered earlier today, Ive been playing aorund with it for the last few hours. Only one word comes to mind:

WOW!

BB to Android is a pretty big jump, I feel like a kid on X-mas morning!!!

 

[liquiddawn]

Phone was delivered earlier today, Ive been playing aorund with it for the last few hours. Only one word comes to mind:

WOW!

BB to Android is a pretty big jump, I feel like a kid on X-mas morning!!!

It's amazing, the amount of things that this phone can do. I've been playing with it for 4 days now and am still finding new things that it can do.

I absolutely love it! I just came from a Windows Phone 7 by the way. LOL

 

[tunie]

It's like culture shock, isn't it? lol I was a bit overwhelmed when I first got it. I still can't stop playing with it! Naturally, my battery life isn't as good as it could be since I can't put it down, but I don't care! lol The screen is what really got to me. I just don't think I can ever work on a 3"screen again.

Try watching a few videos from YouTube. It's incredible! If you load music onto your external SD card (must get one of those) you won't be disappointed. The speaker is excellent.

Have fun!

 

[ImRichBiatch]

Welcome to the dark side! The S2 is so amazing! I'm sure you will like it.

 

[alc2077]

I converted to android OS a few months ago, started with the HTC evo & now use the S2 for my personal phone, I still use a BlackBerry for my work phone. I have really enjoyed the android experience very much, even with some of its quirks & going through the learning curve......Android central was a great help in making my transition as painless as possible with all the great info posted by forum members..
Enjoy mate......

 

[dmcincubus]

When I got my first smartphone, captivate, I was learning all sorts of new things. One thing I didn't know for about 2 months were the hidden long presses. Example, on your home screen, long press and a menu will appear, and settings, wallpaper, live wallpaper and widgets. Discovering that was like ha ing a new phone all over again, cuz I had no idea about widgets.

 

[Average Joe 6Pack]

Yeah Im loving this phone. I only wish I would have switched earlier. I love the customization options and have about 35 apps installed so far. The most I had on my BB at one time was about 20.

One thing that Id like is the alarm to work with the Voice command thingy. I saw it work in a video of the international SGII, but for some reason it doesnt on the AT&T phone. I love the Voice app for posting facebook status updates while driving, it works like a charm and I dont even have to take my eyes off the road. KILLER.

Also today I was waiting for an oil change and played around with Swype for a bit...I think Im kinda liking it. Im gonna leave it enabled for a day or so and see if I can get good at it.

Put a couple movies from my PC on it (avi) and played them with Moboplayer. All i can say about the picture quality is WOW. Beautiful.

I dont have a case yet, and almost dropped it twice. I apparently have cat-like reflexes when it comes to this device, catching it once with my hands and the 2nd time with my shoes.

 

[mraiii]

Man, I'm almost exactly in the same shoes you are in. Same amount of time, reasons and phones with BB, just didn't go back to the Bold.

I was waiting for the Captivate Glide to release for AT&T because I wasn't ready to let go of a physical keyboard. Yesterday someone offered to buy my Torch for $50 and Target has the SGII for $99, so I decided to go ahead and jump ship.

As someone said, its like a culture shock, but so far I'm really digging this phone.

 

[litesout]

I too am a somewhat recent convert. The smartphone bug bit me about 7 or 8 years ago with a Nokia 6682 (that thing had a great camera). From Nokia, I went to WinMo. Had a few pieces of junk and finally did enough warranty returns they told me to pick another handset and landed on the Palm Treo 750. Had it for a while until a buddy went blackberry. I was hooked. Had a curve (for less than a month) then got a Bold 9000 on release day. That's still one of the best phones I've ever had. Went from there to a torch, although I did look very hard at an original Galaxy S, the Captivate I think? Anyway, started hanging out on XDA and got a tablet to use at work. No going back from there. I got an inspire off the XDA marketplace and upgraded to the awesome GS2.

I have nothing at all against blackberry, they're great devices and they do what they do very well. If someone was looking at one, I would recommend it. I just feel that the smartphone world is evolving and blackberry is kinda falling behind. They have a solid footing in the business world and their security is unbeatable, but they need to do more to appeal to the average consumer if they want to make it out of the office.

 

[Average Joe 6Pack]

I have nothing at all against blackberry, they're great devices and they do what they do very well. If someone was looking at one, I would recommend it. I just feel that the smartphone world is evolving and blackberry is kinda falling behind. They have a solid footing in the business world and their security is unbeatable, but they need to do more to appeal to the average consumer if they want to make it out of the office.

Well said and I agree. Maybe when they start releasing QNX phones they will be able to compete, but that remains to be seen.

4 months ago I was one of those people that was dead set against a full touchscreen phone. I had to have a keyboard (hence the Bold and Torch)...I was forced into a Torch because I had to use my phone insurance at AT&T, and that was the phone associated with my account (I sold my Torch a year earlier and went back to my Bold)...once I got used to my Torch, which took all of 2 days, I just couldnt see going back to a small screen. So my big sacrifice in switching was giving up a physical keyboard, and after 2 days with my SGII, I now know I can live without a physical keyboard just fine

 

[latz333]

Okay, I feel I must weigh in here. This is my first post on this site as I have been a Crackberry user for the past number of years...

I am a Blackberry owner and have been for years (8800, 8300, 9000, 9700, 9800, threre may have been a few more in there as well). I now carry two Blackberry's, one for work and one personal.

I have decided to change my personal phone to either the SGII or the iPhone 4s. I have done a lot of research and am strongly leaning to the SGII. My fear is that I will not get used to the Android platform. For what it is worth, I am one of those BB users that never went with a stock AT&T operating system and always loaded the latest and greatest. That is my trouble with iOS, what you see is what you get. From what I can tell, I will be able to tinker with the OS on the SGII. Should I pull the trigger on this or wait for the QNX phones from RIM?

Any thought on the above?

 

[kurleq1432]

I'm also a recent convert. Went BB pearl, to the first Bold, to the second Bold and then to a Torch. I have had the galaxy s II since the Saturday after it's launch on AT&T and the only thing I'm regretting is not waiting for the Captivate. I love the freedoms that Android allows. I'm able to customize pretty much anything I feel like customizing. The only thing I CANNOT get used to is not having a physical keyboard. I have somewhat small hands so thumb typing on the SGII in landscape is difficult and I find portrait mode to be less accurate. Swype has been a real lifesaver although, with auto-correct on, I send some pretty bogus text messages. LOL.

 

[Average Joe 6Pack]

Okay, I feel I must weigh in here. This is my first post on this site as I have been a Crackberry user for the past number of years...

I am a Blackberry owner and have been for years (8800, 8300, 9000, 9700, 9800, threre may have been a few more in there as well). I now carry two Blackberry's, one for work and one personal.

I have decided to change my personal phone to either the SGII or the iPhone 4s. I have done a lot of research and am strongly leaning to the SGII. My fear is that I will not get used to the Android platform. For what it is worth, I am one of those BB users that never went with a stock AT&T operating system and always loaded the latest and greatest. That is my trouble with iOS, what you see is what you get. From what I can tell, I will be able to tinker with the OS on the SGII. Should I pull the trigger on this or wait for the QNX phones from RIM?

Any thought on the above?

If tinkering with the OS is a high priority for you, the SGII may be a better fit. Coming from Blackberry, it is a big change, but youll get used to it. I too always had the latest leaked OS's on my BBs....but the customization options on Android is a whole different ball of wax, theres almost unlimited things you can do to make it your own.

It really comes down to what you want in a phone, and if that phone fits your particular needs. Id suggest going to an AT&T store and playing with both. Nothing beats hands-on experience, and you dont really know if a phone is for you until its in your hands. Good luck!

 

[Average Joe 6Pack]

I'm also a recent convert. Went BB pearl, to the first Bold, to the second Bold and then to a Torch. I have had the galaxy s II since the Saturday after it's launch on AT&T and the only thing I'm regretting is not waiting for the Captivate. I love the freedoms that Android allows. I'm able to customize pretty much anything I feel like customizing. The only thing I CANNOT get used to is not having a physical keyboard. I have somewhat small hands so thumb typing on the SGII in landscape is difficult and I find portrait mode to be less accurate. Swype has been a real lifesaver although, with auto-correct on, I send some pretty bogus text messages. LOL.

Not having a physical keyboard is hands down the only real thing I miss about my BB,,,well, that and the notification LED.

Im slowly getting better on the virtual keyboard. Ive noticed that im m ore accurate if I BARELY touch the screen when tapping a letter (when not using Swype). At first I was tapping a little harder than I needed to, I guess its muscle memory from using a physical keyboard for years. Now, I barely skim the screen surface as I type and it seems to help. Im still a typo makin maniac, but I do notice that every day Im making fewer and fewer mistakes.

 

[sbi]

Not having a physical keyboard is hands down the only real thing I miss about my BB,,,well, that and the .

Download Missed Call Alert (Nisaratech)

 

[Dr Triffid]

Im still a typo makin maniac, but I do notice that every day Im making fewer and fewer mistakes.

There are some third-party keyboard apps that will learn from your mistakes and predict from your typing habits what you're intending to write. To me, they reinforce bad habits, but for many people, they fill the bill.