Considering Switch from BlackBerry to G2

[lonesome dave]

Hi, everybody - this is my first post, and I'm here because I'm considering dropping my BB 8900 when my contract expires next month, and switching to the G2. However, I have some questions about the basic differences between the BB OS and Android, and hopefully I can get some answers in order to make my final decision.

Most importantly, what can I expect regarding e-mail? As far as I can tell from reading through this forum, Android e-mail delivery is somewhat inferior in comparison to BB, right? (I should add that I've had Blackberries for the past eight years).

How does call quality compare between the two devices?

Without the $24.99/mo. BB data add-on charge, can I expect my monthly bill to be lower with the G2?

Since I now know only one other person with a BlackBerry, BB Messenger is no longer that critical to me; however, I do use SMS/MMS texting a great deal. Can I expect any loss in the texting experience with the G2?

If anyone could provide some input to these questions, I'd really appreciate it.

Finally, I'd like to add that my 8900, like my 8700c and 7100 before it, has been a great phone - dependable, amazing battery life and a nice fit in my hand and pocket. But, like an increasing number of BB users, I feel that RIM is losing the smartphone wars, and that for the money I spend for BB devices and monthly charges, we shouldn't be using products that feel two years behind technologically as soon as they come out of the box.

Thanks! Glad to be here.....

 

[reverepats]

ive also been a heavy BB users for abotu 2 years (not as long as u though) but i made the leap to the EVO about 3 weeks...ya know i cant say that the email in android is inferior to the BB, but i can say that i have both gmail, and hotmail on my EVO and i get notifications just like i did on my 9650. my BB had wonderful call quality, but nothing like my EVO....crisp, sharp and very clear....i hear great thing about the G2....thats a great choice in my opinion. i dont know much about t-mobile data plans, but given that u have a data plan with yur BB (i would imagine) u should OK....im sure someone will jump in and help u a little more along the way.......good luck (andoird was the best choice that i made)...wouldnt go back for the life of me lOL

 

[radamo]

Dave,
I am with you. I have been using BB for close to 5 years now and also feel they are just a "step" behind. I am considering the G2 but am hesitant for a few reasons:
1. I am quite dependent upon my (standalone not Exchange based) outlook contacts, calendar, tasks and notes and require the ability to sync easily and in one step. I am okay with a usb cable.
2. I require solid WiFi call support since my TMO coverage is lacking at my home.
3. I know that no device is future proof but in this area going with a device that was introduced a quarter ago seems like a lifetime.
Thanks for anyone's input.
RA

 

[Andrax]

I recommend that u use soocial or google sync to get your contacts up into the cloud. That will vary the easiest way to maintain a single entry system that syncs across multiple platforms.

I had an Evo & Epic an I don't regret moving to t-mobile and the G2 at all. The G2 kicks quite a bit of ass, superior performance over the Sprint line up for sure. The screen isn't super amoled, but it's nice none the less.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk

 

[radamo]

I recommend that u use soocial or google sync to get your contacts up into the cloud. That will vary the easiest way to maintain a single entry system that syncs across multiple platforms....
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk

Andrax,
I have previously synced my contacts to Gmail for use in that mail client but I can't figure out how to keep them synced without having to keep repeating those steps. Is there an automated way to do this without shelling out $50 bucks a year to Google?
Thanks,
RA

 

[krianne]

I made the switch from Blackberry 8900 to a G2 and I have to say I'm extremely happy with it. I was thinking of getting another Blackberry cause my 8900 had so many issues with the trackball and then the screen kept getting messed up and I hated getting it repaired all the time, and I've been so used to having a Bb (and I love the email on the Bb) so I was thinking of getting a Torch (unlocked of course) and was really set on getting it but a friend suggested that I try out the G2, so I went to a Tmo store to try it out. Once I experienced how fast it is I was sold.The only downside when it comes to the G2 is that the speaker phone is not as loud as I'd want it to be.. but other than that, I'm completely in love with the phone.

Email is fine. Has push email.

I also had the $25 data with the Bb but their new plan is $30 so I had to add $5 more.

Texting is okay too. I love that it has a slide out keyboard because I don't really like typing on the screen. There's Swype as well but I hardly use it.

I've only had the phone for 2 weeks and it still feels like there's so much more to play with haha.

 

[Blkbear]

Howdy Krianne and Dave,

Like you guys I moved from an 8900 to a G2, and so far I can't complain. I do well with swype and the slide out keyboard, been using swype more then the physical KB myself. Mail is not a problem for me either as most of my mail is pushed from other sources, and I don't mind the few seconds lag I get between the tests I have done with my ISP's email server, forwarding things to my gmail account.

But any mail sent directly to gmail, tends to come through pretty fast.

The ONLY thing I have to worry about (so far), is that with me having unlimited text, I have to remember who among my friends have limited text or no text plans, so that I send them emails instead. (such a thing to worry about eh?)

And yes you will find all sorts of new things to play with as you get used to the phone. Things get easier to do as you learn shortcuts for different things, or find apps that do several things that you want to do.

One app I think you might like if you have used autotext a lot from your BB, is Firekeys Auto Text.
FireKeys Auto Text FREE - Android app on AppBrain

The free version is a bit limited in that you can only add 10 words to it's word base. But I'm sure there may be other options, I just have not found them yet.

 

[morphon]

I'm also a former Blackberry user (Storm 1). I like my Blackberry a lot, but like my G2 very much more. So - here are the things you WILL NOT have to give up:

1. Call quality.
2. Push email
3. SMS speed.
4. Ability to replace things like the SMS client or email frontend with custom software.
5. True multitasking
6. Great map software.
7. Suretype (with a $2 app from the market).

Here's what you GAIN:

1. Ability to have lots of apps loaded up. These apps do not leak memory (and can be killed easily). You can install them and uninstall them. No problem, no reboot. You don't need QuickPull to free memory every morning at 3am, etc...
2. No need to sync through USB. I used to be a big sync guy. I had the last version of BB desktop that wouldn't auto-crash and so on. Now, everything takes place over the mobile/wifi data connection. I sync four email addresses and three calendars (all using push so that I have no delays). I've never had to do it with a USB cable and the convenience and freedom is amazing. The phone doesn't feel like it is carrying a copy of my real calendar. It is a window into my real calendar. Always up to date.
3. Better screen resolution. Not even close. The only current Android device that has the low resolution that I was used to with the BB is the LG Optimus line (not the 2x, which is coming out soon).
4. Speed. Stuff like opening attachments, viewing shared photos, and so on - super fast.

Here's what you LOSE:

1. You'll have to police your battery usage. Big screens and powerful processors (and 4G radios) eat power. You'll need to get used to turning stuff on and off based on when you actually need to use it. If you do this, you'll get a full day's use out of it. If I just do basic stuff to be efficient (don't turn on GPS unless I need it, blah blah) I get a full day out of the G2 with no issues. The BB Storm I basically didn't even look at the battery indicator because I could probably forget to charge it and go halfway through the next day without the low battery warning. Some people have suggested doing stuff like turning ALL the data connections off when it isn't being used, or turning off push email, or even cranking the screen brightness all the way down. I haven't found the need to do ANY of that. I get a full day (8a to 10p), even with streaming music through 4G and four push email accounts.

2. The BB OS has an "always on" feel to it. All your programs are always running. Sometimes that is bad (the memory leaks, the way a multitasking app slows everything down all the time), but sometimes that is really good. Facebook on the Storm always loaded instantly and had a lot of fine-grain control over notifications. Why? Because it was always running. On Android, apps are not always running in the same way. They have services that run in the background for notifications and such, but the Android apps don't have the INSTANT feel that the BB ones do. If you can live with half a second of launch time for your custom SMS app (which, to me, is not a big deal), then this won't be much to lose - especially since you gain a great deal in the variety and complexity of apps you can install. My brother-in-law finds that half-second delay objectionable, so he's keeping his BB, even though that's probably the only thing keeping him back.


Hope this helps!

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

I'm also a former Blackberry user (Storm 1). I like my Blackberry a lot, but like my G2 very much more. So - here are the things you WILL NOT have to give up:

1. Call quality.
2. Push email
3. SMS speed.
4. Ability to replace things like the SMS client or email frontend with custom software.
5. True multitasking
6. Great map software.
7. Suretype (with a $2 app from the market).

Here's what you GAIN:

1. Ability to have lots of apps loaded up. These apps do not leak memory (and can be killed easily). You can install them and uninstall them. No problem, no reboot. You don't need QuickPull to free memory every morning at 3am, etc...
2. No need to sync through USB. I used to be a big sync guy. I had the last version of BB desktop that wouldn't auto-crash and so on. Now, everything takes place over the mobile/wifi data connection. I sync four email addresses and three calendars (all using push so that I have no delays). I've never had to do it with a USB cable and the convenience and freedom is amazing. The phone doesn't feel like it is carrying a copy of my real calendar. It is a window into my real calendar. Always up to date.
3. Better screen resolution. Not even close. The only current Android device that has the low resolution that I was used to with the BB is the LG Optimus line (not the 2x, which is coming out soon).
4. Speed. Stuff like opening attachments, viewing shared photos, and so on - super fast.

Here's what you LOSE:

1. You'll have to police your battery usage. Big screens and powerful processors (and 4G radios) eat power. You'll need to get used to turning stuff on and off based on when you actually need to use it. If you do this, you'll get a full day's use out of it. If I just do basic stuff to be efficient (don't turn on GPS unless I need it, blah blah) I get a full day out of the G2 with no issues. The BB Storm I basically didn't even look at the battery indicator because I could probably forget to charge it and go halfway through the next day without the low battery warning. Some people have suggested doing stuff like turning ALL the data connections off when it isn't being used, or turning off push email, or even cranking the screen brightness all the way down. I haven't found the need to do ANY of that. I get a full day (8a to 10p), even with streaming music through 4G and four push email accounts.

2. The BB OS has an "always on" feel to it. All your programs are always running. Sometimes that is bad (the memory leaks, the way a multitasking app slows everything down all the time), but sometimes that is really good. Facebook on the Storm always loaded instantly and had a lot of fine-grain control over notifications. Why? Because it was always running. On Android, apps are not always running in the same way. They have services that run in the background for notifications and such, but the Android apps don't have the INSTANT feel that the BB ones do. If you can live with half a second of launch time for your custom SMS app (which, to me, is not a big deal), then this won't be much to lose - especially since you gain a great deal in the variety and complexity of apps you can install. My brother-in-law finds that half-second delay objectionable, so he's keeping his BB, even though that's probably the only thing keeping him back.


Hope this helps!

I need to correct one thing. The G2 doesn't have a different radio for 4G. T-Mobile 4G is just really advanced 3G, so it doesn't need a separate battery hogging radio like Sprint and Verizon do.

You can see my signature for a great intro to Android, and in the General Help and How-To section there is a guide to switching from Blackberry to Android.

 

[morphon]

I need to correct one thing. The G2 doesn't have a different radio for 4G. T-Mobile 4G is just really advanced 3G, so it doesn't need a separate battery hogging radio like Sprint and Verizon do.

You can see my signature for a great intro to Android, and in the General Help and How-To section there is a guide to switching from Blackberry to Android.

You are totally right. I have noticed that I get better battery life with only 2G instead of the 3G/4G radio. Email, SMS, Facebook, and RSS readers work really well on 2G, so for big chunks of the day I'm just on EDGE and not really noticing it.

I should try leaving the 3G/4G on during the day and see if it makes a big difference. It might not. I've heard the WiMax radios on Sprint 4G phones require a lot of power, but maybe on Tmobile it isn't as big of a deal.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

You are totally right. I have noticed that I get better battery life with only 2G instead of the 3G/4G radio. Email, SMS, Facebook, and RSS readers work really well on 2G, so for big chunks of the day I'm just on EDGE and not really noticing it.

I should try leaving the 3G/4G on during the day and see if it makes a big difference. It might not. I've heard the WiMax radios on Sprint 4G phones require a lot of power, but maybe on Tmobile it isn't as big of a deal.

Look at the battery life sticky in the myTouch 4G section for an idea of what this chipset is capable of. Basically same processor but runs a little slower. All mine are with everything on. A few are with WIFI calling on to demonstrate how awesome wifi calling is.

 

[RonMoz]

So can you sync your Outlook calendar, tasks and contacts with the Droid via USB? I know email will work but I WANT the Droid 2 but also WANT to sync tasks, calendar, and contacts via USB. Does this work or do I have to screw around with the Google calendar to make it work?

 

[Blkbear]

You are totally right. I have noticed that I get better battery life with only 2G instead of the 3G/4G radio. Email, SMS, Facebook, and RSS readers work really well on 2G, so for big chunks of the day I'm just on EDGE and not really noticing it.

I should try leaving the 3G/4G on during the day and see if it makes a big difference. It might not. I've heard the WiMax radios on Sprint 4G phones require a lot of power, but maybe on Tmobile it isn't as big of a deal.

I'm finding the same thing, by leaving the phone on 2G 90% of the time everything works just fine. And when at work and home I'm on wifi.

Now I just need to figure out how to force a few file associations, so that different files, auto start apps or viewers, that will allow the image or text to display, without hunting for the app to open it.

 

[stpbud]

Thanks everyone for the great info. My G2 is in the mail and my 9700 will soon be for sale.

 

[wondah_woman]

my speaker went out on my g2, so now i'm back on my 9700 until I get my replacement device. It's killing me. I loved the blackberries I owned at the time that I owned them, but this is archaic compared to my g2. I hope it gets here soon, i'm going crazy!

By unsyncing certain items and running on the 2g network, I get some where between 13 to 15 hours. I did a personal best 17 hours last week.

 

[msglsom]

Thanks everyone for the great info. My G2 is in the mail and my 9700 will soon be for sale.

I came from AT&T and a Bold 9700, too. Like you, loved the Bold. Great battery life, great messaging features, horrible apps.

I moved from the 9700 to the myTouch 3G Slide, but will get receiving the G2 on Tuesday.

Like others have said, battery life is worse on the the Android phones, but I purchased an extended battery. While at work and home, I use wifi and that has significantly stretched my battery life. If I am going somewhere in the evening, I charge the phone in the afternoon, just to be safe.

Messaging is a little messier than Blackberry, but the end result is the same - texts work and so does email!

Like any new phone, it takes some getting used to, but over all, the Android if far better!

 

[darammer]

I had an 8900 and have had my G2 for about almost two months.

I love my G2. It is so much faster than my BB was both in internet and processsing speeds. I am using 3rd party programs for both my email and my texting service and love the ability to not be stuck with stock programs that dont fit the bill for what I want.

The email isnt as quick to come through as on the BB, as it polls as you set it, rather than push... but different programs run differently. My email program is set to poll every 15 minutes, and I have no issues.

As far as battery life... I was charging my 8900 daily and with the additon of a program called Juice Defender on my G2, I can last the whole day without any problems. This program starts and stops data as programmed prolonging battery life by 2-3 times.

Only problem I find is that I liked having all of my text and email messages in one place on the BB and that just isnt possible on an Android device. I do have a unified email box for all three of my email accounts using a program called K9 email.
Small price to pay for the many benefits that came from getting away from the 8900.

 

[stpbud]

So there's not one general inbox for all message? Hmm, this might take some getting used to...

 

[morphon]

So there's not one general inbox for all message? Hmm, this might take some getting used to...

It just depends on your email program. K9 does a nice unified inbox, as does the stock email app. However, the gmail and yahoo mail apps have a lot of extra features specific to their services, so if you want to use those you'll have to have different apps for your email.

That said, K9 does push email over IMAP so you could easily use that one app and have a unified inbox if that feature is important to you.

I mainly used that feature on the BB just for notifications, but I like Android style notificatiion, so it's not a big deal for me.

 

[stpbud]

What someone needs to do is either build an app or do a step-by-step instructions to get the G2's settings as close as a BB's as possible. I think it would help us coming from BB land.

For instance, a spell checker on everything typed, holding down a letter to have it auto capitalize - just a few of the things I'm dealing with now.