- Sep 14, 2013
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Hi all; I'm a BlackBerry Z10 fan and I thought I'd introduce myself on Android Central too, as I'm in a bit of a pickle.
Please don't take my glib and irreverent tone as sarcasm or any snide attempt to troll here: I really think that I "should" like Android more than I do. I'm unlikely to abandon BlackBerry until BlackBerry abandons me (well, us, I guess) but I admit I have to prepare a contingency plan: I'm leaning toward Windows Phone (and that realization surprised me) and the fact that Android isn't the far-and-away leader in my "So what will I do when BB10 is bought by Monsanto?" quandry has me a bit, well, concerned. I fancy myself pretty technically capable but can't dismiss that "I'm doing it wrong" when it comes to Android and, if I was doing it RIGHT, I'd favour it more.
So, I'm posting this in hope that someone can direct me to the "you should configure your device in this way" tutorials that will make me see the light and appreciate Android for all it's goodness. I didn't come on here to insult Android or troll Android fans: I sincerely think that I'm missing something about Android: I haven't set out customizing it properly to work the way I want it to, and hope by way of this introduction there might be an epiphany looming. Maybe there's a specific guide to migrating to Android for BlackBerry 10 fans that keeps the user experience as close to BB10 as possible (which is admittedly strange because why leave BB10 if you want to just replicate it on Android? It has the makings of a strange B movie.)
Maybe it's the devices I've chosen... it's a rocky road to where I am today.
I started out with the original Motorola Milestone (the Canadian version of the original Verizon Droid that heralded the beginning of this whole Android "fad"
) which I sold before it lost too much resale value, because the keyboard was unfortunately like the reviews said (I gave it the benefit of the doubt) and darn it if things always seem to look bigger on the internet (ahem). I picked it up wholesale so I didn't lose too much on it, and was glad for the experience.
I then picked up a Dell Streak 5. Yes, I was introduced to Angry Birds on that thing. When I sold it, I took a steep loss because other Android devices were coming onto the market. It was not a bad a device, but did get a bit tired of almost losing a finger every time I fumbled with the sharp metal tines on the battery cover.... which I had to do a lot in my attempts to hack updates onto it (shout out to DJ Steve wherever you are).
I then picked up a Nexus S which just inexplicably died one day about 6 months ago. Nope, not the battery, just won't power on. I'm terrified to get rid of it because I have no idea what kind of information may still be on it, and it can't be reset (it's DEE-EEE-AAY-DEE Dead. I think a blend test is in order)
...but even before it died I'd acquired an LG Optimus LTE which I've rooted and have Cyanogen 10.3 RC2 on as I write this. That's a day of my life I'll never get back, but I learned a lot. God is that thing ever flaky... but I'm also running Cyanogen on my Dell Streak 7 (gosh, almost forgot about that one... oh yeah after the Milestone and the Streak 5 came the Streak 7... I still have it and love the feel of it... like reading a good 50 year old hardcover book rather than the contemporary paperback.) but even before I rooted it the thing was up and down like a dinghy during the perfect storm. Well, the Optimus has a nice screen and when it's stable, it's fine, not great, but for $200 off contract, i thought it was a steal ('til the Nexus 4 dropped in price).
Then there's the Nexus 7 and the Transformer Infinity with the keyboard dock.
So, after all this, what's wrong with me and why isn't Android my favourite (or at least close second) platform? I guess I am fortunate to have access to ALL the platforms so I can get my fix without having to devote myself to it, but I still think that I should be able to adapt to Android better than I have. I like to tinker and hack around, and maybe that's the problem: I can't be satisfied with something that I can mess around with so much, like standing on shifting sand dunes? Fun for a while, but essentially "unstable".
Do you suppose it's just that I haven't really got a decent device amongst that list? The Nexus 7 G1 should impress, but doesn't quite. The Transformer Infinity has a screen as sharp as the edges of the tablet that actually cause discomfort, so maybe that's part of it, too.
So that's my Android history in a nutshell (maybe there should be a space between s and h) but I hope to read more and maybe even contribute something useful on occasion.
Please don't take my glib and irreverent tone as sarcasm or any snide attempt to troll here: I really think that I "should" like Android more than I do. I'm unlikely to abandon BlackBerry until BlackBerry abandons me (well, us, I guess) but I admit I have to prepare a contingency plan: I'm leaning toward Windows Phone (and that realization surprised me) and the fact that Android isn't the far-and-away leader in my "So what will I do when BB10 is bought by Monsanto?" quandry has me a bit, well, concerned. I fancy myself pretty technically capable but can't dismiss that "I'm doing it wrong" when it comes to Android and, if I was doing it RIGHT, I'd favour it more.
So, I'm posting this in hope that someone can direct me to the "you should configure your device in this way" tutorials that will make me see the light and appreciate Android for all it's goodness. I didn't come on here to insult Android or troll Android fans: I sincerely think that I'm missing something about Android: I haven't set out customizing it properly to work the way I want it to, and hope by way of this introduction there might be an epiphany looming. Maybe there's a specific guide to migrating to Android for BlackBerry 10 fans that keeps the user experience as close to BB10 as possible (which is admittedly strange because why leave BB10 if you want to just replicate it on Android? It has the makings of a strange B movie.)
Maybe it's the devices I've chosen... it's a rocky road to where I am today.
I started out with the original Motorola Milestone (the Canadian version of the original Verizon Droid that heralded the beginning of this whole Android "fad"
) which I sold before it lost too much resale value, because the keyboard was unfortunately like the reviews said (I gave it the benefit of the doubt) and darn it if things always seem to look bigger on the internet (ahem). I picked it up wholesale so I didn't lose too much on it, and was glad for the experience.I then picked up a Dell Streak 5. Yes, I was introduced to Angry Birds on that thing. When I sold it, I took a steep loss because other Android devices were coming onto the market. It was not a bad a device, but did get a bit tired of almost losing a finger every time I fumbled with the sharp metal tines on the battery cover.... which I had to do a lot in my attempts to hack updates onto it (shout out to DJ Steve wherever you are).
I then picked up a Nexus S which just inexplicably died one day about 6 months ago. Nope, not the battery, just won't power on. I'm terrified to get rid of it because I have no idea what kind of information may still be on it, and it can't be reset (it's DEE-EEE-AAY-DEE Dead. I think a blend test is in order)
...but even before it died I'd acquired an LG Optimus LTE which I've rooted and have Cyanogen 10.3 RC2 on as I write this. That's a day of my life I'll never get back, but I learned a lot. God is that thing ever flaky... but I'm also running Cyanogen on my Dell Streak 7 (gosh, almost forgot about that one... oh yeah after the Milestone and the Streak 5 came the Streak 7... I still have it and love the feel of it... like reading a good 50 year old hardcover book rather than the contemporary paperback.) but even before I rooted it the thing was up and down like a dinghy during the perfect storm. Well, the Optimus has a nice screen and when it's stable, it's fine, not great, but for $200 off contract, i thought it was a steal ('til the Nexus 4 dropped in price).
Then there's the Nexus 7 and the Transformer Infinity with the keyboard dock.
So, after all this, what's wrong with me and why isn't Android my favourite (or at least close second) platform? I guess I am fortunate to have access to ALL the platforms so I can get my fix without having to devote myself to it, but I still think that I should be able to adapt to Android better than I have. I like to tinker and hack around, and maybe that's the problem: I can't be satisfied with something that I can mess around with so much, like standing on shifting sand dunes? Fun for a while, but essentially "unstable".
Do you suppose it's just that I haven't really got a decent device amongst that list? The Nexus 7 G1 should impress, but doesn't quite. The Transformer Infinity has a screen as sharp as the edges of the tablet that actually cause discomfort, so maybe that's part of it, too.
So that's my Android history in a nutshell (maybe there should be a space between s and h) but I hope to read more and maybe even contribute something useful on occasion.
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