need advice-upgrading from BB Curve 8330 to Droid - good choice ?

[jasonvancouver]

I spent two hours yesterday afternoon in my local Verizon store. I've had an 8330 for two years and was ready to upgrade. I had my choices narrowed down to HTC TP2, Pre Plus, or Droid. The sales person, although a Droid owner himself, took the time to go through each phone, let me play with them, and answered all of my questions. In the end, I went with the Droid. I've had it less than 24 hours, but I think I've made the right decision. So far, I'm totally in love with this phone.

Aubiker :

how is the texting and emailing working on your Droid.... that's my only hold out.

I don't go crazy texting, maybe send 15-20 per day, but they are usually long texts.

 

[takeshi]

It's a subjective matter even if you're asking specifically about texting and emailing. I couldn't stand the virtual keyboard on the Droid until I loaded Swype. Now I have no complaints when it comes to composing email, text messages, whatever. YMMV, of course.

Any smartphone decision is highly subjective and you really just need to spend time with the device no matter how many opinions you collect. An opinion is only going to be of value if the person giving the opinion has needs/wants that are in line with your own.

If you use gmail its instant push...

...and Exchange with ActiveSync. It's not a matter of BB = push, Droid = no push. It really depends on the email account.

 

[aubiker]

Aubiker :

how is the texting and emailing working on your Droid.... that's my only hold out.

I don't go crazy texting, maybe send 15-20 per day, but they are usually long texts.

So far so good. The keyboard is taking a little getting used to, but to be honest, I've used the touch screen keyboard mostly. It's really not a huge change in that regard.

 

[mobilemedic20]

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That's good feedback, thanks. One concern that I do have about the droid is emailing and texting, I do a ton of that.

So, the keyboard on droid clearly not as good as BB curve - for ease of texting / emailing ?

You mentioned that you sent the DROID back to the carrier - how do you do that...you only get 30 days to try it, right ?

I think it's practically fact that for the best typing experience, it's blackberry all the way. However, I was having no trouble typing on the on-screen keyboard of the Droid. Not as fast or easy as my Curve, but definitely good enough to get the job done.

Yes, if you buy from Verizon, and you're starting a new contract, you have 30 days to try and return it. Then, you're eligible for one (and only one) more upgrade, which you're stuck with. Just ask the rep to explain everything to you. They're supposed to charge a $35 restock fee, although I did not get charged that on mine.

 

[jasonvancouver]

Ok, thanks, everyone for the feedback.

I would like something with the power of the Droid that also does a decent job with ease of texting and emailing.

I will continue to explore what's out there.

thanks again for the opinions.

 

[edisoninfo]

I also switched from the 8330 to the Droid about a week ago. Yes, the phone is crazy fast, super powerful, etc. etc. I really love those features. But, I am really close to switching back to the new Curve 2 or the Tour2 (or Bold whatever they decide to name it). The real killer for me was finding out the Droid does not do voice dialing via the Bluetooth headset. I travel alot and am on the phone most of the time in the car. I refuse to use the phone if I have to hold it. (That's a whole 'nother debate). Anyway, I can answer an incoming call by just pressing the button on the bluetooth, but can not initiate a call. Browsing through these forums there seems to be a huge debate on whether this works or not. Mine does not. Rumors are that the coming 2.1 upgrade still does not do it. Hope I'm wrong.

Sure, the Curve is very much limiting in many ways compared to the Droid. No question. But, for what I do with the phone for my business, you can't beat it. The Droid is so annoying when I have to first press the top button to wake it up, then swipe the dot to the right to access the screen. Now press the search key. Then start typing someones name that you want to text/call/email. For quick fast communication the Droid has a long way to go IMHO.

I'm going to give it as much of the 30 days as I can stand just to be fair to the phone. This being my first touch screen phone I don't want to hate it due to my learning curve. (pun intended). But, in the end as someone else posted, whatever phone you choose has to do what you need it to do.

 

[jasonvancouver]

Hmm, good thoughts. Maybe there is a chance I will get another BB afterall. I just wish it would feel like a significant upgrade from my Curve. But, I also travel a lot for business and like the ease of use with calling, texting, etc.

Interesting fact.... I have been talking to as many droid users as I can and most of them have told me they are using the virtual-screen keyboard... which begs the question, would the HTC-android OS phone be better, if people aren't using the keyboard, etc.