Some advice for a prospective Android user

[EarthRyno]

Hey! I need some advice!

I've had my BlackBerry Torch for about 7 months now and I've honestly been enjoying it and still love it, but I'm considering a switch over to Android because BlackBerry just doesn't seem to want to move forward with anything and Android does and has been moving!

What I'd like to ask is: would you recommend the HTC Inspire? What are some of your honest issues that you've had with the Inspire or just Android in general? Is it worth switching over after all the apps I've bought on my BlackBerry? Would you say it's worth switching over, period?

Thanks a lot, guys! I would really appreciate your input on this!

 

[dylan808]

As an Inspire user myself i would highly reccomend this device. Solid build quality, great user interface (HTC has the best custom skin for android), and it's a great media device, taking pics and watching movies on this device is a joy.

The main issue that you, as a Blackberry user, will definitely notice first is battery life. if you search these forums i'm sure you will find plenty of threads complaining about poor battery life on this device. and while i agree that battery life could be greatly improved it's still not so bad considering the size of the battery (1230mAh = small) but as a moderate user of my device i can see more that 14 hours of use from the device which is more than enough to get me through a full work day.


I'm also very sure that if you were to jump over you would see most of the same apps you had on your Blackberry so that may not be much of a problem (although buying them again might be..)

hope that helps a bit. and just remember if the Inspire isn't for you there are a plethora of other android device out there that may better suit your needs

 

[thegov]

I have an evo, but my buddy switched from Iphone 3gs to the Inspire and hasen't looked back. If you depend on you bb for email for work, then you will miss it. Otherwise you will be able to do alot more with the inspire than you can with your torch..you can check out the android market online: https://market.android.com/ to check around for apps. you will really like the customization offered with android, you can really make your phone truly your phone.
The only thing i might say is that you may want to wait to see what kind of true 4g phones AT&T comes out with. HSPA just isn't really that fast. But if they get the tmo merge done, that will open the door to some nice 4g phones. hope this helps...

 

[Patg88]

I have had a few Black Berries and would never go back. My work phone is still a bb. The IT guy at work forwards my email to my gmail account. Most of the time I get emails on my inspire first. The battery does stink but I have no problem with plugging it in during the day.

 

[ReuvenNY]

I own an Inspire and love it, but am not crazy about AT&T.
My advise is this: if you must stay with AT&T, Inspire is the clear choice. If you can pick any company, consider Verizon's HTC Thunderbolt or Sprint's HTC EVO.

Blackberries are fine machines, but Androids are light years ahead... no comparison. You will find that many of the apps you purchased for the BB, you can replace with free market apps on the Androids.

 

[ednygma]

I own an Inspire and love it, but am not crazy about AT&T.
My advise is this: if you must stay with AT&T, Inspire is the clear choice. If you can pick any company, consider Verizon's HTC Thunderbolt or Sprint's HTC EVO.

Blackberries are fine machines, but Androids are light years ahead... no comparison. You will find that many of the apps you purchased for the BB, you can replace with free market apps on the Androids.

I concur!

 

[Reck]

Android definitely moves forward with their OS. It's the greatest customizable mobile platform out there.

If you use the Torch for work (for example, receiving corporate email) and decide to switch over, make sure you give yourself enough time to transfer/config things to your liking. So far I haven't had any major issues with Android or the Inspire.

 

[mrro82]

Android is leaps and bounds ahead of Blackberry in every way except battery life but that's to be expected. Do yourself a favor and use google sync for your contacts before you switch. It will make life easier when you do switch.

 

[Hypnopottamus]

I own an Inspire and love it, but am not crazy about AT&T.
My advise is this: if you must stay with AT&T, Inspire is the clear choice. If you can pick any company, consider Verizon's HTC Thunderbolt or Sprint's HTC EVO.

Blackberries are fine machines, but Androids are light years ahead... no comparison. You will find that many of the apps you purchased for the BB, you can replace with free market apps on the Androids.

I agree whole heartedly. Maybe it's just me, but I HATE how BB syncs to corporate e-mail/contact/calendar. Their antiquated proprietary sync method can be inconvenient in certain situations. With Android, you can connect via Activesync (no middleman servers like RIM) and get e-mail/contact/calendar without having to connect to RIM servers via off phone software.

 

[EarthRyno]

Thanks a lot guys! I'm getting quite a bit out of this, but would it help if I said that I was college student? How can Android help me there? I am a Theatre Studies major to be specific but I still have gen eds left over.

Thanks again!

 

[Tompoint0]

I am a college student as well. I have been using a smartphone throughout my college experience. I started off using the iPhone and switched to the blackberry bold 9700. Currently I am using the inspire 4G. This phone is great because it keeps me connected to everything. My school allows me to connect my inspire to the schools exchange. I am able to sync my outlook calendar, email, planner, and contacts directly to my phone. I have also become less dependent on my laptop and during certain times I wi not even bother bringing it to class with me. I do have to be honest though. The battery life can be a problem if you are unable to charge it at some point during the day. And when I know that my day will not allow me to charge my inspire I grab my trusty old blackberry for the day.

Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Mycopsycho]

Check out this link for those jumping from BB over to Android.

 

[EarthRyno]

Alright, so they have just announced a strong group of new smartphones from htc. The Sensation is on the list and it is being said to come to t-mobile (while htc hasn't necessarily confirmed this). Do you think that it would be worth waiting to see if the Sensation or another great phone comes to at&t? I'm still on contract with them and I have no good reason to leave my service. Any thoughts?

Oh! By the way. I have decided that I am going to switch to Android later this summer! Thanks for the help, everyone!

 

[clintrojan]

Alright, so they have just announced a strong group of new smartphones from htc. The Sensation is on the list and it is being said to come to t-mobile (while htc hasn't necessarily confirmed this). Do you think that it would be worth waiting to see if the Sensation or another great phone comes to at&t? I'm still on contract with them and I have no good reason to leave my service. Any thoughts?

Oh! By the way. I have decided that I am going to switch to Android later this summer! Thanks for the help, everyone!

The Sensation is coming to T-Mo and it is a very nice device. I have the inspire and I believe it will last me until my next upgrade but will be dated by this time next year.

The Sensation I believe, will be similar to the Evo and be current for a good year or so. The hardware is nice.

 

[ibanana]

I made the switch from BB to iPhone and I was beyond happy when I made that move. I recently made the switch from iPhone to Android and I am just as happy with the change. I think you will love it. You have more freedom than you do with BB and they are just so further advanced. BB I think needs to step it up before they lose out completely.

 

[Tompoint0]

Blackberry will not fail by any means. I have been using a blackberry for years. They are solid devices. They have a Niche market even though they do need to step up their game but they will be fine.