Swithing from BB 9700 with OS6 to Droid?

[climbguy#AC]

I Currently have a BlackBerry Bold 9700 with OS6 on it from AT&T.

It is almost time for a new phone, and am thinking about switching to Andriod. I will only buy a phone that has a physical qwerty keyboard on it. I am open to changing carriers.

Would someone please share their experiences if they made a similar switch.

thanks!

 

[dragon718]

Verizon has the Droid Pro which has the same form factor as a BB Bold but with the Android OS. That could be a phone to look into.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[takeshi]

Always select your carrier first based on real world coverage where you need it.

Don't assume that all physical keyboards are the same. Make sure you're trying out any device you're considering in person to assess your preferences for physical characteristics -- not only the keyboard but size, weight form factor, screen, etc etc. Selecting a device isn't a one-size-fits-all thing. In other words, not all ex-Blackberry users decide to go with the same Android device.

Don't overlook keyboard apps. I was a BB 8310 user and had a strong preference for physical keyboards at the time which led me to select the Droid. The Droid has a terrible physical keyboard and an awful stock virtual keyboard. Swype made the virtual keyboard usable for me and I rarely use the physical keyboard on my Droid. I just loaded Cyanogenmod 7.03 on my Droid and its virtual keyboard is better than that in the stock Droid ROM but I'm still evaluating it for myself. YMMV, of course.

Any other requirements? Your needs/wants are what you need to use to narrow down the options. What other type of info are you looking for? I can safely say that I wouldn't consider switching back to a Blackberry unless RIM can successfully implement some major improvements. My criticisms are pretty much the same old criticisms that RIM has been receiving for ages (basically "too little, too late").

 

[climbguy#AC]

I live in Washington, DC AT&T coverage is fine, sure i get a dropped call every so often. I may consider TMO, but doubt I would go with Sprint.

I don't think all physical keyboards are the same and would try and type on one first.

If I got with Verizon, I would want a phone that also supports GSM for international travel.

What other major questions should I be asking or thinking about?

 

[MisterObvious#AC]

HTC makes some good physical keyboards, but the only phone that I believe they have that is physical is the EVO Shift, on Sprint. There is the Droid 2 on Verizon, soon to be the Droid 3, which if it has a good physical keyboard may be a good upgrade.

Honestly I downloaded Smart Keyboard (trial because I'm cheap ) and man it types real fast once you get used to it for a screen keyboard. I think the more I use it the faster I get. You can change some options and it runs good.

 

[ls377]

If you want GSM on a Verizon phone, then you have the Droid 2 Global and the Droid Pro with keyboards, and the Dinc 2 without. On T-mobile with keyboards, you have the G2, or the Mytouch 4G slide (HTC Doubleshot) coming in the next month or so. AT&T doesn't have any good keyboard options yet.

 

[fstbck6706]

I was in the same boat last week that you are now switching from a Bold 9700 to almost anything besides a BB (hardly any changes to the platform in 3 years).

I ended up getting a moto Atrix. Check out Swiftkey as a keyboard replacement.

I will say I do miss my BB keyboard but not nearly as much as I thought. Can always return a phone you don't like

 

[HeBGb1]

I just switched last month from a BB 9630 to the Epic because it had a keyboard. I will say that I really like having both a physical and software keyboard but I just added the FlexT9 keyboard (free app of the day on Amazon app store) and I like it much better than swype. I now find myself using the physical keyboard less and less. Really, the only time I am really glad I have the physical keyboard is when I am entering in passwords. It can be a really pain to enter passwords on a virtual keyboard.

 

[climbguy#AC]

I went to the Verizon store and checked out a few driod phones.

I really liked the keyboard on the Pro, it was easy to type on quickly.

I was very disappointed with the virtual keyboards on some of the large screen phones. Or maybe I should say my ability to type on them. They looked nice and I can see the appeal to having the large screen, but not at the expensive of a virtual keyboard.

I hear the Pro 2 is in development, does anyone know when it might be released. I would love to see the Pro with a smaller border around the screen to allow for larger screen and smaller border. That and LTE.

 

[Moscow Desire]

HTC Desire Z.

Probably not available for you folks in the states.

Such a pity.

 

[climbguy#AC]

HTC Desire Z.

Probably not available for you folks in the states.

Such a pity.

I tried a phone that looked similar to that with a slide out keyboard, it just didn't do it for me. I don't mind having to wait a few months.

 

[ls377]

HTC Desire Z.

Probably not available for you folks in the states.

Such a pity.

We have the G2, which is the same things but with stock Android. Or, you could always import from Canada